PURSUING THE BALL … A trio of North Central defenders, led by Thomas Ghent (#5), surround and bring down the Lima Perry ball carrier.
PHOTOS BY REBEKAH DELL / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
STIFF ARM … Cash Martin fends off a Lima Perry tackler on Friday night at North Central High School.
By: Elliot Schneider
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
PIONEER (September 5, 2025) – The North Central Eagles escaped a last-second attempt from the Lima Perry Commodores to secure the victory in a non-league matchup.
The game turned into a defensive slugfest, with the decisive edge coming on special teams, a reminder of just how crucial it is to compete in all three phases.
Lima Perry’s two drives of the first quarter were both three-and-outs, as the Commodores struggled to find their footing early.
On the other hand, the Eagles came out on their first possession and scored in five plays, when the QB Tyler Meyers connected with Jackson Poynter for a 33-yard touchdown, giving North Central an early 6-0 lead.
On the Commodores’ third possession, a third straight three-and-out ensued, but the Eagles’ Briggs Fiser shot off the line and blocked the punt, and then Thane Martin picked it up and ran it in for a touchdown, making it 12-0 just seconds into the second quarter.
Neither team would score again in the first half, as both would turn the ball over on downs multiple times, and Lima Perry’s QB was picked off by Poynter as well.
The third quarter was more of the same, as both defenses started to dial it in, making it hard for either offense to string together positive plays.
The only score of the quarter came from Lima Perry’s Baley Morlock as he capped off an eight-play drive with a two-yard rushing TD.
This made the score 12-6 entering the fourth, with both teams looking to grind out their first win of the season.
The Commodores put together a 16-play drive from their own 24-yard line all the way to the Eagles eight-yard line, but failed to convert on fourth and goal, thus turning the ball over on downs.
The Eagles started the following drive from their own 12, and a few plays later, they would have to punt from their own 16, giving the Commodores one last opportunity with 1:44 left on the clock, with no timeouts remaining.
Their drive started right at midfield, and on their first play of the drive, the quarterback would connect with his wideout for an incredible back shoulder one-handed catch for a 35-yard gain, immediately putting pressure on the Eagles’ defense.
Lima Perry would eventually set themselves up with first and goal on the Eagles’ six-yard line. After an unsuccessful run, but the Commodores had to quickly rush to the line due to their lack of timeouts.
The Eagles were ready, as multiple defensive linemen blew up the second down play and the Commodores lost four yards, setting up third and goal on the five with less than 30 seconds on the clock.
An incompletion on third down would stop the clock with 20 seconds left, giving Lima Perry one last chance on fourth and goal from the five.
North Central quickly pressured the Perry quarterback, forcing him to inaccurately get rid of the ball and forcing the turnover on downs.
UP NEXT: September 12 – North Central (1-2) @ Ottawa Hills (1-2)
NCHS 6 6 0 0 – 12
LPHS 0 0 6 0 – 6
NC – Poynter 33-yd pass from Meyers (kick failed)
NC – Martin blocked punt return (conversion failed)
LP – Morlock 2-yd run (kick failed)