Perry didn’t start well on offense in either half against Madison on August 23. But the defense put in a great effort to help the offense get going.

The Pirates managed three interceptions and four sacks to get the offense back on the field, resulting in four first-half goals and a final score of 42-10.

Perry increased the lead to 1-0. Madison fell back to 0-1.

The Pirates forced a three-and-out on Madison’s first drive, but then had a turnover of their own on downs. They had three incomplete passes and gave the Blue Streaks the ball near the halfway line.

Despite the bumpy start, coach Bob Gecewich was confident that everyone would settle in well.

“These first two series, we forced some things as coaches,” Gecewich said. “We also get a little nervous and didn’t set up our offense optimally for some of those things. We could have said better things, but I think the best thing we saw was the guys calming down, getting back on their feet and playing football. Every team preaches the next play and that’s what we did today.”

The Pirates offense found its rhythm and scored four points in a row. Owen McKoon threw a 54-yard run to the outside to finish the scoreboard at zero.

Walter Moses then completed a 29-yard pass to McKoon, Chase Sivon scored another 29-yard pass, and Luke Sivon scored his third passing touchdown of the half.

Moses finished the contest 10 of 20 passing for 159 yards and three scores, but he began the third quarter with a false start, completing 0 of 2 passes and an interception.

But he found himself again and did not let the bad start discourage him.

“It’s the first game and we have a lot of seniors, we were still very nervous and excited,” Moses said. “When we slowed down and got back into the flow of what we can do, we got back to who we were.”

After McKoon’s running score, Madison launched its own offense. A pass from Will Randall to Tyler Alley went for 28 yards, and then Randall fought his way to an 18-yard gain for the Blue Streaks to get within the 10.

On the third attempt, Trent Taylor broke through and Madison had to settle for a 33-yard field goal by Ben Amos. The Blue Streaks also went on a drive after the interception of Alley of Moses.

They closed the game with a pass from Randall to Mac Steele for a 23-yard touchdown. Randall completed 12 of 23 passes and threw for 171 yards.

But the Pirates defense held its own again, holding Madison to 13 plays for the rest of the half and bringing in a variety of other players.

“A lot of guys stepped up in places you don’t necessarily see,” Gecewich said. “Brody Krantz catches a kick return, makes some moves and has a good return. We put Traxton Richards on the kickoff and he makes two tackles. It’s great to see our guys take advantage of that opportunity and play with it.”

Carter Hopkins was another player who stepped up, but on offense. After Dare’On Howard started cramping, the sophomore entered the backfield.

Hopkins was instrumental in two third-quarter drives, finishing with 11 carries for 69 yards and two scores.

“Owen played a lot of defense and the coaches relied on me,” Hopkins said. “I ran hard, the line did a great job and I was able to take advantage of that. It’s great to have the confidence we have as runners, but a lot of the credit goes to the coaches for that.”

Moses added, “It’s great to have a guy like Carter who can step in. Owen and Dare’On both play linebacker as well and those guys need breaks. For Carter to come in tonight and do what he did tonight is really big for us.”

Perry continues his road trip with a game at Euclid on August 30. Madison heads south for a contest with its old WRC foe.

The result

Perry 42, Madison 10

Originally published: August 23, 2024 at 22:54