PREP FOOTBALL: Running back duo leads Central into 6A playoffs

Ucambre Williams saw it coming.

Yes, it was going to hurt graduating Orwin Smith and his 1,252 rushing yards, but the Central senior offensive lineman couldn’t think of a much better remedy than the backfield duo of Deon Hill and Cordary Clark-Allen.

“I’ve been playing with them since I was 5 years old,” Williams said. “And I have trust in them just like they have trust in the offensive line and me.

“We knew they were gonna come through for us.”

Boy, have they ever.

Hill and Clark-Allen have been the turbines powering a very effective Red Devils offense this year, one that is averaging 34.9 points and 367.4 yards per game heading into tonight’s first-round playoff tilt against Stanhope Elmore at Garrett-Harrison Stadium.

Central is averaging 285 yards per game on the ground this season, with Hill putting up 1329 yards and 14 scores thus far and Clark-Allen adding 738 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Hill, as any back that wants to continue having blocking in front of him does, shifted the credit elsewhere.

“Our key is the line,” Hill said. “They open up some big holes, and we just find them.”

Like Williams, Central coach Ron Nelson saw the potential waiting for its turn behind Smith last year.

In Hill’s case, Nelson thought he was sitting on a hidden treasure.

“I knew what kind of back Deon was,” Nelson said. “A lot of people didn’t know a whole lot about him, but I knew deep down in my heart he was probably gonna be the best back in the state of Alabama.

“They just complement each other real well as far as what a defense has to prepare for.”

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Central's Cordary Clark-Allen looks for running room during the Red Devils' loss at Auburn High.

The Red Devils’ duo, along with a small army of other seniors, have been the reason behind Central’s resurgence this year, which Nelson announced would be his last.

Central, which made the playoffs every year from 1992 to 2005, had missed them two of the past three seasons entering 2009.

Nelson said that wasn’t going to stand with this group.

“They were embarrassed by last season,” Nelson said. “They wanted to get Central football back to where it belongs.”

The draw certainly isn’t doing the Red Devils any favors in that quest.

Central’s first-round opponent is the same one that played them down to the wire six weeks ago, with only a blocked field goal by Dante Devouse on the last play of the game ensuring no overtime and a 32-29 victory for his team.

So that “5-5” attached to the Mustangs doesn’t mean much to the Red Devils.

“We learned how to come together as a team,” Hill said. “Really buckle down and come out and win a tough ball game.

If the Red Devils get through tonight — which would be their first playoff win since 2004 — they’re probably looking at a trip to Prattville in the second round.

“We’re in a tough bracket, and we know that,” Nelson said. “If you look at that whole bracket, it doesn’t look promising.”

An unpromising outlook for a team that has shown, and delivered on, its fair share of promise this season.

Williams said a challenging postseason future is better than none at all.

“It means everything to me. Being playoff-bound, that’s the best feeling ever,” Williams said. “And if we do make it to state, that’s gonna be the best.”

dmorrison@oanow.com | 737-2568

Stanhope Elmore (5-5) at No. 6 Central (9-1)
Stanhope Elmore Key Players: WR Rodney Davis (Sr., 6-1, 185); QB Arsenio Favor (Sr., 6-1, 210); CB Demarcus Milliner (Sr., 6-1, 180)

Central Key Players: RB Cordary Clark-Allen (Sr., 6-2, 195); LB Montrel Crawford (Sr., 6-1, 195); HB Deon Hill (Sr., 6-0, 190)

Stat Pack: The Red Devils are running for 285.0 yards per game ... Crawford has 82 tackles ... Clark-Allen and Hill have combined for 2067 yards and 27 scores on the ground.

Series Information: Central beat the Mustangs, 32-29, on Sept. 25. The teams have split two meetings.