From the Capital-Journal:
The 2019 football season couldn’t have gone much better for Centralia
The Panthers went 12-1, rolled to another Twin Valley League title and captured the program’s fourth state championship in the last 10 years with an 18-14 win over Smith Center in the Class 1A state title game.
Only one thing kept it from being a perfect season. A 28-8 loss to Rossville in the season opener.
Indeed, while the season-opening loss to Rossville might have been the only blemish on the Panthers’ record a year ago, it also might have been a catalyst for their run to another championship. coach Glatczak and his staff learned plenty about their team in that loss and the changes they made coming out, not to mention the competition they saw from the Bulldawgs, paid big dividends the rest of the season.
Centralia gets a shot at a little payback Friday night when Rossville comes to town to open the 2020 season. Both teams begin the season with serious title aspirations — Centralia is ranked No. 1 in Class 1A, while Rossville is ranked No. 2 in Class 2A.
Rossville finished last season 7-3, falling in the second round of the Class 2A playoffs 29-21 in overtime to eventual champion Nemaha Central. The Bulldawgs return most of the key figures off last year’s squad, including their entire cast of skill players, and are looking to win their first state championship since claiming three straight Class 3A crowns from 2014-16.
To read the complete article, go to: https://www.cjonline.com/sports/20200903/rossville-centralia-relish-tough-2020-opener