Peters’ five-TD performance emulates high-stakes manner of Panthers’ late-season approach

CAMP POINT, Ill. — Nate Peters assures he is healthy again, and his Friday night performance confirmed it.

The senior running back scored five touchdowns — three by rushing, two via reception — to headline the state-ranked Camp Point Central football team’s sixth straight victory, a 41-28 win over Carrollton before a Senior Night crowd of about 1,150.

Peters missed the equivalent of four games following a high-ankle sprain in the second contest of the season, a 14-13 loss at Hardin Calhoun. Peters had only carried the ball 19 times and caught three passes through the first seven games of the season.

Peters felt his five-touchdown output was his finest overall game as a varsity player, at least from the offensive side of the ball. He’s also a part of the Central secondary on defense.

“I might have scored that many touchdowns once in a junior varsity game, I’m not sure,” he said.

What Peters was certain of, however, was how rewarding the win over Carrollton felt.

“This was like a playoff game,” he said. “You just had to keep pushing.”

Central’s victory raised its record to 7-1. Carrollton, which has lost six in a row to the Panthers, dropped to 5-3. Central scored 20 consecutive points in the thIrd quarter to take a 34-12 advantage and was not threatened afterward.

Central’s victory was also its 23rd straight at home.

Central coach Brad Dixon is glad to have Peters again be able to be a part of the regular rotation in the Panthers backfield as the club moves closer to the postseason.

“It’s great to have Nate back — he’s running the ball like a senior,” Dixon said. “We feel very good about where we are at right now.”

Peters’ five touchdowns were sprinkled across all four quarters. He hauled in a 27-yard scoring pass from quarterback Elijah Genenbacher in the first period, ran for a 3-yard touchdown and caught an 81-yard TD toss from Genenbacher in the second quarter, broke free for a 10-yard scoring run in the third period and sprinted 22 yards to the end zone in the fourth quarter.

Peters ended with 171 yards in total offense, including 109 receiving.

Genenbacher was a force, too. The senior quarterback, who had rushed for four touchdowns a week earlier in a 56-0 win over Triopia, completed 6 of 8 throws for 152 yards. Central entered the game with just 160 yards and one touchdown through the air — for the season.

“That’s why we moved Eli to quarterback earlier in the season,” Dixon said. “If teams want to stack the box against us trying to stop our running game, Eli can throw the ball.”

Peters and Kolin Rockhold each caught three passes for Central, one less than the seven receptions the Panthers had totaled through their first seven games.

Central was not the only team putting the ball in the air on what was a chilly Friday night.

Carrollton, which sported uniforms remarkably similar to the flashy apparel used by the University of Oregon Ducks, unleashed junior quarterback Carson Flowers to the tune of 29 throws. Flowers completed 11 for 245 yards and three scoring passes.

Carrollton’s ground game, however, was a different story. The Hawks were held to minus-7 rushing yards for a net of 238 yards of offense.

Central, which has scored in 89 consecutive games, ended with 457 yards of total offense. The Panthers collected 297 rushing yards, led by Kadin Niekamp (85) and Genenbacher (83).

If there was one item about his club’s victory that forced a wince from Dixon, it was the defense, specifically the pass coverage, which gave up five receptions of 25 yards or longer. That included a 62-yard scoring pass in the first half from Flowers to Carson Grafford.

“We’re 2.4 seconds away from being 8-0,” said Dixon in reference to the early season loss at Hardin when Calhoun scored just before the end of the game. “But we know we still have some things to clean up.”

Central had surrendered just 49 points over its first seven games before Carrollton put 28 on the board. The last time a Central opponent had scored that many points was Beardstown in a 36-28 loss to the Panthers in September 2022.  

Motivation will not be a problem in the coming week, Dixon insists. Along with improving on defense, the Panthers are likely playing for a first-round playoff reward.

“We feel like we are finishing the regular season against two very good playoff-caliber teams in Carrollton and West Central,” Dixon said. “There’s plenty of incentive for next week’s game. If we can end 8-1, we know we are pretty much guaranteed a home game in the first round of the playoffs.”

The Panthers will next face a Winchester West Central team that moved to 6-2 with a 41-8 win over Triopia on Friday night.