Plenty on the line for Central, Westside

When Central head coach Jesse Hicks first saw his team’s 2016 schedule, he had a strong feeling that everything might come down to the final game on the schedule against Westside.

That game comes at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Henderson Stadium.

The Chargers (6-3 overall, 2-3 GHSA Region 4-3A) are in desperate need of a win with the season pretty much done with a loss. Westside (4-4, 2-2) is not in a must-win situation, but the Seminoles can take a strong step in getting the region’s third seed with a win.

Westside finishes its season at Kendrick on Nov. 4.

“We want to control our own destiny in the region, and if we can beat Central, we take a huge step in doing that,” said Westside head coach Spoon Risper, whose team is coming off a road win over Pike County. “We know that if we get two wins, we are in, and that is the goal. We felt like we let a couple of games get away from us at the beginning of the year, but these kids all know the tradition that Westside football has.

“We never ever gave up on the year, and maybe people in Macon didn’t feel like we were a playoff team, but we always believed that we were.”

The win over Pike County shows the growth of Westside. Twice in the second half, Pike County got to within two points of the lead, but the Westside offense, which struggled at times early in the year, came up with touchdowns to finally seal a 35-26 win.

Quarterback Savion Knowlton threw three touchdowns in the game — two to Jeran Lawson and one to Omar Jones.

Hicks likes where his team is positioned entering its final game of the regular season.

“Look at where this football team was four years ago, and look at us now with a chance to make the playoffs with a win,” Hicks said. “I mean, sure we would like to be in a better position, but playing Westside in our last regular-season game with a chance to make the playoffs makes for a pretty special football game. It’s a huge crosstown rivalry, and a team we have never beat. We are very happy to have the opportunity to get in the playoffs.”

Chargers quarterback Stephon Jones is coming off of his best game of the season as he threw for 225 yards and three touchdowns against Rutland, but Central will also count on senior running back Antonio Sanders Jr. to do damage. Defensively the the Chargers are led by Sanders, Kameron Adkins, Javius Johnson, and freshman Jalon Shine.

“We are aware that for our seniors it could be the last time they ever play a high school football game,” Hicks said. “I don’t think any of us are ready for that. We have battled through some adversity this year, but I love each and every one of these kids, and they have learned that getting to play football is a privilege. We are really hoping for a huge crowd and the city of Macon will support both of these teams on Friday night.”

This story was originally published October 24, 2016 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Plenty on the line for Central, Westside."