Stillman holds on for a 35-33 win over Central State

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama  – The Stillman Tigers and the Central State Marauders met under the lights of Stillman Stadium for a key SIAC Western Division matchup.  When the horn sounded at the end of the night, the Tigers held off a tough Marauder program 35-33 to get back into the winning swing of things.

While the temperature was starting to fall, the statistics piled up nicely for both teams.  Central State compiled 499 yards of total offense and won the time of possession battle registering over 35 minutes of ball control.  The Marauders gained 318 yards on the ground led by quarterback Michael Wilson's 139 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries.  CSU also got 15 carries for 105 yards from running back Isaiah Grooms and 15 carries for 63 yards from Priestly Shuler.  However, when the play was needed, Stillman's secondary came up with some big stops to either end drives or scoring threats.

Late in the fourth quarter, senior cornerback/linebacker Carlos Wilson had a key breakup which halted a CSU scoring drive.  And with just under a minute left in regulation, junior free safety Cameron Stallings broke up a 2-point attempt which would have tied the contest.

Stillman (5-3, 4-2 SIAC) got on the board first when Torrance Moise found Dondre Purnell for a four-yard pass play in the first quarter.  CSU's Wilson answered quickly, capping a drive with a two-yard plunge.  Stillman running back Jalen Hooks would score on a one-yard inside run briefly giving the Tigers a 14-7 lead before Wilson would score again from three yards out, tying the game at 14-14 after one quarter.

The Marauders would take the lead on a 42 yard field goal from Dustin Bryan prior to freshman Rovonta Johnson scoring from two yards out to make the halftime score 21-17 in favor of the Stillman Tigers.

With University of Alabama standouts D.J. Fluker and Chris Samuels watching from the sidelines, Stillman would continue playing tough football while looking to slow down the Marauder ground game.  Wilson would find Steven Heard for a 19-yard pass play to put the Marauders ahead 24-21 with 6:45 remaining in the third quarter.  Stillman's Johnson would cap a Tiger offensive possession with a four-yard run giving the Tigers a 28-24 lead heading into the fourth period.

In the final frame, CSU would get another field goal, this time from 22 yards out to close the gap to 28-27 with 6:31 remaining in the fourth period.  On the next offensive play, Moise connected with a streaking Reese Sturgis for a 55-yard strike that turned the momentum and the contest in favor of Stillman 35-27.

Central State would not go quietly into the chilled October night as they would march 75 yards on 15 plays, ended by Wilson's third rushing touchdown of the night - this one of six yards.  However, Stallings's pass breakup on the PAT proved to be the game winner.

For Stillman, Moise finished with 201 passing yards and two touchdowns on 15-of-23 attempts.  He also rushed five times for 59 yards.  Sturgis had four receptions for 112 yards while Jovontae Thurmon had ten carries for 55 yards.  Johnson finished with ten carries for 32 yards and two scores.  Dondre Purnell proved again to be a valuable performer, finishing with 114 kickoff return yards on five tries along with four catches for 27 yards.

Defensively, Robert Crosby had 19 tackles (ten solo) while Stallings had 11 tackles and a pass breakup.  Michael Herrod and Peter Dele each had nine tackles in the game.

Stillman now moves on to host Miles College on Saturday, November 2 at 5 p.m. at Stillman
Stadium.  Central State falls to 2-6, 2-4 in SIAC action.

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