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CAHOKIA HEIGHTS - Breese Central broke open a close game in the second half with two touchdowns on their first two possessions of the second half, on runs of 21 and six yards by Cole Davis, and went on to a 36-12 win over Cahokia in the IHSA Class 4A football playoff quarterfinals Saturday afternoon at Brien Field in Cahokia Heights.
The win puts the Cougars into the semifinals for the first time ever, where they'll meet Rochester, a 41-35 winner over Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin Catholic, on the road in the semifinals next weekend.
The defenses ruled for much of the first quarter before the Comanches got on the board first, thanks to a 42-yard touchdown pass from Nigel Gooden to Hartles Holman, but a two-point run was stopped, giving Cahokia a 6-0 lead. It stayed that way until the final minutes of the second quarter, when Conlan Harr ran in from three yards away, then the Cougars added the convert to take a 7-6 halftime lead, making it anyone's game.
Central struck on the opening possession of the second half, climaxing the drive with Davis' 21-yard touchdown run to make it 14-6, then after stopping Cahokia's first possession of the half, Davis finished the drive with his second score from six yards away, giving Central the 21-6 lead, taking control of the game.
The Comanches got back into the thick of the game when Gooden connected with Holman from 16 yards out to make the score 21-12 after Cahokia missed a two-point try, but the Cougars took control right back on Davis' third touchdown of the day, a 52-yard pass completion from quarterback Owen Kehrer to go up 29-12 after a successful two-point run by Harr. Davis completed the scoring with a 47-yard touchdown run, his fourth of the game, to make the final score 36-12.
The Cougars go to 11-1 and travels to Rochester to meet the Rockets in the semifinal game next weekend, with the date and time to be announced Monday at the IHSA office. The Comanches end their highly successful season 9-3.
