Springfield Central beats Xaverian in heavyweight matchup

WESTWOOD A few were billing Friday night s clash between Springfield Central and Xaverian as the event of the week as two of the state s best collided In a battle to remember Jareth Staine led the Golden Eagles to its biggest win of the season The junior quarterback went -for- passing with yards while adding yards rushing to go with three total touchdowns as Springfield Central defeated a Catholic Conference nemesis - It dependably feels good to come out here and win Staine declared I did it my freshman year we came out here and won Last year they came out to us and we won So it reliably feels good to play a Catholic Conference unit and come out on top Looking to defend its turf Xaverian - came out firing to start After receiving the opening kickoff the Hawks marched up the field in just over two minutes as senior running back Kyle Celestin bowled over a tackler on his way to the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown rush In the blink of an eye it was a - challenge After junior Zander Govostes drilled a -yard field goal to push Xaverian s lead to - later in the frame Springfield Central - answered The Golden Eagles did so in explosive fashion as junior standout Isaiah Rogers unveiled a seam and broke off an impressive -yard touchdown rush to slice the deficit to - late in the opening frame The chess match continued moments later propelled by Xaverian quarterback Will Wood With to play in the first half the junior fooled the Golden Eagles defense with a play-action fake firing a seven-yard touchdown strike to Richie Edgehille Suddenly it appeared the Hawks were about to pull away with a - advantage Not so fast Led by Staine Springfield Central staged a rally Later on with his squad trailing - entering the third quarter the standout led his group on an impressive drive Staine capped it with a four-yard touchdown rush tying the event at -all with left in the frame After Xaverian missed a go-ahead -yard field goal attempt to end the third Staine decided to begin the fourth and final quarter with one of his signature Hail Mary shots The junior fired a prayer up to his favorite target Kodi Massey Draped by defenders the junior wideout corralled a miraculous catch in the red zone then somehow slipped loose for a go-ahead -yard touchdown reception Massey proceeded to punch in a two-point conversion rush off a direct snap and Springfield Central had completed a rally to seize its first lead all night Suddenly it was a - championship with to play While Xaverian had one final opportunity late the Golden Eagles stood strong defensively Anthony Whaley batted away a pass from Wood during a fourth-and-long sequence in the waning seconds as his group held on to knock off the two-time reigning Div Super Bowl champion I think it shows our pride revealed Springfield Central coach Bill Watson I think last year when we played them we had to come back as well We ve played these guys a scarce times now over the years and they usually come out fast We know we have to buckle down It s four quarters It s four quarters of football Somebody came back on us earlier in the year down two scores If they can do it we feel like we can do it We never panic We stayed with the event plan and we played things out