Chris Williams | For the Daily Journal
The second leg of Center Grove’s unfamiliarity tour played out Friday night on the Trojans’ home turf.
Little had been known about Oakland, the three-time defending Class 6A state champion in Tennesssee, but the next two and a half hours changed that.
At the same time, the Patriots got a firsthand look at why Center Grove has won three consecutive titles of its own.
Led by the 240 passing yards of senior quarterback Tyler Cherry, the Trojans scored a 28-10 victory to even its record at 1-1 on the season.
“(Oakland) is a very good, physical tough team with good athletes. It was a good night for us,” Center Grove coach Eric Moore said. “I’m glad we had some success. I’m proud that we bounced back after a terrible start, and we turn around and go get a touchdown.
“From then on, the offense really controlled the game. The defense did a great job in the first half, and the second half was just about getting out of there without getting injured.”
Oakland opened the season with a 34-14 victory over Independence, a game that saw the Patriots open up a 26-0 lead through the opening quarter. For a split second, it appeared a similar type of early dominance might take place against CG.
On the game’s second play, a Patriots defender laid a hard hit on Center Grove running back Rylan Cook on a pass out of the backfield, forcing a fumble that was recovered by senior linebacker Tre Johnson at the Trojans’ 13.
Moments later, junior quarterback Kyler Creasy snuck in from a yard out on fourth and goal for the game’s first points.
Center Grove responded on the ensuing series, marching 80 yards in six plays. Cherry spiraled a textbook 50-yard touchdown pass to classmate Noah Coy, who caught it in stride at the Oakland 15 and took it home.
It was around this time the Trojans’ defense began to stiffen, providing the offense more opportunities. The home squad took advantage, scoring on a 6-yard timing pattern to Coy with 5:26 remaining in the second period. The team’s next offensive series was capped when Cherry found junior split end Devin Holubar for a 36-yard score at the 1:08 mark for a 21-7 lead.
Senior lineman Nate Johnson, one of the keys to the Trojans keeping the Patriots offense in check most the night, wasn’t surprised to see his team bounce back.
“I have faith in our defense. They got a little fluke there, but it’s all right,” Johnson said. “We came back and we fought back and I knew we would. It’s a big win right here. We needed this.
“It’s a great experience to be playing these teams. When we get into the tournament, we’re going to be ready.”
After receiving the second-half kick, Oakland changed things up by going to the wildcat offense, with junior receiver Duane Morris and lightning-fast Chase Bandy taking snaps.
Ultimately, a holding call negated a Morris TD run, forcing the Patriots to settle for Jacob Taylor’s 39-yard field goal.
Again, Center Grove answered. Aided by two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, the Trojans put together another 80-yard series, this one capped by Cook’s 4-yard touchdown run only five seconds into the final quarter for a 28-10 advantage.
Center Grove is back in action on Friday when it hosts Louisville Trinity. The teams played last season in the Bluegrass State, with the hosts pulling out a 29-28 victory in double overtime.
The Trojans won’t face an Indiana opponent until Week 6.
“It’s been fun the last two weeks meeting a lot of new people, and it’s fun listening to them tell you about your program,” Moore said. “I don’t search out people much, but it’s fun to hear what they think about you.”
