Central pummels Mastbaum, 35-0

WHEN CENTRAL High's football team took control of the ball early in the first quarter, one thing was clear. The running game was far superior to anything that Jules Mastbaum Tech could throw at the Lancers defensively, and it was by design.

Central ran all over the Panthers yesterday afternoon, winning, 35-0, in a game that was never really close.

The Lancers have been gearing up for their monster rushing attack for a few years now, coach Rich Drayton said.

Walt Pegues, Ralph Hyland and Quinn Burke have worked together well so far this season, and all signs point to that trend continuing.

"It took us a year to get to this point," Drayton said. "We run a zone and an inside zone, but it took some time for our line to get there. Right now, it is pretty potent, so we are going to stick with it."

Potent is a good word to describe the ground game. The rushing attack is led by senior Pegues, who also plays wide receiver, and defensive back. The 5-10, 180-pound versatile athlete is Central's primary back. He played only the first quarter in the thrashing of Mastbaum, because a sore knee, but still managed 50 yards on four carries.

"He's a coach's dream," Drayton said. "He's a dream, because he can do it all. He can catch the ball, he can run the ball, he can return kicks. He plays defense. You can put him on a team's best wideout and he'll lock him down. There's not much more you can ask for in a player."

Said Pegues: "I'm just trying to get bigger and stronger. I'm fast enough to make some plays, but I can still get better."

He noted that his knee feels fine, and that he will be ready to go next week.

Pegues said he is receiving interest from many teams in the Patriot League, especially Lafayette and Lehigh, but also will visit Fordham, also of the Patriot, this fall.

When Pegues left the game, it opened up opportunities for the other two running backs to shine. Hyland stepped up his game, taking 10 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown, along with an interception on defense. He said that while it is never good to see a teammate go down, he wanted to seize the opportunity.

"Walt is a great player," Hyland said. "Playing with him and Quinn [Burke] makes me push that much harder to get better. I was seeing holes well today, and was able to make the plays."

Burke also had a hand in the Lancers' success against Mastbaum, scoring two touchdowns, while rushing for a modest 13 yards on seven carries. He also had some key blocks early in the contest.

Burke left the game with a leg injury in the fourth quarter, and had to be helped off the field by his teammates.

"Our front and our running backs want to get it done," Drayton said. "They want to be successful. They really want to run the ball. I have to talk them into throwing the ball, because they want to run it so badly."

Meanwhile, on defense, Central did not allow the Mastbaum offense to gain any positive ground, a net yard, holding the Panthers to minus-3 yards on the day.

"We wanted to come out and execute," Drayton said. "We wanted to score at least one touchdown in each quarter, and not give up any big plays on defense. We wanted a shutout, as well. I told them they could make one mistake, but they wanted to go for the shutout."