A lightning bolt struck the North Central (Farmersburg) Thunderbirds on a perfectly clear and warm Friday night, and he was wearing a blue number 3 jersey.
Sophomore quarterback Trey Dobson led Greenwood Christian to a 57-18 win.
Dobson’s night to remember had him involved in six touchdowns. He had three passing TDs, two running and one punt return for 411 all-purpose yards. He finished with 196 yards on the ground, 142 more on 4-for-7 passing and 73 return yards — 61 of those on the touchdown.
“A good breakout night for him. I am excited for the opportunities for him run and throw the ball tonight,” GCA coach Andre Dobson said of his son. “Just being a sophomore and continuing to grow and be a leader and do the things he does for us is great.”
The dominant win though was a great one for the second-year program, with several players playing well.
“I am excited to see that we made some gains,” Andre Dobson said. “We have been trying to make some strides with our offense and defense. “
The efficient Cougars (3-3) didn’t see a fourth down all night or a third down after the first quarter. Whether it was the speed of Nathan Goins, the elusiveness and arm of Trey Dobson or Evan McIntire’s power and pass-catching prowess, North Central (1-5) did not have an answer.
Early on, it looked like a competitive game as both teams had long sustained drives in the first quarter. The Thunderbirds used an exclusive ground attack to drive 74 yards to take the early lead, 6-0. GCA struck back with a 77-yard drive to take the lead. The march was highlighted by a 24-yard run by Goins and 27-yard scamper by Dobson to the 1. McIntire finished it off with a 1-yard plunge, and after Goins ran in the two-point conversion it was 8-6.
The Cougars took over in the second quarter with a series of chunk plays that left the Thunderbirds in the rear-view mirror. GCA had three 80-plus yard drives that totaled only 12 plays and 250 yards. Trey Dobson hit McIntire open for two TD tosses, one for 58 yards and another for 29. Dobson’s elusiveness and speed also resulted in a 59-yard run for another score. Just for good measure, Dobson scored on a 48-yard juking and weaving run to end the first half with a 36-6 lead.
The second half was more of the same, with Dobson’s punt return for a TD extending the lead to 43-6. Another passing TD to Wyatt Schlageter ended Dobson’s night and Goins’ 57 yard TD run capped the GCA scoring.
Goins had 129 yards rushing, and McIntire had three catches for 112 yards.
