The sun set softly this past Friday night at Art Sanders field. As the last of the light slipped through the fingers of the day, the world turned orange as the dying rays wrapped around the horizon, catching a ride against the overcast sky. Right before kickoff, the final vestigial of the sun gave way to night.
It would be the last light any Perry Central ball carrier would see, as the Senator defense dominated the Commodores en route to a 41-0 Senior Night victory.
“Tonight was all about our seniors,” said head coach Jeremy Lowery. “It was great to see those guys get a win on their night.”
The Senators would receive the opening kickoff, and sophomore returner Nash Washburn would follow his blockers to set up great field position at the Perry 30. 5 plays later, Washburn would follow his blocking over the left side and score from 5 yards out.
In a common refrain for the evening, the Senator defense would force a 3 and out and the ensuing punt return set the Senators up a mid-field for their second drive. After junior signal caller Jent Tankersley found senior wide receiver Holden Russell on 3rd down for 30 yards on 3rd down, senior running back Charlie Armstong would bull his way into the end zone from 14 yards out for the second Senator touchdown.
The teams would trade possessions, then junior defensive tackle Issac Worley would end the next Perry drive with a huge sack on 3rd down. On the very next play, Washburn would take the handoff, follow his blocking on the outside edge of the Perry defense, and outrun the Commodores 85 yards to the end zone.
The teams would end up trading a couple more possessions, before junior punt returner Jaedin Warne would weave through the Perry punt coverage 45 yards for the Senator’s 4th touchdown of the evening.
The Commodores would receive the second half kick and drive to midfield. Facing a fourth and one, sophomore defensive tackle Layne Stivers would knife into the backfield and tackle the Perry ball carrier for a one yard loss, give the ball back to the Senators. Tankersley would need just one play to find Russell slicing through the defense and winning the foot race to the end zone for a 53-yard yard score.
The Senators would stop another 4th and short attempt by the Commodores on the ensuing possession, as a wall of Senators stood up the offensive line to thwart the quarterback sneak. On the very next play, Washburn would score his 3rd touchdown of the evening, dashing into the end zone from 30 yards out. Junior place kicker Ira Suvak would notch his 5th PAT kick of the evening to conclude the scoring.
The Senators are in action Friday night at Crawford County. Kickoff at 7 pm.