POCATELLO – Jovan Sowell looked back and saw that only teammate Drew Gunter could catch him, so the two high-fived before Sowell finished scoring his touchdown.
It was one of Century’s seven TDs as the Diamondbacks blitzed Burley in an explosive 48-8 win Thursday at Holt Arena.
By the start of the second half, the Diamondbacks (3-2, 2-1 4A District 4-5) were ahead 35-8 after Sowell recovered a fumble on defense and scored on a 48-yard screen that featured the hand-slapping.
“I was screaming at him and I told him ‘high-five,’” Gunter said. “We have a ton of fun. You know, I love these guys.”
Sowell gave Gunter high-five before reaching end zone for Century’s last TD. #idpreps pic.twitter.com/d7f62gjBt5
— Jeff Papworth (@JeffPapworth) September 27, 2019
PHOTOS: Century vs. Burley football
While Sowell launched Century’s second half, Gunter put last week’s loss and Burley in the rearview with a fervent first-quarter performance.
Gunter scored on 49- and 33-yard passes from Nate Manning to put his team ahead 14-0, less than seven minutes into the game. He compiled 109 yards on five catches in the opening quarter and tacked on three more catches for 76 yards the rest of the matchup.
The senior got behind Burley’s defense and was wide open for his first touchdown catch of the game of 49 yards, a theme for him and his receiving cohorts.
“They didn’t double up or bracket any of our weapons,” Century coach Travis Hobson said. “They left Drew Gunter in solo coverage. They left Jovan in solo coverage.”
Century wide receiver Jovan Sowell looks upfield during a game Sept. 26 against Burley at Holt Arena.
Even on the rare occasion Gunter was blanketed by two defenders, that didn’t work, as he reached behind and came up with the catch in the end zone for Century’s second touchdown of the day.
Century scored touchdowns on its first four drives, all on passes from Manning, who completed 20 of 30 passes for 421 yards and five touchdowns in the game.
On the other side of the ball, the Diamondbacks offered the Bobcats (1-4, 0-2 4A District 4-5) no room to maneuver.
It took until the Burley’s fifth drive before the Bobcats offense was past midfield, and that was only because that’s where their drive started following Century’s failed fourth-down play.
The Bobcats scored their only touchdown on the drive, with Burley quarterback Ethan Gibbons accounting for all the possession’s yards with 23 through the air and 25 on the ground.
But Century resumed its domination in the second half en route to a 40-point win to bounce back from last week’s 34-26 loss at Preston.
When Century needs a win, it can count on one against Burley, which the Diamondbacks finish 10-0 against in this decade – with seven of the games having a margin of victory greater than 20.
After a loss in which Hobson said his team was “humbled,” “soft” and “slow,” he had a more positive evaluation of his team’s latest game.
“The biggest thing I saw that I’m happy about and proud of is we just played disciplined football,” Hobson said. “I still feel like we’re a very good football team. I’d like my guys to know, feel and believe that they’re as good as we think they are.”
Up next
Century plays next Friday at Twin Falls.
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