MILL HALL - It was all the pomp and circumstance of homecoming weekend at Malinak Stadium.
The 2012 Central Mountain Hall of Fame class of Jonathan Pribble, Sean Hanna and Chad Ferrar were inducted before the Wildcats clashed with Central Columbia Friday night.
In a nip-and-tuck game that featured solid defense for both schools, ultimately it was the Blue Jays who crashed the Central Mountain party and walked away with a 14-6 victory.
"They beat us physically up front," CM coach Vinnie Kishbaugh said. "If we block like we did tonight, we won't win another another game. If your line can't move the guy in front of them, you aren't going win. We didn't do that tonight."
It would have been a story-book game for the Wildcats.
They had a few chances to punch the ball in. Each time, CM failed to convert.
The best example came off a Cole Renninger interception, one that he returned down to the one-yard line.
Late in the third quarter, down 14-6, one simple yard stood between the Wildcats turning the momentum of the game.
A botched snap cost Central Mountain, six - possibly eight points - and took the air right out of Malinak Stadium.
The Wildcats defense stood firm and did their job time and again, to give the offense one more chance with a little more than two minutes remaining in the game.
With 79 yards standing between CM and a possible tie. Walker began the drive with a 21-yard scramble, moving the chains and building up the hopes of the Wildcat faithful.
Two plays later, Walker found Drew Alexander on a swing pass, which Alexander sprinted down to the 33 yard line.
The drive ultimately stalled there, after two incompletions and a penalty and clinched the game for the Blue Jays.
