Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas
Heading into round two of the Class AA playoffs there is one team that is once again on familiar ground. The Centreville Tigers were written off by many early in the season after a 0-3 start but after winning 8 of their last 9 games they are now the team no one wants to face. With the wins came a gradual climb in the rankings to where they are now at #5 but more importantly the experience gained by one of the youngest teams in Class AA has been invaluable. “Getting playing time and putting people in the right positions has been the key,” said Centreville offensive coordinator Brian Stutzman. 
The Centreville coaching staff knew heading into the season that junior Cliff Hurst wouldn’t be able to play both ways at RB/QB and middle linebacker with the offense centered so much on the run game. But with a young stable of tailbacks in waiting, getting that young talent playing time was slowed when sophomore Colton Terrell suffered a broken leg away from football before the season got underway. Terrell, now healthy, is the fastest player on the squad and has improved immensely along with fellow ball carriers Hunter Travis and Randy Bell.
During the Tiger’s 0-3 start the younger players struggled to gain any positive experiences but according to Stutzman the turning point came in that third game at Trinity and while Centreville dropped a 24-13 decision in Natchez, “Our turning point of the year was the Trinity game, we were in the game and driving in the 4th quarter but just had some mental breakdowns that cost us,” said Stutzman. “Once our younger players started seeing positive results from winning that’s when they really started believing in the system.”
Only one point kept Centreville from finishing the regular season with an eight game winning streak. A 14-13 loss at Brookhaven in week seven turned heads and signaled to the rest of Class AA that the Tigers were maturing and quickly. With just three seniors on the Tiger’s roster the cupboard is loaded.
Since the 0-3 start the Tigers have averaged 37 points a game and have yielded just 12. Defensively the young squad has grown each week, particularly in the area of defending the pass. Much of the credit for the play of the Tiger’s defense can be directed to a first year assistant coach at Centreville who knows a little about pass defense. Former NFL All Pro with the Kansas City Chiefs Albert Lewis has been instrumental in teaching Centreville’s defensive unit the ins and outs of the pass rush and defending the pass. Having 42 interceptions to his credit, 4 Pro Bowl appearances, twice being named to the All Pro 1st team, 10 blocked punts and 225 games played with the Chiefs and the Raiders, it didn’t take much to get the undivided attention of the Centreville defensive squad.
While it obviously took a little time for the squad not be in total awe of Lewis he now is looked upon as a coach, and a valuable one at that. Taking instructions from one of the best cornerbacks to ever play the game comes easy now and the results have been evident.
Looking forward to Centreville’s round two matchup with a very fast River Oaks team the Tigers will look to do what has made them successful, running the ball often. “They (River Oaks) can’t do anything with the football if we have it,” said Stutzman.
Centreville will be making their first ever trip to Monroe to play 3rd ranked River Oaks in what could be the game of the week.
The Centreville coaching staff knew heading into the season that junior Cliff Hurst wouldn’t be able to play both ways at RB/QB and middle linebacker with the offense centered so much on the run game. But with a young stable of tailbacks in waiting, getting that young talent playing time was slowed when sophomore Colton Terrell suffered a broken leg away from football before the season got underway. Terrell, now healthy, is the fastest player on the squad and has improved immensely along with fellow ball carriers Hunter Travis and Randy Bell.During the Tiger’s 0-3 start the younger players struggled to gain any positive experiences but according to Stutzman the turning point came in that third game at Trinity and while Centreville dropped a 24-13 decision in Natchez, “Our turning point of the year was the Trinity game, we were in the game and driving in the 4th quarter but just had some mental breakdowns that cost us,” said Stutzman. “Once our younger players started seeing positive results from winning that’s when they really started believing in the system.”
Only one point kept Centreville from finishing the regular season with an eight game winning streak. A 14-13 loss at Brookhaven in week seven turned heads and signaled to the rest of Class AA that the Tigers were maturing and quickly. With just three seniors on the Tiger’s roster the cupboard is loaded.
Since the 0-3 start the Tigers have averaged 37 points a game and have yielded just 12. Defensively the young squad has grown each week, particularly in the area of defending the pass. Much of the credit for the play of the Tiger’s defense can be directed to a first year assistant coach at Centreville who knows a little about pass defense. Former NFL All Pro with the Kansas City Chiefs Albert Lewis has been instrumental in teaching Centreville’s defensive unit the ins and outs of the pass rush and defending the pass. Having 42 interceptions to his credit, 4 Pro Bowl appearances, twice being named to the All Pro 1st team, 10 blocked punts and 225 games played with the Chiefs and the Raiders, it didn’t take much to get the undivided attention of the Centreville defensive squad.
While it obviously took a little time for the squad not be in total awe of Lewis he now is looked upon as a coach, and a valuable one at that. Taking instructions from one of the best cornerbacks to ever play the game comes easy now and the results have been evident.
Looking forward to Centreville’s round two matchup with a very fast River Oaks team the Tigers will look to do what has made them successful, running the ball often. “They (River Oaks) can’t do anything with the football if we have it,” said Stutzman.
Centreville will be making their first ever trip to Monroe to play 3rd ranked River Oaks in what could be the game of the week.
