“Today was really special, something I’ll definitely remember the rest of my life,” said the senior, whose father Kirk starred for the Elks in the 1980s and was recognized in a pregame ceremony. “All my cousins went to Centerville. My dad went to Centerville obviously, so it was really special.”
The Bombers scored touchdowns on back-to-back one-play drives in the first quarter to seize control of the game after the teams traded empty possessions.
Daniel Vollmer, a junior who is listed as a quarterback but lines up all over the place for the Bombers, got the scoring started with a 48-yard keeper over right end with 8:04 to go.
Centerville gave it right back on the first play of the next possession when St. X cornerback Shane Strayhorn made a form tackle on Soren Vitas, who lost the ball after making a catch in the right flat. It was recovered by the Bombers at the Centerville 16, and Jake Britt took over from there.
The junior tailback took a handoff over left tackle, cut back to his right and eventually popped out of the crowd for a 16-yard touchdown.
The Elks got on the board thanks to their special teams as Leland Gantz made a 43-yard field goal set up by Centerville recovering a muffed punt at the Bombers’ 25-yard line.
St. X found the end zone again late in the second quarter as Vollmer capped an eight-play, 73-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run over left tackle.
The big play on that drive was Chase Herbstreit’s 39-yard scramble on a third-and-6 from the St. X 31.
The Bombers struck again early the third quarter when Herbstreit faked a handoff, dropped back to pass and found Britt streaking up the right sideline all alone for a 53-yard touchdown that gave the visitors a commanding 28-3 lead.
“That felt amazing just to get that because we missed a few in the first half,” Herbstreit said. “We knew that was going to be open so if I could just hold it long enough, it would be there.”
The Bombers tacked on six more when Vollmer faked a toss and threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Kobe Clapper on the first play of the fourth quarter.
The PAT kick was blocked, but the running clock was activated with St. X leading 34-3.
Centerville responded with a touchdown drive capped by a 14-yard touchdown pass from Shane Cole to Quincy Capogna with 2:38 to go to set the final score.
Before the game, Kirk Herbstreit was recognized in a scoreboard presentation thanking him for his continued support for Centerville athletics.
His youngest son finished the night having completed 10 of 14 passes for 105 yards and the touchdown. He also ran for 82 yards on 10 carries.
Vollmer ran for 61 yards while Britt ran for 111 on seven carries.
Parker Johnson led the Centerville offense with 99 yards on 21 carries while Cole added 47 yards on the ground.
Next week the Elks will be home again to close out nonconference play hosting Carmel High School from Indiana.
The Bombers will be at home against Indianapolis Cathedral High School.
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