Staff writer
Playing quarterback for the first time this year, Dylan Deines guided Centre to a 50-36 victory over Onaga Friday at Bud Peterson Field, the Cougars’ second win of the season.
“I am very happy with our performance,” coach Matt Warta said. “We made a quarterback change, and that seems to be working out. We ran the ball well and threw the ball well.”
Homecoming king Deines was the star of the game, rushing 129 yards on 21 carries and throwing 10 completed passes for 172 yards. He had three interceptions and scored four touchdowns.
Max Svoboda scored Centre’s first touchdown on a 53-yard run. He had 17 total carries for 103 rushing yards.
Xavier Espinoza, a sophomore, scored two touchdowns, one from 55 yards and another from 14 yards. He had four receptions for 110 yards.
Cole Methvin had two receptions for 40 yards.
Centre capitalized on two Onaga fumbles in the first half, propelling the Cougars to a 36-14 lead at halftime.
One fumble was at the Onaga 37-yard line. Deines, Max Svoboda, Methvin, Jensen Riffel, and Cody Svoboda combined to take the ball to the 1-yard line, and Deines carried it in for another touchdown.
Onaga outscored Centre 22-14 in the second half, but the Cougars walked away with a satisfying 14-point victory.
Centre is 1-2 in district play and will play Clifton-Clyde on the road Friday.