Third time is the charm: Central outlasts Oak Ridge to punch ticket to state bowl game

The third time really was the charm for hard-luck Central High School.

After suffering back-to-back CIF Northern California Division I-AA championship losses to Folsom, the Grizzlies of Fresno traveled four hours to El Dorado Hills on Friday night to face Folsom’s biggest rival in Oak Ridge to find its redemption.

The Grizzlies were as good as advertised against the Sac-Joaquin Section large-school champions, oozing with size and speed that helped them earn a 38-32 victory.

“Our mindset all along was to get to state,” Central coach Kyle Biggs said. “We didn’t celebrate after this game because this isn’t what we want. We are going to state and we are on a mission.”

Central running back Jekob Jones scored the go-ahead 1-yard touchdown to give his team the lead with 2:05 left. Then the defense stepped up, stuffing Oak Ridge standout quarterback Justin Lamson on fourth-and-inches.

The stop sent Central to the season’s final week – next Friday in Norwalk to pursue the same state title Folsom won in 2017 and 2018. Briggs was waiting for one of his players to step up, from start to finish.

“I told them to just play football and do their job,” Biggs said. “I was waiting for someone to make a play and they did. That’s what championship teams do, they find a way to win.”

The first half for Central (14-0) was defined by big plays. Grizzlies quarterback Jameson Silva tossed touchdown passes of 21, 53 and 11 yards. Silva’s primary target, Jeremiah Hunter, finished with 11 catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns.

“He’s our guy,” Biggs said of Hunter. “We are always going to find ways to get him the ball.”

Central led 25-21 at halftime, and the touchdown connection from Silva to Hunter with under a minute left helped capture the momentum. The defense and special teams also stepped up. Xavier Worthy returned a first-half kickoff 98 yards for a score and Yebrell Emerson picked off Lamson and went 50 yards the other way for a touchdown. The defensive line also finished with four sacks.

The Oak Ridge signal caller caught the attention of the Central coaching staff this week. Lamson passed for 194 yards and had touchdown passes of 28 to Evan Robinson and 25 yards to Brandon Barthel. He also had 79 yards rushing.

“He’s a very good football player,” Biggs said of Lamson. “We knew we had to stop him. He makes his team better.”

Central will hit the buses again next week on a trip south to Los Angeles County to face Sierra Canyon, the SoCal Regional winner. Players, parents and coaches for the longtime Central Section powers don’t mind. They’re glad to still have a season stretch this long.

“This was our mission and goal,” Biggs said of going to state. “We are excited and ready to go.

“Our community is the best,” he added. “We are glad they come to support us despite the rain and long drive. They keep us energized and juiced on the sideline. We feed off of them.”

Oak Ridge finishes 11-3. It won its first section D-I banner after a D-II three-peat last decade.

This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 11:52 PM.