Freshman K.J. Gilcreast introduced himself to the high school football scene in a big way.
Gilcreast’s first varsity pass was a 33-yard strike to junior Mathew Goldsberry, offering just a sample of a big night that was to come for Helena-West Helena Central.
Senior Trey Johnson rushed for three touchdowns — each one for 30 or more yards — and Central ended a 17-game losing streak on the road Friday night, beating Watson Chapel 42-18 at Wildcat Stadium.
Gilcreast was 6 for 12 for 166 yards and a touchdown to sophomore R.J. Eaton. But it was the Cougars’ ground game that kept the Wildcats defense off balance, especially in the second half.
Johnson carried 9 times for 130 yards. Central (1-0) summed up 181 of its 280 yards on the ground.
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Central had last won in September 2022, when the Cougars beat Dumas in the third week of that season. Watson Chapel (0-1), playing its first game under Central graduate and recent Pine Bluff High School defensive coordinator Steven Heard, has lost 20 in a row since beating Texarkana in the 2022 season opener.
Gilcreast gave the Cougars a 14-6 cushion with 2 seconds left before the half, when he found sophomore Eaton behind the Wildcats defense on a 45-yard strike. Central marched 85 yards in 6 plays on that drive after Goldsberry picked off a pass with 2:53 remaining.
Central broke through first on its second possession. Johnson sprinted up the middle, then down the right side for a 33-yard touchdown run with 1:26 left in the first period. Gilcreast found Goldsberry on a bootleg pass for the extra 2 points.
Watson Chapel had pulled within 8-6 with 10:22 left in the second period to finish a 6-play, 79-yard series. Junior Malachi Rayford scored on a 1-yard keeper, but a bad snap, one of many the Wildcats committed, stifled their conversion try.
The Wildcats pulled within 14-12 after Rayford saw Jaelon Young in man coverage and completed a 14-yard strike to him early in the third. Central wasted little time upping the lead, gaining big on the ground and scoring on a 32-yard Johnson carry with 6:06 left.
The Cougars went on to score 28 unanswered points. Goldsberry put the Cougars up 26-12 on a 57-yard punt return with 5:28 left in the quarter. Then, Johnson rushed 34 yards into the end zone.
Junior Grayson Miller, who played receiver most of the night, threw a 33-yard TD pass to Eaton with 8:52 left in the game.
Rayford rushed 38 yards for Watson Chapel’s last touchdown at the 4:25 mark. Rayford completed 10 of 19 passes for 127 yards and had a hand in each of the Wildcats’ TDs.
Central held Watson Chapel to 171 total yards. The Wildcats were saddled with 16 penalties for 120 yards and lost 2 of 5 fumbles. Central lost 1 of 2 fumbles.
NEXT UP …
Helena-West Helena Central will host Earle next Friday, then welcome Drew Central to close out its nonconference slate. Watson Chapel will visit Crossett next Friday before taking a two-week break going into 5A-Central Conference play.
Watson Chapel receiver Jabaree Smith runs from the Helena-West Helena Central sideline after making a catch in the second quarter. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)