INDIANAPOLIS
No one said modeling a bulls-eye every Friday night was going to be a stroll in the park.
Defending Class 6A state champion Center Grove was a marked team Friday night at Warren Central, and will continue to be for no less than the next nine weeks.
The top-ranked Trojans passed their initial challenge, defeating the host Warriors, 38-14.
Head coach Eric Moore, who lost his first nine games on the eastside of Indianapolis and is now 5-12 there since 1999, couldn’t praise his players enough afterward after watching them win their 15th consecutive game after running the table a year ago.
Moreover, Center Grove’s win streak is now four against Warren Central, by a combined count of 124-28.
“We got after them quick on defense and made some big plays,” Moore said. “The big thing tonight in a first game like this is just don’t beat yourself. A great crowd here tonight. That’s a tough Warren Central team.
“They battle hard, they got very physical and they’re going to have a great season. Hopefully, the Trojans will, too. Playing at Warren Central is always a great way to start the season. It was really, really great to walk out and see family and friends and students enjoy high school football at its best.”
Despite yielding a touchdown pass in each half, the Trojans defense mostly swarmed to the task, reducing the Warriors’ ground attack to virtually nothing. Center Grove’s D by night’s end was responsible for nine tackles for loss and another four instances where Warren Central gained no yardage.
Senior quarterback Tayven Jackson finished 10 of 16 through the air for 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Senior back Daniel Weems rushed for 90 yards, while junior Micah Coyle came into the lineup late to account for a 67-yard TD run and some other impressive runs.
“I think coming out this year and having an experienced (offensive) line, we did okay,” Weems said. “Obviously, there are mistakes we have to fix, but we’ll get that done and get squared away for next week. I thought we did really well running our base belly play. That was open all night.”
The Trojans led at halftime, 24-7, striking first on the opening series as Jackson connected with senior Kalen Carroll for a 39-yard scoring pass with 10:16 to play in the first quarter.
Warren Central tied the game at the 3:49 mark when junior quarterback Daniel Tippit found Joseph Walker Jr. on a timing route in the front left corner of the end zone. Later in the period, Center Grove took advantage of a fumbled punt return by the Warriors, and were back on the board three plays later on Jackson’s 1-yard sneak.
Center Grove picked up a 24-yard field goal by junior Nolan Foley midway through the second; Weems ended the first-half scoring with a 13-yard run up the gut with 2:51 left before halftime.
The Trojans had 199 yards of offense in the opening half to Warren Central’s 72.
Warren Central made things interesting again at 8:48 of the third on a 37-yard TD strike from Prince Powell to Khalil Howard. It was short-lived, however, as the Trojans utilized junior Drew Wheat’s track speed for a 40-yard run just over three minutes later.
Another state track finalist, Coyle, blasted through the line for his team’s final points in the fourth stanza.
The Trojans play their home opener next Friday against Decatur Central.
