Monroe Central

Monroe Central 35, Tri 26 The Monroe Central football team improved to 3-1 on the season with a 35-26 home victory against a tough Tri squad Friday night in Parker City. While the Golden Bears never trailed in the ballgame, the Titans and their run-heavy, misdirection offensive attack made things interesting for the first half until Monroe Central was able to pull away over the final two quarters. The game got off to a fortuitous start for the Golden Bears, as Tri was unable to handle the opening kickoff, which was recovered by Monroe Central’s Jerimiah Ullom at the Titans’ 8-yard line. Four plays later, Carter Duncan would run it into the end zone from a yard out to give the Golden Bears an early 7-0 lead with 10:17 left in the first quarter. Tri responded with its own 12-play, 70-yard scoring drive, but missed the extra point, making it 7-6. The two teams would go back and forth over the first two periods, with Monroe Central going into halftime with a slim 21-18 lead. The Golden Bears dominated the third quarter, taking the second half kickoff and going 62 yards in 13 plays, getting into the end zone with a beautiful 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Lane Wilson to Duncan. Tri, meanwhile, had just one offensive possession in the quarter — a 7-play drive that went just 26 yards and ended with a turnover on downs. The two teams traded scores in the fourth quarter, but now with a double-digit lead, the Golden Bears were well in control to earn their third victory. Wilson completed 9-of-17 passes for 191 yards with three touchdowns — plays to Duncan and Jerimiah and Justus Ullom. Jerimiah had three receptions for 104 yards and Justus had five receptions for 71 yards. Peyton Farmer paced the Monroe Central defense with an unofficial 17 tackles and a forced fumble. Justus Ullom added 10 tackles and a pass breakup. Nick Hendrickson had a strong performance on special teams, converting all five of his extra-point attempts and contributing several key kickoffs. Monroe Central returns to action next Friday with another home matchup against Indianapolis Tindley.