This time, there would be no fourth-quarter heartbreak for Central.

For the first time this season Central maintained a late lead and held on for a 49-31 victory over Blue Springs Friday night at Noyes Field.

A pair of touchdowns in each of the first two quarters helped set the tone for the Indians, who witnessed leads the previous two weeks against Platte County and Truman disappear late.

The combination of the hot hand of quarterback Jacob Hess and Blue Springs miscues in the first half allowed Central to race out to a 28-3 lead, which became the school’s first-ever win over the Class 6 school.

Isreal Smith became the biggest reason why Central won as the junior ran for a career-high 283 yards on only 17 carries and scored four touchdowns – two in each half – to spark the Indians.

“I feel like we really came together as a team and we realized how good we can be if we play together,” said Smith, who turns 17 on Sunday. “We felt like we needed to bounce back (from the losses) and we felt this was the game to do it.”

For more, visit StJoeNews.net