SEALE — It wasn’t pretty, but Central will take it. (click for pics)

The Red Devils survived a last-minute scoring attempt by Russell County — and an onslaught of penalties — to squeak out a 16-12 road win over the Indians on Friday night in a Class 6A-Region 3 matchup.

“I’m proud we played four quarters,” Central head coach Ron Nelson said. “We had to play up with our backs against the wall. I’m awfully proud of our defense.”

In a game in which both offenses had difficulty moving the ball, it was only fitting for the Red Devils’ defense to put its stamp on the win.

With Central ahead by 4 points in the middle of the fourth quarter, the Russell County offense had one last chance to score the go-ahead touchdown.

Starting the drive at its own 16-yard line, the Indians’ offense, behind the arm of quarterback A.J. Williams, moved the ball inside Red Devil territory in seven plays. Williams completed four passes on the drive.

Enter the Central defense.

With the ball at the Central 40-yard line, the Red Devils stuffed two consecutive running plays for no gain. After an incompletion on third down, the Central defense pressured Williams out of the pocket, forcing the senior to hurry his throw. The pass fell incomplete, and the ball was turned over on downs to the Central offense with just more than a minute to play. The Red Devil offense ran out the clock to preserve the win.

Nelson praised his defense’s effort for its last-minute stand.

“We had people that were wanting to get close to the ball, and they wanted to make the difference,” Nelson said. “I thought (the defense) played extremely well.”

Russell County jumped out to an early lead in the game on Williams’ 16-yard touchdown run with 3:51 left in the first quarter. However, that lead was short-lived as Central scored on its next possession.

Senior running back Deon Hill took the direct snap and scampered through the Indian defense for a 44-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter to give the Red Devils a 7-6 lead.

The Red Devil defense would add a safety with 5:00 remaining the second quarter, and Central held a 9-6 lead at halftime.

After a quiet third quarter for both offenses, Hill struck again for the Red Devils, scoring on a 16-yard touchdown with 10:22 left in the fourth quarter.

Russell County would not go quietly, however, as Deonta Holt returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to keep the Indians within striking distance.

Hill had a big night for the Red Devils, rushing for 214 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns.

Even though his team suffered the loss, Russell County head coach Rico White believes his team sent a message to its future opponents with the way it played.

“I feel great about my team,” White said. “Compared to what Russell County was when I first got here and now, it’s not no cakewalk. We come in, and we’re gonna play football. I’m proud of my guys, but we just got to keep plugging away.”