A random power outage in the area at 6:45 p.m. delayed the start of the game until 7:07. That’s the only thing that stopped Nederland in the first half Friday night as the Bulldogs scored early and often in sprinting out to a 38-7 lead.

Central showed some life in the second half, but Nederland held on for a 40-29 win to spoil Homecoming at Zaharias Stadium.

“We didn’t a whole lot wrong in the first half on both sides of the football,” said Nederland coach Larry Neumann. “We took the opportunities we had and made the most of them. We made some good plays.

“We talked about this before the game. In big games, you need to play smart, you need to play fast and you need to make plays. I think that’s exactly what we did in the first half. We were smart. We lined up and played well. We played fast for us and we made some big plays. That’s how we got out to such a big lead.”

The Bulldogs struck in the first minute of the game. Central quarterback Patrick Fobbs fumbled the handoff on the game’s second play, which was recovered by Chris Gutierrez at the Jaguar 33.

Two carries each by Cameron Bass and Gutierrez put the ball at the 22. Central was called for pass interference in the end zone, which put the ball at the 2. Fittingly, Gutierrez finished off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.

Central’s Hykeem Janise fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which was recovered by the Bulldogs’ Grant Lovelady. Taylor Trahan’s 41-yard field goal gave Nederland a quick 10-0 lead.

Nederland scored on its third possession. On third-and-15, quarterback Kirby Bellow hit Ryan Brady on a 51-yard scoring strike. The Central defensive back gambled and missed on an interception, which allowed Brady to run free to the end zone.

The Bulldogs had another score called back on a roughing the passer penalty late in the first quarter. Brady had intercepted Fobbs and returned it for an apparent touchdown, but Dravannti Johnson was whistled for a late hit on Fobbs to negate the play.

On the first playoff the second quarter, Fobbs hit Derrick Hall on a screen pass that went for a 55-yard touchdown to make the score 24-7.

It was all Nederland for the rest of the quarter. The Bulldogs made it four straight scoring possessions when Bellow hit Adam Broussard on a 59-yard scoring strike.

On Central’s next possession, Fobbs hit Isaiah Wise for a 30-yard completion that put the ball at the Bulldog 12. Hall was stripped on the next play, which was recovered by Jordan Landry to end the Jaguars scoring threat.

Nederland (5-0, 2-0) had to punt for the only time in the first half on the ensuing possession. The Bulldog defense forced a three-and-out. Wise’s punt was deflected by his own man and caught by Wareall Grogan, who returned it 27 yards for a touchdown.

Nederland closed out the first half scoring when Bellow hit Asa Cardenas on an 18-yard scoring strike to make the score 38-7 at halftime.

“The 2-0 is bigger than the 5-0,” said Neumann when asked about the 5-0 start to the season, including a 2-0 mark in district play. “We started 1-4 last season and that team really came on at the end of the season to make the playoffs. The kids we have back from last year’s team didn’t want to be in that situation again this season. You have to play well every Friday night and if you do that you can control your own destiny. That’s what we are trying to do.”

The turnover bug bit the Bulldogs on the first possession of the second half. On third down, the snap from center sailed over Bellow’s head and was recovered by the Jaguars at the Nederland 11.

Hall added his second touchdown of the game three plays later on a 5-yard run to make the score 38-14.

Central struck again on its next possession. On fourth-and-six, Jeffrey Thomas scored from 11 yards out on a reverse to trim the lead to 38-21.

The Jaguars scored on their third straight possession of the second half. On fourth-and-two, Charles Thomas took the handoff over the left side, bounced to the sideline and raced 36 yards for a touchdown. He also ran in a two-point conversion to make the score 38-29 with 5:51 left in the game.

Central’s defense forced three straight incompletions from Bellow, but Trahan boomed a 54-yard punt that pinned the Jaguars at their own 12.

Central failed to convert on third-and-four with an incomplete pass and had to punt the ball away.

The Jaguars had one more chance to rally, taking over at their own 7 with 1:15 left in the game. Grogan sacked Fobbs in the end zone for a safety to make the final margin 40-29.

“Our team showed some resolve in the second half,” said Central coach Donald Stowers. “I told the team at halftime that we needed four scores and we got three. We almost came back and won this game. I was encouraged by the second half.

“The first half was lackluster for us. When you turn the ball over that much it’s hard to win a football game.”

Neumann cautioned his team at halftime to not let down, but that’s easier said than done, especially when you are holding a 24-point lead.

“We talked about not letting down at halftime, but it still bit us in the second half,” said Neumann. “We lost some intensity at halftime. But, if can learn from this it may help us down the line. We can remember how it got a little tight in the fourth quarter and we don’t want to get that feeling again.

“Give credit to Central for not quitting and playing hard in the second half. They had a lot to do with the scoring getting a lot closer in the second half.”

Central actually had more total yards of offense than Nederland, 310 to 261. Bellow completed 14-of-26 passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs. Cameron Bass led the rushing attack with 79 yards on 18 carries and Cardenas caught six passes for 74 yards.

The Jaguars Charles Thomas led all rushers with 100 yards on 11 carries. Hall added 41 yards on 11 carries and caught three passes for 69 yards. Fobbs finished the game by completing 10-of-16 passes for 155 yards.