2A Football: Tigers’ Second-Half Collapse Spells Defeat

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The first half went about as well as Centralia coach Jeremy Thibault could have asked for.

His Tigers went into the locker room holding a 12-7 lead over a 4-1 Elma team, with senior quarterback Cameron Erickson going 5-for-8 for 110 yards and two touchdowns, while senior tight end Benito Valencia hauled in four passes for one score.

In the second half, Elma changed its coverage and began calling blitz packages that disrupted the Tigers’ offensive rhythm and flipped the momentum.



Erickson went 1-for-8 passing for just five yards in the second half, while the Tigers chalked the ball up four times, all ending in Elma touchdowns, in en route to a 34-12 loss on Saturday at home in the regular-season finale.

Centralia, ends the season 1-4 overall, played this season missing a slew of players, including five second-team all-league selections from a year ago. It wasn’t the way Thibault wanted to end the year for his seniors, but he’s just grateful they were able to play a season at all.

“It was a good year; a bonus,” Thibault said. “Getting the kids on the field was the important thing. They played five games and enjoyed it. Our young kids played well. They grew a ton.”