Perry Central takes down CC, 55-6

The scoreboard wasn’t the only thing not working during the Corydon-Perry Central football game on Friday night, as the Panthers committed seven penalties in the first half and lost to the visiting Commodores 55-6.
The spiffy, new scoreboard at Corydon must had been feeling the heat, along with the players. A handful of Panthers went out during the game with injuries that were related to cramps.
‘We had some tailbacks go out with cramps and had to make some position changes,’ said Corydon coach Jason Timberlake. ‘Personnel wise, we had to change our game plan.’
Perry Central started the game with a strong running game, moving the ball right just outside the redzone before losing a fumble. Corydon’s offense, however, wasn’t able to take advantage of the miscue due to a false start and an offsides penalty.
After a Corydon punt, Perry junior running back Bo Gibson took over. His first rushing touchdown broke the stalemate with 5:28 showing in the first.
Later, playing at free safety, Gibson intercepted a Josh Windell pass, intended for Dustin Dones, and returned it 46 yards for the score. At the end of the opening quarter, Perry Central led 14-0.
After Corydon turned the ball over on downs to start the second period, Gibson ran another one in, this time from 18 yards out. The extra point was blocked by Corydon’s Phillip Carter, making the score 20-0.
After another Corydon punt, Perry Central came out passing.
Senior quarterback Coulten Hauser found senior Nick Rockwell for a 41-yard gain. Two plays later, it was Gibson again who ran the ball in for another touchdown, and after the two-point conversion, Perry Central had a 28-0 lead with 4:41 left in the half.
The Commodores closed out the scoring in the half as Hauser was able to find Gibson from nine yards out on a screen play, putting the visitors up 35-0 at the intermission, 35-0.
When asked about Gibson, Timberlake said, ‘He’s a heck of a running back and a pretty darn good free saftey too. We knew he was pretty good from the film.’
To start the second half, Corydon started on their own 33, and decided to look to the air. The first three plays were all passes, with one completion from Windell to his senior tight end, Sean Conway. Corydon’s fourth attempt to pass, however, was an interception, made by Perry Central’s T.J. Hall.
The turnover led to another running touchdown by Perry Central. This time it was senior running back Jarrett Ransom who ran it in from four yards out. After losing the hold on the extra point, Perry Central was up 41-0.
Timberlake said that he was hoping to start off the game with the passing game. ‘We wanted to pass from the get-go and try to get points on the board quick,’ he said.
Corydon’s best drive of the night started on their own 35, due to a Perry Central kickoff that went out of bounds.
On second down with nine yards to go, on the 36-yard line, Windell went deep and connected with sophomore receiver Derek Suhrheinrich Kyle White for 44 yards, putting the Panthers just inside the Commodores’ 20-yard line. Three plays later, Corydon went back to the run, with a touchdown romp by Windell from 20 yards out. Chad Saolmon’s extra point attempt was partially blocked, causing it to go short, setting the score 41-6.
Corydon’s time in the spot light would be short-lived, as the kickoff was returned by T.J. Hall to the Corydon 25 yard line, leading to another Commodore touchdown.
One more score would be tacked on by the Commodores, making the final score 55-6.
For the game, Perry Central had 15 first downs, compared to eight for Corydon. The Commodores ran for 235 yards, threw for 96 and were flagged only one time, for 10 yards.
Corydon ran for 187 yards, threw for 69, and were flagged eight times, for a total of 45 yards.
The Panthers threw two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, and recovered one fumble.
Corydon Central opens Mid-Southern Conference play Friday night at home against Clarksville, which is coming off a 45-0 win over Paoli.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.