The Central Methodist football team lost its final home game of the season to William Woods 23-14 on Senior Day Saturday afternoon at Davis Field. 

Prior to the game, CMU recognized members of its cheer, dance, and football senior class.

The Eagles are now 3-7 on the year and 1-4 against the Heart South Division with one game left to play. William Woods improves to 5-5 and 2-3 in conference action.

Central trailed 13-0 early after William Woods scored on a 68-yard pass just 92 seconds into the game and on a 47-yarder midway through the opening period. The point-after attempt on the second touchdown failed.

Central rallied in the second quarter, sparked by the defense. Senior linebacker Avion Bass recorded a tackle for a loss of four yards on first down. Holding the visitors to a short gain on second down, the Eagles’ defense stood tall on third-and-five. Sophomore Jonathan Milton then intercepted a pass by WW quarterback Coleson Baum, returning it for 25 yards and a touchdown. The ensuing extra point made it 13-7.

Midway through the second frame, CMU forced a three-and-out before getting the ball on the 37-yard line. Redshirt freshman Zakai Anderson started the drive with an 11-yard run. Quarterback Jordan Rowe then found Jace Terry for seven yards. Three straight runs by Anderson gave the Eagles a first down. With the ball on the 15-yard line, Rowe scampered through the defense for a touchdown. Cristobal Salgado’s extra point gave Central a 14-13 lead with 7:28 remaining in the first half.

William Woods regained the lead five minutes into the second half and tacked on a late safety for a nine-point margin. The Eagles tried to slice into the deficit, but the squad was unable to find the end zone in the second half.

For the game, Central had 15 first downs, including seven on the ground. The team amassed 161 yards of total offense.

Rowe completed 12 passes for 68 yards. On the ground, Anderson led the way with 63 yards on 13 attempts. Senior wide receiver Ja’Shon Williams led the receivers with three catches for 23 yards.

Defensively, redshirt sophomore Ashton Fowler and sophomore Derrick Kelley Jr. had nine and eight stops, respectively. Kelley Jr. had 1.5 tackles for a loss of 14 yards. Bass led the way with three tackles for loss, including 1.5 sacks.

Milton had a pick-six return for 25 yards, while senior James Harris added a pair of pass break-ups.

The Eagles close out the season on the road Saturday at Baker. The Wildcats are 8-1 so far this season and 4-1 in Heart action. They picked up their fourth straight win last week, 52-14 at Missouri Valley. Kick-off is slated for 1 p.m. in Baldwin City, Kan.