Hope ends Cougar winning streak
After being victorious in their first four games of the season, the Centre Cougars were defeated 46-26 Friday by Hope in an away game.
The first points came at 9:49 in the first quarter when Jacob Krause ran 45 yards for Hope's first touchdown. The extra-point attempt failed.
Centre answered with a touchdown of its own on a four-yard run by quarterback Curtis Gutsch. The two-point conversion on a pass from Gutsch to Todd Stahlecker put Centre up 8-6 at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter followed the same pattern, with Hope scoring first, then Centre on a 12-yard run by Kyle Luna. No extra points were made, leaving Centre ahead 14-12.
However, with two minutes and 36 seconds left in the first half, Hope scored another touchdown and the half ended with Hope ahead 18-14.
Things got tougher for the Cougars in the second half as they seemed unable to stop Hope's steady, persistent, gains on the ground.
At 7:19 in the third quarter, Hope's Kyle Goracke ran two yards to score and stretch the lead to 24-14. The PAT failed.
Centre answered several minutes later with a touchdown by Luna on a 29-yard run. With 58 seconds left in the quarter, Hope scored again and added a two-point conversion to stretch the lead to 32-20.
With one quarter left and 12 points behind, the Cougars were desperate to score points. However, Hope managed to score two more touchdowns and complete one more extra-point attempt while Centre scored just six more points on a 10-yard pass from Gutsch to Luna. The PAT attempt failed. The game ended with Hope winning 46-26.
Centre outdid Hope in passing yards, 200 to 60, but Hope had 370 yards rushing compared to Centre's 98. Strong movement on the ground by Hope seemed to make the difference in the outcome.
Statistics show the game was well played with very few penalties, no fumbles, and no interceptions.
Team statistics
First Downs: Centre 7, Hope 19.
Rushing: Centre 14/24/200 yards, Hope 68/370.
Passing: Centre 14/24/200, Hope 6/8/60.
Punts: Centre 4/101, Hope 1/15.
Punt returns: Centre 0, Hope 1/5.
Kick-offs: 5/137, Hope 8/318.
Kick returns: Centre 6/112, Hope 3/46.
Fumbles: Centre 0/0, Hope 0/0.
Penalties: Centre 2/10, Hope 0/0.
Individual statistics
Unassisted/assisted tackles: Travis Burns 6/14, Derek Belton 6/4, Gutsch 5/8, Mark Pagenkopf 7/15, Stahlecker 5/5, Eric Peterson 6/5, Luna 12/5, Joe Forsberg 3/1, Keenan Geissert 0/1.
Rushing: Luna 13/87, Gutsch 6/10, Stahlecker 2/1.
Passes: Gutsch 13/23/185, Luna 1/1/15.
Passes caught: Peterson 3/25, Luna 5/34, Stahlecker 2/63, Pagenkopf 1/27, Burns 2/36, Gutsch 1/15.
Both teams were 3-0 in league play and Hope was 3-1 overall prior to Friday's game. Hope now moves to 4-0 in the league and Centre is 3-1. Centre is tied with Hope in a 4-1 record overall.
The Cougars face Wakefield Friday in a homecoming game.
