by Canton, OH: The Perry Panthers went down 7-0 early, but ended up pulling away in their 41-14 victory over Canton Central Catholic. Junior running back Jonathan Lemon had a big day on the ground for the Panthers, racking up 111 yards and two touchdowns. Before leaving the game in the third due to injury, sophomore QB Brock Bourquin had a productive night for the Crusaders, going 13-20 for 95 yards and a touchdown while adding 49 and another score on the ground.
First Half
After both squads traded punts to open the contest, Central Catholic was able to get on the board on a 19-yard run by Bourquin to put the Crusaders up 7-0 late in the first. Early in the second quarter, senior Connor Shephard took the handoff, broke multiple tackles, and rumbled into the endzone for a 37-yard touchdown. A missed extra point attempt made the score 7-6 Central Catholic.
Perry began their next possession at the Crusader 40, and it did not take long for them to get back on the board. The first three plays of the drive were handoffs to Jonathan Lemon, who picked up 37 yards. On first and goal from the three, Shephard took the handoff up the middle to put the Panthers up 13-7.
After forcing a punt on the ensuing drive, the Panthers offense got right back to work. On the third play, QB Cameron Treharn hooked up with Nasir Foster for a 56-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 20-7. Late in the half, Bourquin found Patrick Sciarretti in the back of the end zone for a toe-tap touchdown, drawing Central Catholic closer at 20-13.
With just 34 second remaining in the half, Perry took over on their own 30. On the second play from scrimmage, Treharn saw Jayden Wilson streaking down the sideline and connected for a 70-yard score, giving the Panthers a 27-14 lead at the half.
Second Half
Central Catholic nearly drove the length of the field on their opening possession of the half but were stopped on fourth down. A completion from Shephard to Jayden Wilson picked up 27 yards on the Panthers’ first play. Four plays later, Lemon took the handoff 11 yards for a touchdown, extending the Perry lead to 34-14.
A scary moment occurred in the third quarter, as Bourquin went up the middle to pick up a first down and was hit hard. After a long delay, play resumed but a lot of the energy was gone on both sidelines.
Lemon carried the ball twice for the Panthers on their next drive, the first for 11 and the second for a 43-yard touchdown. After the extra point, Perry was up 41-14, a lead that would hold until the final whistle.
Keys to the Game
Perry has long been known as a dominant rushing team, but first-year Head Coach Spencer Leno said that they planned on opening up the offense more this season. While the rushing attack still led the way, QB Connor Shephard showed he can sling it, completing touchdown passes of 56 and 70 yards.
Credit goes to the Central Catholic Crusaders as well. Despite falling behind by multiple scores and watching their starting QB go down with an injury, Central Catholic played hard until the final whistle. As a Division V school, they will not come across many teams as strong as the Perry Panthers.
Next Week
Canton Central Catholic will look to get into the win column for the first time this season when they travel to Mogadore next Friday night.
Perry plays their home opener next Friday when they host St. Vincent St. Mary. Kickoff is at 7 pm.
Top Performers
Perry Panthers
Connor Shephard: 6 carries 67 yards 2 TD
Jonathan Lemon: 8 carries 111 yards 2 TD
Canton Central Catholic Crusaders
Brock Bourquin: 13-20 95 yards TD INT 11 carries 49 yards TD
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
CCC 1:24- Brock Bourquin, 19-yard run (kick good)
2nd Quarter
Perry 10:41- Connor Shephard, 37-yard run (kick no good)
Perry 6:07- Connor Shephard, 3-yard run (kick good)
Perry 4:11- Cameron Treharn to Nasir Foster, 56 yards (kick good)
CCC 0:34- Brock Bourquin to Patrick Sciarretti, 23 yards (kick good)
Perry 0:18- Cameron Treharn to Jayden Wilson, 70 yards (kick good)
3rd Quarter
Perry 4:19- Jonathan Lemon, 11-yard run (kick good)
4th Quarter
Perry 10:57- Jonathan Lemon, 43-yard run (kick good)
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | FINAL | |
| Perry | 0 | 27 | 7 | 7 | 41 |
| CCC | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
