After finishing the regular season with a perfect 10-0 record and receiving a first round bye in the 3A state football playoffs first round, the Charleston Tigers begin their quest Friday to add another football state championship to their long list of successful runs in their program’s history. But that will not be easy, and in the second round, the Tigers will again face a very tough opponent at Alumni Field for the second consecutive year. This year, it will be the Centerpoint Knights from Glenwood, Arkansas, fresh off their first round victory last week at Osceola.
Centerpoint is the four seed from the 3A-5 conference. Their overall record in 2021 was 8-3 with the Knights finishing 4-3 in conference play. The Knights finished fourth in the conference behind Prescott, Glen Rose, and Jessieville. Other schools in the 3A-5 include Bismarck, Genoa Central, Fouke, and Horatio.
The results of Centerpoints regular season contests were:
Hampton, 49-0 win
Murfressboro, 35-14 win
Camden Harmony Grove, 41-20 win
Fouke, 52-14 win
Horatio, 42-6 win
Prescott, 41-50 loss
Jessieville 27-28 loss
Glen Rose, 14-35 loss
Bismarck, 35-13 win
In the first round of the state playoffs last Friday at Osceola, Centerpoint defeated the Seminoles, 29-14.
According to Max Preps, Prescott is the number one ranked team in Class 3A in Arkansas. Charleston is ranked fifth, and Centerpoint is ranked ninth. Last Friday, Centerpoint defeated Osceola who entered the game ranked 15th.
The Knights are led on defense by senior defensive tackle, Garrett Alexander. Alexander is listed by Max Preps as 6’4″, 270 lbs. On offense, Centerpoint is led by another senior, quarterback Joshua Lawson, who has passed for over 800 yards and 12 touchdowns without throwing an interception.
Charleston is led by their all-everything junior quarterback Brandon Scott. Scott is an athletic, dual-threat quarterback and is capable of carrying the offense on his shoulders on any given night. The offense is loaded with great skill position players, and the defense has been stingy all season.
Friday’s game should be a great contest, and the Tigers will need their faithful fan base to show up big Friday night. Centerpoint won an impressive first round round game that was several hours away from home, and they will have no trouble making the trip up through southwest Arkansas to pay the Tigers a visit. These are two very well coached teams, and it should be a dandy. The winner of this game will be poised to make a deep run, in my opinion through the state playoffs.
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Good luck to the Tigers in their quest for a 2021 state football championship!
