Coincidences piled up at War Memorial Stadium on Friday night as Central and Catholic met in the penultimate game of the season. After three close quarters, Central went ahead 23-20 on a 34-yard field goal by senior Walker Hawkins. His extra point in 2007 as a freshman capped a furious Central comeback that year in what turned out to be Bernie Cox’s last win as Central’s coach, and another extra point in 2010 against Russellville ended the subsequent losing streak. But it was Hawkins’s tough third-down catch late in the fourth quarter Friday night that really sealed the victory for Central and coach Scooter Register, who had left Catholic for Central this season. The Tiger players, fans and coaches were jubilant.
As I was talking to Hawkins’s father Drake after the game, Lori Conley, whose son Patrick, a former Tiger, is a senior at Washington & Lee, announced that Patrick had caught a touchdown pass in W&L’s win over Catholic University that same night. “A bad night for the Vatican,” said Drake.
