Casey Haygood threw two touchdown passes and Centreville Academy’s defense pitched a stunning shutout as the top-ranked Tigers defeated the third-ranked Silliman Institute Wildcats 23-0 Friday night in a key MAIS District 6-AA game for both teams.

“That’s a win that can guarantee us a number one seed (in the Class AA Playoffs) if we win out,” Centreville assistant coach Brian Stutzman said.

Haygood threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Chase Hughes late in the first quarter and a 38-yard TD pass to Britt Netterville with 4:03 remaining in the first half as the Tigers went into halftime with a 14-0 lead.

Haygood ended up completing 4 of 10 passes for 119 yards with no interceptions. He also had 16 carries for 61 yards.

“They had 11 men within five yards of the line of scrimmage, so we hit a few passes downfield,” Stutzman said.

The Tigers’ defense caused a safety after Silliman fumbled the ball into the end zone and the Wildcats recovered it there to keep the Tigers from adding another touchdown. That made it 16-0 in favor of Centreville.

Silliman (4-2, 1-1) was held to just eight first downs and 133 yards of total offense. The Wildcats also turned the ball over four times.

“The defense carried us. We pressured the quarterback all night. The secondary and linebackers played good,” Stutzman said. “We made a ton of mistakes offensively and the defense bailed us out.”

John Marcus McDowell scored on a 22-yard run with 1:42 left in the game to finish off the scoring. Brock Andrus made all three of his extra points.

“We just try to establish the run. It took us a little while tonight,” Stutzman said. “The offensive line did a good job. Silliman’s got a great defense. They made it tough for us.”

Centerville (6-0, 2-0) picked up 17 first downs and finished with 336 yards of total offense. However, the Tigers were flagged nine times for 95 yards.

Hughes had 12 carries for 67 yards, two catches for 62 yards, had three uncharacteristic fumbles, and picked off a pass from his defensive back position. McDowell ended up with 63 yards rushing on 13 carries to go with four tackles on defense. David Carmichael picked off two passes.

Centreville Academy hosts Bowling Green School in a district match-up at 7 p.m. next Friday.