Panthers win, 42-6
The Centralia Panthers football team has won homecoming.
They did so in what looked like a decisive fashion, a 42-6 win over the visiting Highland Cougars.
The Clarence Cannon Conference win on Centralia’s home field saw Centralia come away with a 6-1 record and Highland return north with a 1-6 record.
Highland started played with drive and energy, but Centralia ground them down.
Highland’s defense kept Centralia scoreless, both teams playing “three and punt” offense until the last three minutes of the first quarter.
Then Cullen Bennett lasered a 37-yard pass into the rapidly speeding downfield hands of Jesse Caballero for a 52-yard touchdown.
Panther kicker Nathan Timpe followed it with his first of six successful extra-point kicks.
One could say Timpe kicked open the floodgates for Centralia’s offense.
Listen to Centralia Head Coach Tyler Forsee, below, discuss the game.
Listen to Highland Coach Caleb Arnsman, below, discuss the game
Barely three minutes later, early in the second, Bennet stepped back from the handoff and slamed the ball into the gut of Kyden Wilkerson who ran toward the west side of the field, cut between two blocker and sprinted 31 yards to the goal line, shedding Highland tacklers along the way. Timpe stepped up and kicked his second extra point between the nearly full moon lit goal posts, making it 14-0.
On their next possession, the Panthers ground and pounded their way to the eight yard line, where Bennett flicked a short pass to Ethan Adams backing rapidly through the end-zone.
Then with halftime 13 seconds away and many fans already thinking of the Rotary hamburgers and curly fries they were going to buy at the Farmers Cook Shack, Bennet shot a pass 80 yards downfield into the hands of Beau Hatton, add one Timpe and the Panthers entered halftime leading 28-0.
Centralia scored twice more in the third quarter and Highland once in the fourth.
For more, see next week’s edition of the Centralia Fireside Guard.
Jesse Shannon terminates a Highland rush
Cullen Bennett prepares to pass while Alex Newbrough, left, and Evan Brumback maintain the pocket
