Monroe Central

The Monroe Central football team edged Wes-Del, 43-34, on Friday night to advance to next Friday’s sectional final. The Golden Bears (6-5) got out to a 28-18 halftime lead, and then extended the lead to 17 with a third-quarter touchdown before the Warriors came storming back in the fourth quarter. Wes-Del scored 16 unanswered points in the final period to trail by just one, 35-34, with 4:42 left. But that’s when Monroe Central embarked on a 10-play, 44-yard drive that culminated in a game-sealing 16-yard touchdown run by Carter Duncan with 41 seconds remaining. A two-point conversion pass from Lane Wilson to Brylen Case officially put the game out of reach. The Golden Bears had 367 yards of total offense on the night. Wilson led the way with four total touchdowns — two passing and two rushing. He completed 5-of-8 passes for 91 yards and ran the ball eight times for 26 yards. Ethan Hunt led the way with 17 carries for 128 yards (7.5 average), while Duncan and Dion Sloss added rushing scores. Duncan and Case also added receiving touchdowns. The Monroe Central defense was led by Peyton Farmer, who had 12 total tackles, including two tackles for loss. Elijah Goodspeed added five tackles and two sacks. The Golden Bears advance to play host to Sheridan in next Friday night’s sectional final.