CENTRAL �” New Iberia Senior High had the fourth-seeded Central Wildcats reeling in the second quarter after scoring a touchdown to pull to within 21-14, then recovering an onside kick on the CHS side of the field.

The 29th-seeded Yellow Jackets could not convert a first down on the resulting possession, however, and Central drove down for a touchdown just before halftime to stretch its lead to two TDs, then tacked on four more touchdowns in the third quarter, each drive covering less than half the field, to pull away for a 56-21 bi-district win.

“I was afraid they’d come down and score (following the second NISH touchdown), so we went for the onside kick,” said NISH coach Rick Hutson. “Even on the scoring drive, we dropped an interception. If you go in 21-21, or even 21-14, you’re in a lot better mental shape than if it’s 28-14.”

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Central coach Sid Edwards, whose team improved to 10-1 with the win, said he had to remind his team at halftime that their lives are not always going to be charmed.

“Eighty percent of our games have been over at halftime,” said Edwards. “This one was not. I had to remind them, ‘Keep your poise and keep playing your game.’”

The game started off looking like it would be over at halftime. The ’Cats drove 67 yards in six plays to open the game with a 7-0 lead on a six-yard scoring run by Ed Cutno. After NISH (7-4) fumbled the ball away on its second offensive play, it took Central only three plays to get into the end zone again from the NISH 23. CHS quarterback Will Briscoe threw to brother Wes Briscoe for the TD, a five-yard pass with 8:45 to go in the first quarter.

But New Iberia answered with a scoring drive that started at the 44-yard line after a kickoff out of bounds. Chris Cormier converted a fourth-and-two fake punt with an eight-yard run to keep the drive alive, and Tevin Archon put the finishing touches on the drive with a four-yard carry with 2:56 to go in the first period to make it a 14-7 game after the PAT by Colby Delahoussaye.

Central made it 21-7 on the second play of the second quarter when Shedrick Davis carried in from a yard away, but again NISH answered with a long drive, going 80 yards in 16 plays. The Jackets benefited from three penalties that resulted in first downs on the drive, including a pass interference in the end zone on fourth down from the 3. Two plays later, Jordy Joseph sneaked in from the 1 to get NISH to within a touchdown.

“First of all, Coach Hutson had a great gameplan,” said Edwards. “It worked to perfection. It was 21-14, they executed the onside kick, then we stopped them to go in 28-14, up two scores. It took New Iberia out of what they wanted to do.”

The last touchdown of the half was a big boost to the Wildcats, he said.

“New Iberia got us a little discombobulated in the second quarter,” said Edwards.

NISH was the discombobulated team in the third quarter, however. After a punt on New Iberia’s first possession, Central took over at the Yellow Jackets 49. Three plays later, the Wildcats had scored their first TD of the half, an 11-yard pass from Briscoe to running back Gregg Morris with 10:24 to go in the third period.

Josh Veals returned a line-drive punt to the New Iberia 29 after the Jackets’ second three-and-out possession of the half, and two runs by McKenzie Price brought the ball to the end zone again.

New Iberia fumbled on its second play following the ensuing kickoff, and Trevor Sansone recovered at the 33 to set up a one-play scoring drive for Central, a pass from Will Briscoe to Wes Briscoe with 8:35 to go in the quarter. That touchdown made it 49-14.

The Jackets turned the ball over on possessions after four plays on their next drive, and it took two plays for Central to reach the end zone again, this time on a 16-yard run by Price with 5:47 to go in the third quarter.

“They didn’t start anywhere in the second half on their end of the field,” said Hutson. “That’s a recipe for disaster against a good team.”

Desirae Sam gave the Jackets a brief jolt with his 67-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, breaking one tackle and racing up the NISH sideline for the score. That run exactly matched New Iberia’s previous rushing total for the game, and pulled NISH to within 56-21.

Sam led the Jackets with 74 yards on six carries. Joseph completed 13 of 24 passes for 105 yards, spreading the ball around to seven receivers. Tight end Kyle Lamothe had three catches for 36 yards and Jalen Jones had three for 31.

“I was real disappointed with the way we struggled offensively the last three or four games,” said Hutson. “We just got to where we had almost no running game. In 5A ball if you have no running game, you’re going to be in trouble.

“I was pleased with the way we played defensively all year long, but we ran into a buzz saw today.”

Central plays host to No. 13 seed Ouachita in the regional round. Ouachita beat West Jefferson 27-13 on Friday.