Aquinas had lost four straight at home, but on Friday they dropped down to 0-7 to make it five. They fell 46-40 to the North Bend Central Tigers. The Monarchs were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Tigers apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in October of 2024.
Aquinas' defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Elijah Moulton, who rushed for 76 yards and one touchdown on only nine carries, and also picked up 43 receiving yards and one TD. Jarin Thege also helped with two scores in total.
Aquinas didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. Thege picked up that interception and then proceeded to rub salt in the wound by taking it back the other way for a touchdown. He got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
As for North Bend Central, their victory bumped their record up to 3-4. Their offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Drew Sterup was his usual excellent self, rushing for 148 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.0 yards per carry, and also throwing for 346 yards and a pair of TDs. Those three rushing touchdowns gave him a new career-high. North Bend Central's leading receiver Dustin Zakovec was Sterup's top target yet again, picking up 194 receiving yards and one score.
We've got plenty of inter-district action coming up soon. Aquinas will face off against rival Yutan on Friday. Meanwhile, North Bend Central is set to challenge their familiar foe Bergan Catholic on Friday. That game will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Sterup and Austin Scheuler.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
