MONMOUTH - It took Siuslaw's offense a while to get going in its Class 4A quarterfinal matchup with Central on Friday night at Western Oregon University. But the Vikings' defense kept the Panthers in check long enough for Siuslaw to put points on the board, and then some.

By the end of the night, the Vikings had a 27-0 win and a spot in the state semifinals against the winner of today's game between Ontario and Hidden Valley at Grants Pass High School.

Siuslaw failed to score on its first two possessions against a physical Central defense, and then needed a break to finally get on the scoreboard early in the second quarter.

Central recovered a Siuslaw fumble late in the opening quarter, but was flagged for a face mask, keeping the drive alive.

The Vikings made the Panthers pay for the miscue when quarterback Jacob Mitchell found Jordan Rainwater on a slant pattern for a 4-yard touchdown with 9:56 remaining in the first half.

Rainwater said the Vikings, who were forced to punt on their first two possessions, took their time to find a groove against the Panthers.

“It was rough at first,” he said. “We were in a dogfight. We just had to keep working.”

One thing that kept working for the Vikings was the connection from Mitchell to Rainwater. The two hooked up nine times in the first half alone and 11 in the game for 96 yards.

“They were playing way off, so we had the wide open quick pass and took advantage of it,” said Rainwater, who had three catches on the first scoring drive and three more on the next Siuslaw possession after the Vikings forced a Central punt.

Siuslaw drove 77 yards in just seven plays - the big ones a 14-yard pass to Rainwater, a 17-yard keeper by Mitchell and then an 18-yard touchdown run by Kody Thrall, who took an option pitch from Mitchell and found a big hole in the Central defense.

Thrall said the touchdown run put some adrenaline into the team, providing momentum against the Panthers.

“They were the hardest hitting team we've played,” he said.

But in the second half, Siuslaw's offensive line began to take over.

“The line just blocked real good,” Thrall said. “We got them pumped up at halftime.”

Siuslaw had 90 rushing yards in the first half, but broke through for 178 in the second half, with Thrall and David Mesa rolling up big chunks of yardage.

“In the first half, I didn't feel we were playing up to our full potential,” said Mesa, who led the Vikings with 121 yards on 16 carries - Thrall had 98 on 13 attempts.

Siuslaw's offense got into high gear on the Vikings' second possession after halftime, driving 60 yards on seven plays, including passes from Mitchell to Anthoney Robinson for 33 yards and to Rainwater for 16 - the latter on a fourth-down play. Thrall scored his second touchdown on a 3-yard blast over the right side with 4:12 to go in the third quarter.

Siuslaw's defense then came up with its best effort of the night.

Central freshman quarterback Grant Hedrick, the son of head coach Shane Hedrick, connected with Justin Cuellar for 38 yards and then Bo Wallace for nine more. After a Siuslaw penalty, the Panthers had first down at the Viking 7 and Hedrick ran up the middle for 6 yards to the 1. But Siuslaw's front line stopped Hedrick for no gain on second down, his pass to Cuellar was caught just out of bounds on third down, and receiver Tyler Bice was kept out of the end zone after a reception on fourth down.

The Vikings had held.

“That was a big pride thing,” said Mesa, the leader of the Siuslaw defense. “That felt great. We just got fired up.”

It carried over to the offense, as the Vikings drove 99 yards for the clinching score, Mesa finishing the drive with a 55-yard burst up the middle.

“The blockers did everything perfect,” Mesa said. “I just found the hole and ran through it.”

On the next drive, Siuslaw rushed for first downs on four consecutive plays, eventually reaching the Central 3 before being stopped with less than a minute to go in the game.

Afterward, Siuslaw coach Tim Dodson said he was pleased with the all-around team effort.

“That was fun,” he said. “We're very happy.”

Siuslaw's defense was particularly impressive, Dodson said.

“Again, our kids are playing well,” he said. “They're reading and reacting well. They're tackling well. We just keep pressing.”

Siuslaw limited Central to just 15 yards on 23 carries in the game and didn't allow any Central runners to reach 10 yards.

The Panthers did managed 139 passing yards - 70 on three completions by Cuellar, who started under center, and 69 on an 8-for-17 effort by Hedrick. Cuellar connected with Michael Hamilton for 59 yards on a juggling catch and run to Siuslaw's 11 on Central's first play of the game, but the Panthers fumbled on the next play and Jason Garcia recovered for the Vikings.

Meanwhile, Mitchell went 15-for-21 for 149 yards, catching Shane Hedrick by surprise with his efficiency and the frequency with which the Vikings aired out the ball.

“That kid threw the ball well,” he said. “He was on target. He's a good sophomore quarterback.”

Hedrick was pleased with his own team's effort.

“That's a good football team,” he said of the Vikings. “Not one time did our kids roll over and die.

“I have to give credit to Tim (Dodson). He has done a great job.”

While Central's season ends, the Vikings are preparing for their first trip to the quarterfinals since 1989.

“We're looking forward to it,” Rainwater said. “Whoever we're playing, it will be a great game.”

Notes: The contest drew a huge crowd to Western Oregon's McArthur Field, Central's home turf, including a large contingent from Florence. ... Siuslaw missed a chance at another touchdown when Rainwater intercepted a pass and returned it to the end zone in the second quarter, but a teammate was flagged for pass interference.