HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Madison Central picks up first-ever win over state powerhouse St. Xavier

RICHMOND — A year ago, the Indians (9-1) headed to Louisville for match-up with one of the most tradition-rich programs in the state.And they were handed a 42-6 loss.On Friday, Madison Central faced St. Xavier (4-6) again — this time in Richmond."They had to come down here and play within the white lines for 48 minutes with us," Madison Central coach William Blair said. "They can't bring those state championship trophies onto the field with them. They don't mean anything to us."The Indians were ready for the challenge of facing the 13-time state champions.Quarterback Carson Herbst had three touchdowns (two rushing and one passing) as Central picked up its first-ever victory over St. Xavier, 28-16. Wylie Mathis had a TD catch and Gavyn Kinley had a rushing touchdown.Central took a 21-3 lead early in the second quarter and never trailed on the way to a historic — and confidence building — victory in the regular-season finale."Our kids played hard," Blair said. "That was a game about guts. And we had the most guts in the end."Central is set to open the Class 6A Playoff next week at home against Tates Creek (2-8).The Indians had lost each of their three all-time games with St. Xavier, including a 31-21 setback in the state semifinals in 2021.On Friday, The Indians racked up 477 yards of total offense against the Tigers. Central had 328 yards rushing on 51 carries (an average of more than six yards a carry)."This really means something to us," Herbst said of the win.And the victory could have even more meaning in the future.Central wraps up the regular season with the third-best RPI in Class 6A. Teams with the higher ranking get to play host to the region finals and state semifinals."My dad, my brother ... they all played here," Mathis said. "It's always been my goal to come here and make a huge impact.Herbst came up with a huge play in the opening minutes on Friday.The quarterback got loose on a long run, but was tracked down by a St. Xavier defender. The senior spun away and still barreled his way forward for a touchdown."I was going to make sure I got in the end zone, by any means," Herbst said.The Indians forced a fumble on the next St. Xavier possession and Kinley scored on a 21-yard run to push the lead to 14-0.After a long field goal, Central turned a broken play into a game-changing moment."Wylie wasn't even supposed to get the ball," Herbst said.The quarterback hit Mathis over the middle for a 76-yard touchdown — which was his first reception of the season — with 11:45 left in the second quarter."Usually in practice we never run that play. I saw the ball and the safety slide over and I thought, 'Man, I'm wide open.'"That play gave Central a 21-3 lead.But, the Tigers answered back, getting a 24-yard TD run by Cooper Yates and a 31-yard touchdown catch from Parker Landis in the final three minutes of the half."We learned a lot of lessons at halftime — with play-calling and things like that," Blair said. "And that's good. It means we haven't peaked yet and I'm excited going into the playoffs and I think we can make a run at this thing."Central held on to a 21-16 lead until Herbst added another rushing TD – his 23rd of the season — in the fourth quarter.Herbst had 103 yards on 11 carries, completed 3-of-3 passes for 117 yards and also had a 32-yard reception.Corinthian Barnes had 136 yards rushing on 28 carries. Kinley had 69 yards on five carries. Mathis had 15 yards on six carries.Karter Heyer had one catch for 13 yards. Xiomar Canterbury had a nine-yard catch.