RECORD NIGHT … Montpelier’s Carter Meek (above) ran for 222 yards and tied a school record for touchdowns in a game with five as the Locos outlasted North Central, 56-42.
WILLIAMS COUNTY RIVALS … North Central running back Alex St. John carries the football while being chased by a Montpelier defender.
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
MONTPELIER (October 17, 2025) – Another media person in the press box at Montpelier Friday night said, “The circus has come to town,” and the only thing that humbled every other individual in there is that they didn’t think of it first.
The acts featured a runaway Locomotive that couldn’t be stopped if it were snow rolling uphill, a trio of low-flying Eagles that couldn’t be caught as they bounced and darted between people all night, and finally an endlessly long-lasting zebra act that dragged on far too long, frustrating all in attendance as they stood around aimlessly, glancing at each other, until one finally ran off to find out what to do next.
At some points, the night included football, and in the game that finally ended before the youngster had to dress up for trick-or-treat, the previously mentioned Locomotive on the lam named Carter Meek ran for 191 second-half yards and tied a school record, scoring five touchdowns as Montpelier beat North Central, 56-42.
The win keeps Montpelier in the playoff picture in Division VII Region 26, sitting in the 10 spot with a 6-3 record (5-1 in TAAC) heading into the last week of the season. North Central dropped to 2-7
Montpelier showed what the night that featured over 1,000 yards of offense was going to be like right off the first step into the big top.
Hayden Sharps went 4-5 passing for 57 yards on the first possession, dropping one in the lap of Jaxon Stahler for the last 14 to put the Locos up 7-0 just two minutes into the game. That was only the beginning of a back-and-forth first half.
The Eagles responded with a 12-play march that featured Tyler Meyers’ aerials to Brody Taylor for 22 and Cash Martin for 19 more that set up his own two-yard jaunt into the end zone that tied the game 7-7 with 3:59 left.
Montpelier gambled on a fourth-and-seven at their own 43 and lost when Jackson Poynter knocked away a Sharps pass and the Eagles had a short field to take the lead.
This time, it was Alex St. John doing the honors as he bounced off Locos like a pinball in an arcade game, rumbling 22 yards for the go-ahead score.
The Locos tied it on the first play of the second when Sharps hit his second TD of the evening, a 13-yard strike to Wesley Hartsock, to even the game.
Hartsock then recovered an Eagle fumble near midfield to put the Locos in prime real estate that they immediately took advantage of.
Sharps’ 24-yard gallop set up Meek’s first score of the game from four yards away which regained a 21-14 Loco lead.
Of course, North Central came right back to get close, as in a game that had nary a punt, Meyers hit Poynter for 34 yards to get deep into the red zone, then finished a short march with a short score to get the Eagles within 21-20, a score that stayed that way because Zaine Stull blocked the extra point.
Late in the first half, the Locos got some distance when Meek capped a seven-play drive with a four-yard burst, and a 28-20 Montpelier margin.
The real theatrics came right away on the opening kick of the third. When Montpelier basically whiffed the kick like one of the media types sand wedges on the ninth hole, rolling in a fair distance under the needed 10 yards, the zebra act came to a halt to congregate.
It was not only ruled that the ball should be the Eagles, but also assessed the Locos with a penalty that infuriated the Loco sideline and gave the ball to the Eagles at the Loco 34.
Three runs by St. John for 20, and one from Briggs Fiser for the last 14 put the Eagles in the end zone, and a Meyers-to-Martin pass for two knotted the score, 28-28 with 10:46 left in the third.
From that point, the night got longer…and longer…and, well, you get it.
It took Montpelier just six plays, all on the ground, to retake the lead. Meek went for 15, Sharps for 17, then Meek the final 27 to put Montpelier ahead 34-28 within just two minutes.
After the Locos did get a fourth down stop at their own 33, it took just three plays for them to again hit pay dirt as Sharps ran a zone read, bounced outside and raced down the sideline 44 yards, which, with a two-point conversion, gave Montpelier the two-score distance they needed at 42-28.
Meyers again responded with a five-yard run, but again the extra point was missed to keep the margin at 42-34, and then Meek took over.
Six straight runs by the sophomore running back totaled 55 yards to the end zone and a 48-34 gap with 11:55 left in the game.
Then, after the Eagles, now in urgency mode, misfired on three passes to give the ball back to the Locos, Meek struck again with three straight carries for 44 more yards, including the last 29 for a score, his fifth TD of the contest.
Meyers got one more, his fourth of the game to close scoring, but there was one last zebra act that if it had been one of those circus cartoons, you would’ve seen popcorn bags and hot dog wrappers flying.
When North Central attempted to onside after the last score, they were twice called for penalties that caused upheaval on the Eagle sideline and confusion with the Loco regime.
That’s when one of the black and white striped individuals raced off to consult the book, and finally the Eagles were administered a delay of game penalty, which absolutely dazed and confused everyone in the stadium, and the frustrated Eagles finally just kicked it deep, where the Locos recovered at their own 19.
Meek added to his final total of 222 yards on 26 carries, with 47 more yards in the closing moments. Sharps threw for 207 and ran for 116 more as Montpelier totaled 570 on the night.
Meyers went 10-18 for 212 in the air and tacked on another 105 on the ground in 19 carries. St. John rang up 132 in 23 totes as the Eagles had 479 yards.
Montpelier has a big one with Edon next Friday with a ton of playoff points on the line. North Central finishes with Hilltop on Thursday.
NCHS 14 6 14 8 – 42
MHS 7 21 14 14 – 56
M – Stahler 14-yd pass from Sharps (Guilford kick)
NC – Meyers 2-yd run (kick good)
NC – St. John 22-yd run (kick good)
M – Hartsock 13-yd pass from Sharps (Guilford kick)
M – Meek 4-yd run (Guilford kick)
NC – Meyers 5-yd run (kick failed)
M- Meek 4-yd run (Guilford kick)
NC – Fiser 13-yd run (Martin pass from Meyers)
M – Meek 27-yd run (kick failed)
M – Sharps 44-yd run (conversion good)
NC – Meyers 7-yd run (kick failed)
M – Meek 10-yd run (kick failed)
M – Meek 29-yd run (conversion good)
NC – Meyers 8-yd run (conversion good)