MUNCIE, IND - Tonight was senior night for Muncie Central (3-5) in its matchup against Indianapolis Arsenal Tech (0-8). The stage was set. Senior night and a rainy evening, a perfect night for football. The night ended even better as Muncie Central defeated the Titans 41-12.
The Bearcats came out on fire early in the first quarter scoring two rushing touchdowns from sophomore Dae’cion Echols and senior Leo Boyd. Both were set up from some stifling defense for Muncie Central to put the offense in prime scoring position.
The purple and black didn’t seem to slow down as the first half continued. Their dominance showed, not just on offense, but in every facet of the game.
After the two scores by the Bearcats offense, the ensuing drives by Arsenal Tech would lead to an interception and a blocked punt. Those plays were big momentum swings and led to another touchdown for Echols who had three scores on the night. Head coach Kyle Padgett had high praise for Echols for his demeanor on the field.
“What makes him so effective is he elevates our entire team,” Padgett said. “The way he does things and carries himself, it’s really unique to have a player like him.”
The second quarter started no differently for Muncie Central. As the Bearcats lined up to convert a third and one with a quarterback sneak, Boyd somehow squeezed through the pile and ran into the endzone for his second score of the half.
As the second half was coming to a close, Arsenal Tech seemed to gather some momentum with a touchdown. Senior quarterback Malachi Allen scrambled out of the pocket, barely escaping a sack, to find senior Peter Coleman wide open in the back of the end zone.
Penalties played a major role throughout the first half as things got a bit chippy and there was pushing and shoving from both sides. This led to multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on both teams.
“We made some dumb mistakes,” Echols said. “Shooting ourselves in the foot and that causes us to be in bad places so we just need to work on discipline.”
The rain was continuous throughout the first half, but it didn’t seem to have too much of an impact until late when the Bearcats fumbled the ball twice leading to extended returns by the Titans.
Arsenal Tech couldn’t seem to capitalize on the Bearcats’ mistakes as Muncie Central's defense was able to stop the Arsenal Tech offense and keep the momentum on the Bearcats’ sideline going into the locker room.
The second half was more of the Echols and Boyd show who each put up another score to continue to grow the Bearcats lead. Arsenal Tech would force a turnover late resulting in a pick-six, but the game was well out of reach.
Muncie Central now looks towards the postseason where they have only won one game in the past 16 years. Despite this trend, there is a lot of confidence in the locker room for the Bearcats, especially from Boyd.
“It would mean the world to me [to break that],” Boyd said. “We just want to shock the world…we’re coming.”
Central will host Beech Grove (3-5) in the first round of sectionals on October 20, 2023.
Contact David Moore with comments at david.moore@bsu.edu or on X @gingninj63
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