A who’s who list of Central players were not in pads for Saturday’s game at the Bears Den, and it came to haunt the Bears in the second half.
The Villages, dominating time of possession, came back to defeat Central 13-12.
Among the starters not dressed were quarterback Cole Teater, wide receiver Cody Brooks and linebacker Chris Hernandez. But with tailback Robbie Bradley suited up and ready to go, Central (0-2) jumped out in front of The Villages (1-1).
“We had some kids who are very young in some spots they just aren’t used to,” Central coach Mike Einspahr. “The bottom line is we’re going to run the ball, and unfortunately, we had to be one dimensional with the personnel we had out there (Saturday).”
Bradley ran the ball only 12 times due to cramping in his calf, but accrued 183 yards and a touchdown. Mike Rossetti, who was starting for Hernandez, returned an interception 70 yards to pay dirt to make it 12-0 at the half.
A lightning storm on Friday night caused the postponement of the contest until Saturday morning, but the midday heat took its toll on the Central defense as the Buffalo ran 70 plays compared to only 32 for the Bears. By the fourth quarter, the visitors were moving the ball at will with seven players accounting for the team’s 58 carries and 218 yards on the ground.
With only 3:01 left in the game, Buffalo running back Tony Bryant ran for a 4-yard touchdown, his second score.