The Centralia Panthers are back!  After a one-year hiatus from their 20-year playoff run, the team that appeared in four of five state championship games and won a trio of Class 2A football titles served notice after knocking off unbeaten Jackson Heights 32-14 Friday night to clinch a District Title.  That followed the reclaiming of the Twin Valley League Title this year that the Panthers had won 16 consecutive years ending in 2014.  Desipte three fumbles on a bitter night at John Riggins Field, Centralia looked like a championship caliber team, with perhaps the biggest question moving forward the apparent hip flexor injury that 1,100-yard rushing quarterback Trenton Flentie suffered before being carried off the field in the first half. 

Centralia only had seven offensive possession on the night, and they scored on three while fumbling three away and the last drive took the final 4:20 off the clock to secure the win.  One of the biggest plays of the game was after the Panthers scored on their first offensive drive then caused a fumble by Kolby Rethman on the ensuing kickoff and Noah Quigley scooped it up and ran in an eight-yard touchdown to make it 16-0 just six minutes into the game.  Trenton Flentie opened the scoring with a 24-yard rush.  Jackson Heights did drive 18 plays and 75 yards as Brady Holliday ran in a TD to pull within 16-8 early in the second quarter.  Jackson Heights then recovered a fumble, but gave it right back two plays later.  Centralia capitalized as Flentie found Kamble Haverkamp on a 43-yard touchdown pass and ran in his third two-point conversion to make it 24-8 at halftime.

The Panthers fumbled away their first two possessions of the third period but Jackson Heights went three and out and then drove 11 plays before turning the ball over on downs at the 15 at the end of the third stanza.  Centralia drove 85 yards in just six plays as Isaac Gore found pay-dirt from five yards out to make it 32-8.  The Cobras put together one final drive and despite a horrible night on third down they converted on fourth down for the 10th time in 12 tries as Brady Holliday took a pitch and tossed it back to quarterback Cooper Williams for a nine-yard TD to close the scoring. 

Jackson Heights ran 71 plays and finished with 267 yards as Holliday led the way with 138 yards on 26 carries and Sebastian Butto missed the game with injury.  Garrett Hartman added 39 yards and Conlon Bruggeman had 36 as Jackson Heights fell to 8-1 on the season and will travel to face co NEKL champs Jeff County North (9-0) to begin the post-season next Friday. 

Centralia improved to 7-2 with 321 total yards of offense and Gore leading the way with 101 yards rushing.  Devin Feldkamp came on in the second half and had 73 yards on just four carries while Flentie had 48 yards in the first two frames before his injury.  Brennan Carver (senior) was the Denison State Bank “Lineman of the Game” with a huge night on both sides of the football, while linebackers Ethan Becker and Nathan Hauffler also had solid games for the Panther defense that hit hard all night.