CLAFLIN — Big Friday nights are back in Claflin. After a dismal 2019 campaign and a relatively unexciting start to the 2020 season four weeks in, unbeaten Victoria came to town Friday night in a key district matchup Central Plains led the way for more than half of the night but came up short in a 28-14 loss.

“It was the first full game of the year, game three versus game five,” said Oiler coach Chris Steiner. “That’s what (Victoria coach Doug Oberle) said right away to me after the game. They expected to come out in the second half and roll us. We played in two more-orless halftime games. He told us we were in pretty good shape for a team in week three.”

Rare in 8-man football, even more so for two powerhouse teams, the first quarter lasted just 17 minutes behind a long opening drive from Victoria. Oiler junior Cole Lamatsch picked off a Grant Schoenrock pass in the end zone to end that drive.

Central Plains chipped away on its first drive of the night, eating up the remainder of the first quarter and more. The Oilers converted a fake punt, converted another fourth down with a penalty, and still had to get through two more fourth down plays before sophomore Michael Laymon scored from 14 yards out on a keeper three minutes into the second quarter.

The Knights fumbled the ball five times on the night and Oiler senior Karter Beck recovered the first one on the next Victoria possession. The Oilers turned the ball over on downs just four plays later.

Victoria marched the field, converting on a fourth down before senior Jayvon Pruitt broke in from five yards out with just 2:27 to play in the first half. After an Oiler punt, the Knights scored on the final play of the first half, this time on a 5-yard pass from Schoenrock to Lucas Klein. The Knights led 12-8 at the break. The Oilers again looked

The Oilers again looked dominant in their first drive of the second half. Senior Michael Menges, playing in his first game of the season, accounted for nine of the team’s 10 carries on the drive. His 51 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run, put the Oilers back on top 14-12.

“A guy who hadn’t played at all ends up in one of the biggest games of the year and plays both ways,” Steiner said. “He runs the thing all the way down there, 21 and 22 base over and over with him running the ball. He did a great job.”

That proved to be the final score of the night for Central Plains. Victoria put together another of its marches on the ensuing drive, capped by another 5-yard dive from Pruitt. After an Oiler turnover on downs, Pruitt broke free for a 38-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter for the final points of the night.

“With Cole (Lamatsch) coming out of the game, that changed everything for us defensively,” Steiner said. “He was making a bunch of those plays in the first half, coming up as a safety and more or less being our third linebacker.

“They do a great job. We talked all week we couldn’t get pinched down on our backers and we got pinched down. We stuck with the game plan. We pretty much kept Schoenrock in check. Everyone has let him run all over them and I said we’re not going to let them beat us with him.

Schoenrock threw for 88 yards and rushed for just 39 more. Pruitt carried the ball 23 times for 134 yards and three scores.

Laymon paced the Oilers with 79 yards on 20 carries. He also threw for 30 yards on 4-of- 16 passing with an interception. Menges added 56 yards on 14 attempts, and Lamatsch and Dawson McNeal combined for 26 yards on nine carries. Guss Menges went 20 yards on his one completion to lead the receivers.

Michael Laymon had six tackles, including one for loss, and William Laymon added five tackles, including one for loss. Jacob Oberle and Tyler Holmes combined for seven tackles, and both players got into the backfield twice. Oberle also broke up a pair of passes.

Victoria (5-0 overall, 3-0 district) next hosts Wilson (4-1, 3-0) in a game that should determine a district champion. Central Plains (2-1, 1-1) draws another tough game against Sylvan-Lucas (4-1, 2-1).