The Center Point duo of Troy Bruce and Jabari Collier did it again.

Running back Bruce and quarterback Collier accounted for all three touchdowns and all but 44 of the Eagles’ total offense in the 26-8 victory over Jackson-Olin in the first round of Class 6A playoffs.

Bruce ran for a touchdown and caught two scoring passes while Collier threw both his scoring passes to Bruce and ran for 24 yards.

“Coming into 6A, we had a lot of doubters,” Collier said. “A lot of people thought we were going to lose in the first round. We felt we had something to prove.”

The eighth-ranked Eagles (9-1) got two first quarter scores on passes from Collier to Bruce — 16 yards and 49 yards — for a 16-0 halftime lead. Bruce ran 11-yards for a TD in the third quarter with Gerrell Perry’s 30-yard field goal ending the onslaught in a game marred by personal fouls and ejections.

Jackson-Olin scored when La’marius Byrd connected with wide receiver Jabari Poellnitz on a 74-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Star of the game: Senior running back Bruce scored three touchdowns on the night. Two of them coming on receiving touchdowns to lead his team to victory.

“That’s what we work on a lot in practice,” Bruce said. “Running backs nowadays have to be versatile. They have to be able to run and catch.”

Play of the Game: After a muffed punt attempt early in the second half, Bruce extended the Eagles’ lead with his only rushing touchdown for a 23-0 lead.

“We knew they were going to be good up front and we challenged our offensive line all week,” Bruce said. “We executed the game plan good. So shout out to our offensive line.”

Key sequence: After the Mustangs scored their only touchdown of the game, they successfully recovered an onside kick, which squirted through multiple players before being recovered inside the Eagles’ 30-yard line. On the next play, Center Point’s Antonio Garfield grabbed his second of two interceptions on the night, squashing any thought of a comeback for the Mustangs.

“They just keep trying me, man,” Garfield said. “They caught that one touchdown, I just had to bounce back.”

Stat sheet: Center Point Collier was 11-of-17 passing for 172 yards and two touchdowns while Bruce ran 17 times for 84 yards, adding four receptions for 115 yards with two touchdowns.

“Just a crazy freakish athlete,” Collier said of Bruce. “He can do it all. Catch, run, anything you ask to do he can do it.”

Jackson-Olin Quarterback La’marius Byrd was 2-of-8 passing for 83 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. Jabari Poellnitz had one catch for 74 yards and one touchdown.

By the numbers: Each team ended the with double digit penalties, Center Point with 11 for 75 yards and Jackson-Olin with 10 penalties for 85 yards.

Coachspeak: “I didn’t think we’d be this rusty from not having a game this past week,” said Center Point coach George Bates. “We were chippy all week. I thought it was because we were ready to face an opponent. We knew it was going to be a chippy game. Just because teams think they can push us around. We have to respond better than just reacting. But we got a tough one ahead and it’s all about survive and advance.”

“Hostile environment, a lot of emotions going around,” Jackson-Olin coach Jamaal Bess said. “We had a couple of mistakes early. We just didn’t play are best.”

What’s next? Center Point travels to fifth-ranked Hartselle.