Nifty Nixon: Running back rushes Cimarron past Centennial

Cimarron-Memorial’s Stephen Nixon walked calmly off the field after Friday night’s game, almost as if nothing noteworthy had happened.

In reality, Nixon had just completed a career performance. He racked up 279 yards on 17 carries for four touchdowns to lead the ninth-ranked Spartans to a 40-20 home win over Centennial.

Nixon insisted on sharing credit for the league victory.

“It was a good game,” the junior running back said. “It was one of my better games, but my line gave me a lot of good blocks.”
Cimarron (5-3, 4-1 Northwest) took control early, with Nixon breaking loose for a 53-yard touchdown on the game’s third play. He expanded the Spartans’ lead to 13-0 with a 62-yard run midway through the first quarter.

After a Cimarron fumble late in the quarter, Brandon Wright scored on a 6-yard carry to cut Centennial’s deficit to 13-7.

But Nixon, who amassed 218 yards in the first half, scored two more times in the second quarter and the Spartans took a 34-7 lead into halftime.

Wright, who opened the second half with an 88-yard scoring sprint to make it 34-14, finished with 106 yards on nine carries for the Bulldogs (2-6, 0-5).

Teammate Chris Henderson completed 15-of-24 passes for 145 yards, and Matt Holley helped Cimmaron with a 1-yard scoring plunge early in the fourth.

James Poole, the only Spartan besides Nixon to score in the first half, rushed six times for 98 yards. Teammate Kevin Bansbach scored the final Cimarron touchdown on a 43-yard pass from Kenneth Banks late in the third quarter.

“Everyone played hard tonight,” Nixon said. “This is a rivalry game, and we just did what we needed to do.”