Opening night for the Class 3A state football playoffs started Friday night in raw, wintry weather that included temperatures in the 40s and rain. All in all, it was a bitterly cold night for the fans who braved the weather to support their teams. And so it was tonight at Alumni Field in Charleston where the Tigers faithful saw their team get off to a great start in the 2022 state playoffs by defeating Gurdon, 41-6. With the victory, Charleston will advance to the second round of the playoffs that will be played next week. The Tigers will once again be home and will host the Centerpoint Knights from the 3A-4 conference. Game time will be 7 p.m.
It was a good night for the 3A-1 with the top three seeds winning their first round games. Charleston, Booneville, and Greenland all won their opening round games, while four seed Mansfield and five seed Lavaca lost road games at Fordyce and Centerpoint, respectively.
Charleston jumped off to a fast start that was fueled by the play of their defense. The defensive line, led by Hunter Little, who unofficially had 19 tackles on the evening, dominated the Gurdon offensive line, slowing their wishbone rushing attack. Charleston’s defense has been impressive all year, and that is a big factor in many predicting the Tigers to challenge this year for a state championship.
Offensively, the Charleston offensive line also had a good night, creating gaping holes for running back Brevyn Ketter to hit on quick openers that would explode for large gains. Ketter ended the night with over 90 yards rushing and another 30 plus yards receiving on the night unofficially.
After scoring two touchdowns in the first half, Gurdon moved the ball late in the first half to score a touchdown to narrow the Tigers lead at 13-6. But Charleston special teams also showed up big on the night and blocked the extra point that ended the first half with the Tigers leading 13-6. That would be all of the scoring on the night for Gurdon, and Charleston would explode for 28 unanswered points in the second half to defeat the Go Devils under the sportsmanship rule of continuous clock in the fourth quarter. And for all of the fans in attendance, the continuous clock was a blessing when the rain began to fall again late in the fourth quarter.
Watch for a second round preview of the Tigers’ game with Centerpoint on the RNN website next week. Readers can go to residentnewsnetwork.com for free access to the second round preview that will feature the Charleston vs. Centerpoint match-up.
Congratulations to the Charleston Tigers on advancing to the second round of the state football playoffs! RNN Sports will be back at Alumni Field next Friday to bring you all of the action! And watch for more photos from this game on Monday on Facebook at Charleston Tigers Sports!
So, Tigers fans, hang-up your wet rain gear, get warm and comfortable, and enjoy your weekend!
See you next week!
