Down to the final minute once again, Zachary wouldn’t be denied this time.
Senior quarterback Michael Kirby pulled an inside zone read and powered his way through contact to the 4-yard, go-ahead score with 11 seconds remaining to lift the No. 13 Broncos (9-3) to the 31-27 upset of No. 5 Central (9-3) and onto the semifinals.
“I’m just so proud of that kid and what he’s done as far as his maturation process is concerned as a quarterback this year,” Zachary coach David Brewerton told Louisiana First News’ Chessa Bouche postgame. “That’s a high pressure-packed situation right there and to lead us down the field with one drive left in his senior year, and he got it done.
“We were laughing about it on the sideline before the last play-call. They had all sorts of plays they were talking about calling, and they end up calling inside zone. And I said, ‘You know, Kirby may pull this thing,’ and Kirby’s face got all (lit up) and he smiled. And he pulled it, and he got in there. And, look, he got met at the 2-yard line, and he got in there. So super proud of him and the way these kids fought tonight.”
The thriller was a rematch of the District 4-5A rivals’ similar battle four weeks earlier in which the Wildcats had swarmed and deflected a late Zachary two-point attempt to survive.
This time, the Broncos dug out of an early deficit behind a gutsy performance by Kirby and a second-half defensive shutout and got the last laugh of the night and of the season series.
Zachary advances to the semifinals with a 31-27 win over Central. The Broncos scored the game winning td with 11 seconds left. Here’s my postgame interview with @CoachBrew1 @_ZHSFootball @LAFirstNews @LAFBReport pic.twitter.com/ksIhOQfq5h
— Chessa Bouche (@chessabouche) November 29, 2025
Central built a 21-14 halftime lead with a pair of Marvin Joseph Jr. rushing touchdowns and scoring connection between Max Gassiott and Keithon Womack.
Zachary kept on the Wildcats’ heels with a pair of first-half rushing touchdowns by junior back Jeremey Patton, then took its first lead in the third with a goal-line Kirby run and Boston Bentley field goal.
A pick-six by Central junior Brody Diel early in the fourth quarter, the reigning champions’ only points of the second half, reclaimed a 27-24 advantage.
But Kirby and company eventually pieced together an answer, mounting a long drive to advance to its fourth semifinal in five years.
The Broncos will travel to No. 1 Ruston (10-2) for a 2024 second-round game, 2023 title game and 2022 semifinal — each of which the Bearcats claimed by between 14 and 21 points.
