Central's Hagberg scores six TDs

POPLAR GROVE -- Burlington Central quarterback Dan Hagberg paid tribute to his offensive line, but with a 264-yard rushing night Friday, there was plenty of credit to go around for everyone in a 46-6 win over North Boone.

"I owe it to the line," Hagberg said. "I pretty much just went untouched. They knocked down two guys at a time."

Hagberg scored six touchdowns, five rushing and another on a punt return. He didn't play in the fourth quarter as the Rockets improved to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the Big Northern East.

The win made Central playoff-eligible.

"Once he gets going you can't catch him," said Rockets coach Aaron Wichman. "I don't think he's been caught all year."

With injured Central running back Jason Wagner out until the final game of the season, Hagberg took the game into his own hands.

On the Rockets' first play from scrimmage, Hagberg took an option keeper around the corner 87 yards for his first touchdown with 8:14 left in the first.

From then on out it seemed Hagberg knew exactly what to do on his option reads, taking long runs into the end zone from 56 and 30 yards out in the first half on the way to 196 of his rushing yards. He also threw a two-point conversion and had a 20-yard TD pass called back on holding.

The only score by North Boone (2-5, 1-2) came with 6:45 left in the second quarter when running back Morris Kennedy ran 70 yards around end for a TD to make it 14-6.

Hagberg scored from 41 and 17 yards out in the second half. Then, with 3:47 left in the third, Hagberg picked up a punt on a bounce and ran it 55 yards for his sixth TD of the night.

Rockets running back Max Kling added another rushing TD from 29 yards out.