When Dothan converted an interception off the state’s leading Class 7A passer into a touchdown in a steady rain in the opening minute, the No. 7-ranked Wolves may have sensed they were in position to upset No. 1-ranked Central-Phenix City on Friday night.

“You couldn’t have drawn it up any better,” Dothan coach Jed Kennedy said.

But that was before Central, which trailed for the first time this season, pulled out a huge eraser and went to work.

The unbeaten Red Devils regained their balance after the early stumble and began manufacturing yardage and points like a firecracker factory on the Fourth of July.

When it was over, Tristan Williams had 175 yards on just seven carries — including touchdown runs of 55 and 95 yards — Zack Simmons added 138 yards on 15 carries, Daylyn Upshaw had 149 yards on nine catches and Central finally came to rest with 583 yards of total offense in a 48-14 victory at Garrett-Harrison Stadium.

The Red Devils’ offense was far from the only superlative coming out of the damp night. The defense held the run-heavy, misdirection-loving Wolves without a first down until midway through the third quarter, let them cross midfield only twice and allowed only 52 yards of offense before Central coach Patrick Nix began substituting early in the fourth quarter.

“I’m super pleased with our defense,” Nix said. “We played very well against a very good offense. You’ve got to be disciplined against them and that’s how our defense is. They read keys all the time. It was more complex than what we usually see but the base was there.”

The Red Devils’ sharpness was not there early. Their first play was a false start, followed by a near pick-six when Dothan cornerback Ke’aviyon Durry, who leads Class 7A in interceptions, jumped a route, intercepted quarterback Andrew Alford and returned it 24 yards, setting up Tamarion Peterson’s 5-yard TD run for a 7-0 lead.

“I was disappointed, starting with an offside, then a late throw and a pick,” Nix said. “That’s not the kind of thing you want to do. But it was good to overcome some adversity.”

Alford, who led 7A with 1,411 yards passing coming into the game, went on to complete 13 of 27 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns.

But Central, which has turned into one of the state’s most prolific passing teams, showed an overpowering running game, rushing for 341 yards after averaging just 139 coming in.

“I’ve been here five years and that’s probably the most talented team I think I’ve faced,” Kennedy said. “We’re a good football team, and we came in here with the mindset to win. But they have no weaknesses. They’re good up front defensively, they’ve got good linebackers, they cover you man to man, they’ve got two elite, Power 5 receivers and a great running back. You make mistakes against people that good, they’re going to take advantage of it. They’ve done this to everybody.”

And the Red Devils did it Friday night without one of those receivers, five-star Texas A&M commitment Cameron Coleman, scoring a point.

“Most teams put two and three (defenders) on Cam, and so did (Dothan), and our other receivers stepped up and made incredible plays,” Nix said.

Play of the game: Backed up at Central’s 1-yard line after a 72-yard punt by Dothan’s Kenneth Farmer, Alford found Upshaw in man coverage for a 35-yard gain, starting a 99-yard drive which Simmons completed with a 2-yard TD run to give the Red Devils the lead for good at 14-7 early in the second quarter.

By the numbers: 278-63, the margin by which Central has have outscored its opponents … 23-2, Nix’s region record in four years at Central … 112, yards rushing by the Wolves, who were averaging 242 per game … 103-1, the Red Devils’ record when scoring 40-plus points since 2000.

Statistically speaking: Central outgained Dothan 583 yards to 180 … the Wolves held the ball for 28:28 … Peterson had 89 yards on 15 carries, including a late 1-yard TD run … Upshaw had 104 yards on seven catches in the first half … Alford’s scoring passes went 14 and 42 yards to Upshaw and 19 yards to Davion Bennett … four-star safety Rydarrius Morgan, an Alabama commitment, had a 19-yard pick-six.

Coachspeak: “I’m thankful for what we did tonight, the way we ran the ball and the way we stopped them. We’re going one game at a time. It’s a long season.” — Nix.

He said it: “We have to look at the positives. It was 21-7 at the half and our defense was doing a good job getting stops. We’ve got three winnable games the rest of the way.” — Kennedy.

Next week: Central (6-0, 5-0 7A Region 2) visits Percy Julian on Oct. 14. Dothan (5-2, 3-2) visits Enterprise on Oct. 13.