CLAFLIN — A season after missing the playoffs for just the second time in school history, Central Plains entered Friday night a Homecoming win away from hosting a 2020 playoff game.

All the Oilers had to do was beat the cold wind and a Wilson team with three district wins of its own. After an early defensive mishap, the Oilers pulled away to win 66-20 just before the end of the third quarter.

“We’re more like what we’ve always been,” said Oiler coach Chris Steiner. “Last year, that’s not these kids. Injuries were so terrible and everything else. They learned a lot from it and learned the next guy up has to go. We’re a little disappointed we didn’t get (the district championship), but Victoria was a good game. An injury that night didn’t help us out either.”

Wilson struggled with the snap early on but that may have benefitted senior Cooper Weinhold on the first play from scrimmage. He found space and ran 51 yards for a 6-0 lead just 25 seconds into the contest.

The Oilers struggled on their first series, converting a fourth down via a 26-yard completion from Michael Laymon to Karter Beck. Two plays later, Michael Menges punched it in from 10 yards out. Laymon found Beck for the 2-point pass and the Oilers never trailed again.

William Laymon blocked a punt on the next Dragon possession. Four plays later, Michael Laymon took his keeper two yards for a 14-6 score. Laymon added a 33-yard run late in the first quarter to give Central Plains a 22-6 edge after one.

Weinhold continued to be a factor. He ended Wilson’s drought with a 5-yard touchdown catch from Camryn Eberhart. The duo hooked up for an 11-yard score early in the third quarter. Weinhold scored all three Dragon touchdowns, finishing with 80 yards on four receptions and 62 yards on his 12 carries.

“Weinhold is an absolute stud,” Steiner said. “He was all over the field. We couldn’t block him, we couldn’t tackle him. I was very frustrated with our guys at times because we said right away we can’t let Weinhold beat us.”

But the Oilers put up multiple scores for each Wilson touchdown. Menges broke free for a 55-yard touchdown run just two plays after Weinhold’s second touchdown. Then William Laymon returned a fumble 54 yards on the next Dragon drive. The Oilers took a 38-12 lead into the half.

Menges carried the ball on each of the first Central Plains plays of the second half, marching 45 yards down the field before scoring from 19 yards out. Minus a pair of snafus on one bad drive in the second half, the Oilers averaged better than 13 yards a carry in the third quarter.

“We knew it was there in the first half, we just weren’t executing,” Steiner said. “It was one block here or one block there. It was reading by our running backs and making better cuts on things. I think that was it because we didn’t change our scheme a lot.”

Weinhold kept the game going with his third and final touchdown but Central Plains still managed to cross the goal line three more times in third to end things early. Michael Laymon scored on runs of 13 and 1 yard, and he also threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Beck. Laymon converted the 2-point try with 45 seconds to play in the third to invoke the mercy rule.

The Dragons netted just 24 more yards on the ground after the big touchdown run from Weinhold. Eberhart netted 13 yards on 13 carries. He was more effective in the air with 140 yards on 9-of-23 passing. James Huck caught three balls for 24 yards, and Noah Crawford had a big 31-yard reception.

Menges led the Oiler ground attack with 189 yards and three scores on 12 touches. Michael Laymon added 104 yards and four scores on 13 carries. Laymon also threw for 98 yards on 5-of-10 passing. Beck caught two balls for 60 yards, Menges had two receptions totaling 30 yards, and Dawson McNeal had an 8-yard reception.

Wilson falls to 4-4 overall and travels to Caldwell today (Thursday, Oct. 29). The Blue Jays (6-2) won a competitive District 6. As runners-up, Central Plains (6-1) will host Peabody-Burns (5-3) today.