With the Hixson defense setting the tone early, its success set up bruising senior running back Myles Ratliff for a breakout performance.
Describing his running style as a little mix of Marshawn Lynch and Derrick Henry, Ratliff showed his burst in major ways in a 38-9 Region 3-4A victory over Central on Friday night. He rushed for a season-high 174 yards on 22 rushes, with most of his yards coming after first contact.
"Playing winning football all starts up front," Hixson coach Dan Duff said. "We have a pretty solid offensive line, and Myles is such a bull. For the first 15 yards, I don't think there's anybody quicker. He hits the hole and loves to play football."
Duff called him a "top five" back in the area.
Ratliff's lone touchdown came right after the Wildcats (4-3, 3-1) forced an aborted punt from the Purple Pounders (1-6, 1-2) and found themselves just three feet away from the end zone to start their first possession.
While fighting for extra yards after getting enough yards for the first down, Central lost a fumble on its second possession that resulted in a 33-yard touchdown scoop and score by Jaylon Benn. Hixson held a 14-0 lead with 9:40 still to play in the first quarter.
"The defense really played well and put us in good positions early in the game," Duff said about the unit that has allowed only 40 points in its four-game win streak. "They set us up again, and we needed that."
Gray Caldwell added to Hixson's strong first quarter with a 17-yard touchdown catch through contact on a crossing route. The Wildcats led 21-3 at halftime and let their big No. 17 set them up even better for victory in the third quarter.
After a strong first half rushing for 87 yards on 13 carries, Ratliff helped his team amass 200 yards rushing yards with 3:17 left in the third quarter. He finished with two runs of 30-plus yards and had a dozen carries for 5 yards or more.
"I honestly owe it to my O-line," Ratliff said. "They got the job done and cleared the holes, and I just did my thing tonight. I wanted to keep moving the sticks and keep the legs pumping. It feels great to have won four straight games and be in the thick of the playoff race."
The physical runner set up an 11-yard TD catch for tight end Drew Keith from Ladaquis "Dae Dae" Word to put the game out of reach at 28-3 with 2:48 left in the third quarter.
Word finished with 68 yards passing on 4-of-5 passing with two TD throws and a 7-yard rushing score to start the fourth quarter.
Central was led by sophomore Michael McGhee, who had 98 yards rushing on 15 carries and had a 50-yard run called back due to a penalty in the first quarter. McGhee also had 31 yards receiving. D.J. Baxter finished with 72 receiving yards on five catches, including a 35-yard deep ball in the second half.
"It's not surprising to see Michael have a game like this," Central coach Cortney Braswell said. "He is a straight-A student and we are glad we will have him for two more years after this."
Hixson finished with 317 total yards (249 rushing), while holding Central to 273 total yards (145 passing).
"The mistakes we are making are fixable ones," Braswell said. "We have to just stop the bleeding with self-inflicted wounds. We are winning in a lot of other areas, but we just have to correct the little things from here on out, like letting up on a big pass play on third-and-22."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at sports@timesfreepress.com