Football: Central starts fast, routs Holyoke 62-0
Published: 10-25-2024 9:39 PM
Modified: 10-25-2024 10:37 PM |
HOLYOKE — Springfield Central senior Ja’Cyion Cox returned the opening kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown and the Golden Eagles cruised from there to beat Holyoke, 62-0, Friday night at the Roberts Sports Complex.
“They deserve all the accolades that they get,” Holyoke coach David Guzman said of Central.
Cox added four more touchdowns: two runs (1 yard and 86 yards) and two punt returns (60 yards and 74 yards) for Central (6-1, 4-0 AA Conference).
Sophomore quarterback Jareth Staine finished 6-for-6 for 168 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half. Staine’s touchdown passes went to Matthias Barbour (32 yards), Dwayne Early Jr. (34 yards) and Kyle Pickering (10 yards).
Isaiah Rogers added a 42-yard touchdown run.
“They do a great job at what they do,” Guzman said.
Central’s stout defensive front contained Holyoke’s ground attack and chased quarterback Devin Velez around the backfield. Despite facing constant pressure, Velez finished 11-for-28 for 106 yards. He found junior Jesus Morales on a screen pass for 34 yards in the first quarter and found Matthew Dumoulin for 29 yards late in the fourth quarter.
“There’re positives that happened today,” Guzman said. “We played hard and as hard as we could. We had a bunch of guys that weren’t scared of the moment, and they played hard. There’re positive things that happened throughout the game, just not enough of them.”
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Morales ran hard for Holyoke (2-5, 1-3 AA). He also finished with three receptions for 44 yards.
“He’s a fantastic player, fantastic leader,” Guzman said. “He’s everyone’s captain. He’s the captain of captains. He brings the intensity every practice. He’s legit.”
Dumoulin had four catches for 48 yards. His 29-yard reception gave Holyoke a first-and-goal at the 9.
“We had some kids that came out to play,” Guzman said. “You take the little things that are positive here and you just try to make those something that we think about other than the score.”
Central led 34-0 after the first quarter and 55-0 at halftime.
“We got to stay positive and keep playing,” Guzman said. “You have to play the game for four quarters. I’ve been preaching that all year.”
Holyoke closes out its regular season slate next week with a home game against Westfield.
NOTES: The Holyoke Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame recognized its Class of 2024 inductees during a ceremony at halftime on Friday night. The induction is scheduled for Saturday night at Wyckoff Country Club in Holyoke. The six members to be inducted are Michael Athas, Nate Hernandez, Kate McKenna, Chris Legowski, Max Perez and Selena Yates.