CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Montgomery Central got off to its best start since 2021, going 6-1 through its first seven games. However, the Indians have faced setbacks in recent weeks. After a 42-22 loss to rival Creek Wood on senior night Friday, Montgomery Central is looking for answers as it prepares for the playoffs.

Things didn’t start poorly for the Indians. In fact, their offense found plenty of early success. Sophomore quarterback Colston Otte connected with Carson Lancaster for two early touchdowns. However, coming out of halftime, the Red Hawks found an advantage and scored 21 unanswered points to take control of the game.

Montgomery Central head coach Wyatt Page has gotten the best out of his team this season, but he was disappointed with the lack of attention to detail in Friday’s loss.

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“There’s a laundry list of things that we could have done better. It got away from us, and they made some plays at some key times. It goes back to the details and then fighting and finishing,” Page said.

“We got to be better at that, understand our assignment and execute. We’ve got some great players, and they fight hard, but we just have to execute in big moments. That’s part of our maturing process.”

One of the biggest challenges for Montgomery Central was defending Creek Wood’s passing attack. The Indians haven’t faced many teams that rely heavily on the pass, and that inexperience showed Friday. Creek Wood quarterback Ben Singleton threw three touchdown passes as the Red Hawks repeatedly found success through the air.

Odell Springer was the star of the night for Creek Wood, recording two receiving touchdowns, an interception return for a touchdown and another interception to help put the game away. Montgomery Central struggled to contain his explosiveness on both sides of the ball. With the playoffs approaching, the Indians will need to find ways to limit opposing playmakers as they prepare to face tougher competition.

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Still, Page made it clear that his team’s focus needs to remain on its own performance rather than the opponent.

“It’s really not ever the opponent. We got to focus on ourselves and continue to improve, which we’ve done a great job of all year. We just got to get that back going in the right direction,” he said. “Take it one day at a time, one play at a time. That’s going to be our focus.”

The path ahead is now clear for Montgomery Central. The loss to Creek Wood ended the Indians’ opportunity to secure a home playoff game, but they still have one regular-season matchup remaining before beginning their postseason run.

After back-to-back losses, building momentum heading into the playoffs will be critical. Despite Friday’s disappointing result, Page remains confident in his team’s ability to respond.

“Tonight certainly didn’t go the way that we wanted it, and it wasn’t our standard, but I have zero doubt that these guys are going to respond and we’re going to fight. We’re going to have a lot of football left in front of us to play.”

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