Hope stuns Centre
Friday's picture-perfect football weather was spoiled for the Centre Cougars when they suffered a devastating loss at the hands of the Hope Lions, 0-50.
The game was a reversal of the previous week, when Centre defeated St. John's Military Academy by the same score.
"For the first quarter and part way through the second, we stayed with them," Coach Bud Peterson said. "The kids played hard, but we just could not sustain blocks long enough to get our offense rolling."
Statistics prove his point. Centre carried the ball 23 times for 42 yards while Hope had 33 carries for 293 yards. Hope also outdid Centre in the air, with 17 yards compared to 10.
Hope lost 55 yards on penalties, compared to 20 yards lost by Centre, but the Cougars weren't able to capitalize on their opponent's mistakes.
Centre's leading rusher, Todd Stahlecker, was held to 32 yards on 12 carries. He had one reception for a gain of only three yards.
But it wasn't for lack of effort. Early in the first quarter, Stahlecker intercepted the ball, but after three stops, the Cougars were forced to punt.
In spite of two more penalties, Hope scored its first touchdown with 4:32 remaining in the quarter.
During Centre's next possession, Hope intercepted the ball on Centre's 18-yard line and made a second touchdown a play or two later.
The score at the end of the quarter was Centre 0, Hope 14.
During the second quarter, Hope negated two touchdowns because of penalties.
A long punt return in the opening play put the Lions in the end zone, but an illegal procedure penalty brought them back to the 15-yard line. A pass on fourth down was blocked by Eric Peterson, and Centre got the ball on its 18-yard line.
After a holding penalty, a completed five-yard pass, and a first down by Stahlecker, the Cougars couldn't maintain the drive and were forced to punt.
Hope returned the ball to the seven yard line and then ran it in for a touchdown. The two-point conversion made the score 22-0.
With 4:32 remaining, quarterback Peterson threw an intercepted ball and Hope scored another touchdown. The PAT was no good, making the score 28-0.
The next Cougar drive ended when a fumble was recovered by Hope. However, Centre fans saw a ray of hope when Stahlecker intercepted a pass.
But the Lions drove the Cougars back and then intercepted the ball, taking it to within three yards of the goal line. The next play resulted in a touchdown, a two-point conversion, and a 36-0 score.
With less than two minutes to go, a pass interference penalty against Hope put Centre's ball on Hope's 29-yard line. The quarterback's next pass was intercepted by the Lions. Then, in an impressive double-pass play, they ran the ball into the end zone for another touchdown.
However, the play was reversed by a holding penalty, and the first half ended with the score remaining 36-0.
The Lions scored two more touchdowns and two extra points in the third quarter, ending the game with 4:30 remaining in the quarter. The final score was Centre 0, Hope 50.
The Cougars now are 2-2 in league play.
STATISTICS
Centre 0 0 0 X 0
Hope 14 22 14 X 50
Team play (Centre/Hope): first downs, 3/12; yards rushing, 23carries-42yds./33c-293yds.; yards passing, 4-10-3-10yds./3-8-1-17yds.; penalties, 3-20/6-55; fumbles, 3 lost 2/ 2 lost 1.
Touchdowns: Centre 0, Hope 7.
Extra points: Centre 0, Hope 8.
Rushing: Travis Burns 8c-10yds., Todd Stahlecker 12-32, Eric Peterson 3-0.
Passing: Peterson 4-8-3-10yds, Stahlecker 2-0.
Receiving: Stahlecker 1-3yds, Andrew Hajek 1-10, Burns 1-5, Brent Carlson 1-2.
Kick returns: Stahlecker 3-51, Burns 1-9, Carlson 2-6.
Punt returns: None.
Tackles (unassisted, assisted): Stahlecker 8/5, Burns 3/8, Carlson 5/9, Peterson 2/2, Seth Jirak 3/6, Keenan Geissert 0/5.
Interceptions: Stahlecker 1.
Fumble recovery: Peterson 1.
