Cougars beaked by Eagles, 51-20
Staff writer
Centre Cougars faced another tough opponent Friday as they traveled to Clifton-Clyde. They were defeated, 51-20, dashing their hopes for a playoff spot.
Xavier Espinoza caught a 20-yard pass from Dylan Deines early in the second quarter to put Centre on the board. Centre trailed, 17-6 at halftime.
Espinoza scored again in the third quarter on a 46-yard reception in the end zone. Clifton-Clyde added three touchdowns.
Clifton-Clyde struck two more times in the fourth quarter before Deines had a 32-yard run for a touchdown with 21 seconds remaining. Cole Methvin caught a pass from Max Svoboda for the conversion.
Clifton-Clyde’s rushing offense swamped the Cougars, 379 to 111. Jensen Riffel was Centre’s leading rusher, with 15 carries for 74 yards. Svoboda had 13 carries for 34 yards. Quarterback Deines had just 2 yards rushing but six completed passes for 152 yards.
Espinoza had 5 receptions for 130 yards. Cole Methvin and Espinoza each had a pass interception. Espinoza was the leading tackler.
“This was another very, very tough team,” coach Matt Warta said. “These kids played their hearts out and never gave up. This was a moral victory for us and me as a coach due to how my guys handled the loss.”
Centre has a record of 1-3 in district play and 2-4 overall. Clifton Clyde is 4-1 in district play and 6-1 overall.
Centre will play Valley Falls Friday for parents’ night.
Junior high football ends winning season
Centre Junior High School football team ended its season Thursday with a record of 4-3.
Quarterback Lane Methvin was the leading rusher, passer, and tackler.
“From the start of the season to the end, we got much better,” coach Kelly Steiner said. “I’m happy with the improvement that we made.”