Doyal D'angelo is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism Student assigned to cover Central High School for AZPreps365.com

As Central scored five unanswered touchdowns in the first half behind star senior running back Khameron Athy, the Bobcats did not waste time dealing with Trevor Browne on Friday, 42-0, at Ray Laing Field. 

The Bruins started poorly when they accidentally took a knee while punting the ball and Central took over at the 14-yard line. On Central's first play of the game, Athy outran Bruins defenders to the right side of the field for a touchdown. 

Then, after a Bruins’ three-and-out, it took just two plays for Central to score again with a 34-yard touchdown by Athy at the 8-minute mark in the first quarter, who followed his blockers perfectly for the score. 

Trevor Browne was desperate in the early going, as the offense stayed on the field for fourth down on their own 38-yard line midway through the first quarter, but failed to get a first down. This led to another touchdown run from Athy with 2:56 still remaining in the first quarter. 

Already down 21-0 at the start of the second quarter, the Bruins suffered another early setback as Central defensive end Dorian Turner Jr. recovered a fumble by Bruins quarterback Andrew Romero at the 25-yard line. 

Working with a short field for the fourth time in five drives, Central added a 9-yard Athy touchdown with 10:20 remaining in the second quarter to make it 28-0. 

Trevor Browne never had an answer for Central's offense. 

Central quarterback Cam Allen was great at setting up short scores for Athy, completing 11 of 15 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown, while wide receiver Breon Ballard made the most of his touches, recording three receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown. Athy rushed 10 times for 119 yards. 

Coming into Thursday, Athy was ranked second in Arizona through six games with 18 total touchdowns, fifth in rushing yards with 907, and third in total points with 108. After his performance against the Bruins, he might take over the top spot in any of those categories. 

“I’m going to make my mark in Arizona, and I want everybody to know that,” Athy said.  “Y'all are going to remember the name. Khameron Athy, write it down, take a picture.”

Athy, who is 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds, wasn’t the only star of the night though, as the Central defense was clicking the entire game. 

Central’s defense imposed their will on the line of scrimmage as they recorded six sacks, eight tackles for a loss, and a fumble recovery. 

Junior defensive end Dorian Turner Jr. had a huge game and was constantly getting to the quarterback. Turner finished with three sacks, four tackles for a loss, and a fumble recovery. 

“The D-line was eating tonight,” Turner said. “We want that chip. They are already counting us out. We’re going to be underdogs in the playoffs but we’re going to try and come out on top.” 

Turner said he was proud of the team performance, the team chemistry, and the defensive energy. The game carried extra weight for Hovik. He had not won a game against Trevor Browne in his five-year tenure until Thursday night. 

“Trevor Browne was the last (team) on our get-back list,” Hovik said. "They got us pretty good a few years ago so our boys were really proud of the win tonight.”  

Hovik was also pleased with his defensive unit as he pointed out that there were no major mistakes or blown coverages, which was an issue earlier in the season. 

“A big goal for the defense this week was to get a shutout,” Hovik said. “We didn’t want to give up any points in the regional and we wanted to send a message.” 

Central entered this week ranked 15th in 5A boys football and they hope to move up after back-to-back convincing victories. 

Hovik said it’s important to celebrate even the little successes along the way. 

“A guy scoring a touchdown, a guy hitting a big block, us defeating Trevor Browne 42-0 right now, that’s huge for our guys,” Hovik said. 

Central (6-1, 6-0) will get extra time and rest to prepare for their next matchup on Oct. 20 against Fairfax (0-6, 0-4) at Harold Stalnaker Stadium, while Trevor Browne (1-6, 1-5) will face the North Mustangs (2-4, 2-3) at home on Oct. 20. 

Both Central and Trevor Browne are entering a bye week.