Fayette, Mo. - The Central Methodist Football team bounced back with a gutsy 27-24 win over Heart foe Peru State College, Saturday afternoon at Davis Field.
With the win, the Eagles even their overall record to 1-1, while the Bobcats drop to 1-1. It also marks the fourth home opening day victory for Central in the last five seasons.
The Eagles' offense started the first quarter fast, as Paxton DeLaurent found NAIA All-American wide receiver Katavious Taylor for a touchdown at the 8:21 mark of the first quarter. After a missed PAT by the Central special teams, Peru would trim the lead to 6-3 with a 21-yard field goal in the second quarter.
Central's air attack continued to roll, as the Eagles capped a seven play 70-yard drive, as DeLaurent once again found Taylor for a 34-yard touchdown. The Eagles would take a 13-3 lead at halftime.
Peru's offense looked to get rolling in the third, but Central's defense joined in on the scoring. CMU's pass rush rush broke through the offensive line and Cameron Essick sacked and forced a fumble inside Peru's own 10-yard line. Isaiah Studer then picked up the loose ball into the endzone for the defensive touchdown with 13:06 left in the third.
On the ensuing possession for Peru, the Bobcats appeared to be gaining traction as they reached the Eagle's 42-yard line. However, an errant pass from Peru's QB found the hands of senior defensive back Brandon Molinari at the 10-yard line for an interception.
The Bobcats would eventually find the end zone with an eight-yard touchdown run from starting quarterback Grant Gutschow, trimming Central's lead to 20-10 with 2:11 remaining in the third. Peru added another touchdown five minutes into the fourth on a 46-yard touchdown pass, putting CMU's lead at just three points.
After Peru's defense held Central out of the endzone, the Bobcats' offense once again was driving downfield, this time looking for the go ahead score. With the ball at midfield, Peru's offense was pressured by CMU's defensive line which forced an errant pass from the quarterback. Senior linebacker Mar'Quess Daniels, picked off Gutschow and returned the interception back 52-yards for the touchdown, putting the game out of reach for Peru.
The Bobcats added a touchdown late, but weren't able to recover the onside kick, as Central held on for the 27-24 win.
DeLaurent finished the day with 149 passing yards on eight completions including two touchdowns, both going to Taylor. Senior running back Armand Keely racked up 71 yards on the ground for 10 carries. Taylor hauled in five catches for 123 yards including two TD's in his season debut.
Will Miles led the defensive unit with nine tackles and two sacks, while Daniels collected eight tackles and two sacks. Both Daniels and Molinari recorded an interception and overall the Central defense held Peru to just a 29-percent third down conversion rate.
The Eagles head back out on the road for another cross-divisional matchup against Clarke, Saturday, Sept. 11 at 1:00 p.m. in Dubuque, Iowa.
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