Michael Rich/News Centerburg's John Sheasby (9) finds space against East Knox in a KMAC football game on Sept. 11, 2020, in Centerburg.
Fresh off a 35-28 double-overtime victory over East Knox on Sept. 11, the Centerburg football squad is the only remaining undefeated team in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference.
The win over the Bulldogs was an emotional one for the Trojans, who hope to avoid a letdown when they face another big test Friday night as they take on Highland in Sparta.
“I think you gotta rely on— for the players— their journey to get to this point,” Centerburg coach Andy Colella said. “(You're relying on their) hard work and the time and the effort; the experiences of being close and also the experiences of not being close."
The Scots (2-1, 2-1) have featured a balanced effort of solid offensive play and a stout defense over the last two weeks. Highland has outscored its last two opponents 68-6 after a 40-6 thumping over Mount Gilead on Sept. 11.
Highland is looking to throw the league back into upheaval. The Scots, the Bulldogs, Danville and Cardington-Lincoln are all tied for second place with one loss.
“The league is extremely balanced right now— especially compared to years past,” Highland coach Matt Jones said. “But (Centerburg is) clearly, right now, a step above everybody."
Quarterback Kadin Johnson leads the Scots this season with 209 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries; and is 28 of 56 for 335 passing yards, with four touchdowns and one interception.
Defensively, Wyatt Hornsby has 22 tackles, including 5.5 for-loss, to lead Highland. Jay Melchiori returned his second interception of the year for a touchdown last week at Mount Gilead.
“(Highland has) some really big guys up front,” Colella said. “They just sit in there and plug up gaps and make you move around them. They’ve got it rolling on offense too, the last couple of weeks. It’ll be a heck of a matchup for sure.”
The Trojans (3-0, 2-0), who are 10th in the first Division VI state football poll, have three different ball carriers with four touchdowns apiece in Donnell Marshall, John Sheasby and Tyler Johnson. Marshall leads the group with 362 yards on 42 carries.
Johnson leads the team with 21.5 tackles on defense this season.
“I think the thing that really impresses me offensively is their offensive line,” Jones said. “They’re a big, physical group of kids up there. Defensively… they’ve got a really good D-line— may the best I’ve seen from Centerburg in the years we’ve been playing them. They’re fast, they’re physical and they’re strong kids. So we’ve got our work cut out for us, for sure.”
One of those defensive linemen, Trey Kendrick, has been a disruptive force in the backfield this season with nine tackles-for-loss and three sacks— both team-highs. Kendrick had 7.5 tackles, four for-loss and three sacks against the Bulldogs.
“Trey is always our dude in the middle on defense,” Colella said. “It starts with him up front. He’s full of energy and full of life up there and creates a lot of problems with offenses with his power and his speed in the middle.”
Alex Johnson also had a big game against East Knox with 103 receiving yards on seven catches. Defensively, he added five tackles (two for-loss) and 1.5 sacks.
