Centennial runs over visiting Pacers

By Matthew Sherman

The Lake Oswego Review, Sep 11, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Lakeridge couldn't come up with an answer to Centennial's running game on Friday as the Eagles took a quick 21-0 lead and never looked back in a 55-20 victory.

Centennial scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions. Tyler Pannell was the star in the first quarter, scoring on a 35-yard run after taking a pitch from quarterback Nate Wolf. A few minutes later, Wolf connected with Pannell for a 30-yard touchdown pass.

On the Eagles' next possession, Ivan Palavra broke a 37-yard run and then scored from 29 yards out to quickly make it 21-0. Centennial had the Pacers guessing all night long with a variety of misdirection hand-offs, quarterback keepers and option plays.

But Centennial's first big mistake helped get Lakeridge on the board. Chase Wippert picked off a pass over the middle and returned it to the one-yard line. Wippert would then get the call and score to put his team on the board.

Centennial rebounded and scored again on its next possession on a 24-yard run by Palavra but the Pacers kept the pressure on by scoring late in the half on a five-yard run from Wippert.

Lakeridge had its chances to get right back in the game in the third quarter. On their opening possession of the second half, the Pacers faced fourth and inches inside Centennial territory but botched the ensuing play and lost five yards.

Then, Lakeridge reached the seven-yard line on its next possession before a sack and a penalty forced the Pacers to attempt a field goal that missed. After that, the Eagles put the game on ice. Wolf capped off an 80-yard drive with a 13-yard keeper for a touchdown. A few minutes later, Kevin Bannister scored on a three-yard run to make it 41-13.

Will Sykes and back-up quarterback David Baker also scored in the fourth quarter for Centennial. Lakeridge's last highlight came when quarterback Ben Swinford hit a wide open Blake Dutton for a 75-yard touchdown pass but, by then, the game was out of reach.

Centennial (1-1) will face Lincoln next week while Lakeridge (1-1) hosts Crater.

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