Springfield Central denied Waynesville’s attempt for a second consecutive district crown and earned its own first-ever title with a 3-1 victory Thursday night at Tiger Stadium.  The District 9 champion Bulldogs will host Nixa Tuesday night in a Class 4 Sectional game.  

Central played tight defense and aggressive offense in getting the best of the Tigers most of the night.  The Bulldogs smothered  Tiger forward Caleb Rodriguez with double and triple-team coverage in the red zone. They also won most  fifty-fifty balls and used pinpoint passing and great speed up front to attack the Waynesville back line.  

Central forward Oscar Leiva had two goals and an assist in leading his team.  The first goal came in the 15th minute when he took possession and beat the Tiger right back before slotting the ball into the goal for a 1-0 halftime lead.  The Tigers tied the scored at the 15th minute of the second half when Rodriguez linked up with a ball from Joey Cartwright, beat two defenders with his back to the goal, worked to his right and beat two more for a nice turn-around shot inside the far post.  It was his 29th of the year and would be his 80th and final goal as a Tiger.  

Though the Tiger faithful were loud and supportive at that point, Central quieted the crowd at the 18:32 mark when Leiva scored for the second time.  With 10:22 left, Central put the game away when Leiva assisted Ben Zimmerman.  The Bulldogs played  slow-down from then on.  

The Tigers finished the season with a 10-15 record.  They battled academic losses, low numbers, and injuries all season long.  The Tigers will lose six seniors to graduation: goalkeeper Jacob Woodward, forwards Caleb Rodriguez and Alberto Reyes, midfielder Hunter Ball, and defenders Robert Osborn and Michael O’Donnell.