Box Score The Basics
Score: No. 22 Central Methodist 17, Evangel 7 | Final Statistics
Records: Evangel (5-6, 2-3); Central Methodist (9-2, 5-0)
Site: Eagle Stadium
NIXA, Mo. – Despite a valiant effort from the Evangel defense, No. 22 Central Methodist seized control of a scoreless duel by scoring a pair of touchdowns within a span of four minutes en route to a 17-7 victory Saturday afternoon that clinched the Heart of America Athletic Conference South Division title for the Eagles.
Paxton DeLaurent passed for CMU's only two touchdowns of the afternoon—a 16-yard scoring strike to Katavious Taylor with just 12 seconds left in the first half, and an 11-yard TD toss to Roberto Palacios early in the third period—and rushed for a game-high 93 yards to help CMU wrap up its first conference title in 46 years.
Evangel's defense put up a stout effort against the Eagles, who knocked off No.5 Baker last weekend to clinch a share of the Heart South title. The Valor defense forced punts on each of CMU's first six offensive possessions of the day, limiting the Eagles to just 60 yards until the go-ahead drive that began with just 1:23 to play in the second quarter.
The defenses dominated the opening half of play, combining to allow just 13 total first downs and 252 yards of total offense. But CMU kicked its offense into gear in the final minutes of the half, engineering a seven-play, 60-yard scoring drive to put the first points of the game on the board.
Armand Keely, who rushed 16 times for 85 yards on the day, ripped off a 15-yard run to start the key drive, before DeLaurent used his legs to rack up 29 yards on two rushes to move the Eagles to within striking distance. The sophomore from Camdenton then found Taylor in the end zone for the 16-yard go-ahead touchdown.
The Eagles kept the pressure on the Valor with a 65-yard scoring drive on their opening possession of the second half. DeLaurent rushed for 17 yards on two carries before connecting with Palacios on an 11-yard touchdown with 11:29 to play in the quarter.
Evangel's offense showed signs of life in the third as well, with the Valor logging their best drive of the day midway through the period. Dyllan Decker hooked up with Joshua Tips on a 37-yard pass to move EU within scoring range.
But the CMU defense held its ground, forcing a pair of incompletions from the two-yard line to thwart the drive. EU's Jonah Edwards' 19-yard field goal was wide of the goal posts, preserving the 14-0 Eagle lead.
EU finally broke through early in the fourth quarter, as Decker found Tips for a 16-yard touchdown pass that cut the Valor deficit in half with just under 12 minutes to play.
CMU responded immediately after a short kickoff set the Eagles up at the EU 39 on its ensuing drive. The Valor defense stood its ground to limit the damage, but Samuel Petrin's 40-yard field goal extended the lead back to double-digits.
From that point, the Eagle defense slammed the door shut on an Evangel comeback bid, forcing punts after three-and-out possessions on each of the Valor's next two drives.
Decker completed 16-of-34 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown in his final game for Evangel. He concluded his EU career third on the Valor's career passing completion percentage list (0.567) and 10th on the program's all-time passing TD list (26).
The Evangel defense limited CMU to 291 yards of offense and just 3-of-14 on third-down conversion attempts. Joey Sylvester paced the Valor defense with a game-high eight tackles, while Nate Swofford added six stops and an interception.
Nicos Oropeza also registered a strong senior day performance for EU, finishing his career with a 73-yard rushing effort to compliment a 62-yard day by Derome Williams.
Evangel concluded its 2021 season with its fourth five-win season in head coach Chuck Hepola's six-year tenure.
For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EUAthletics, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the new Evangel Athletics Gameday App through Google Play.
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