The Central Methodist football team quietly closed its 2024 campaign with a tough loss to MidAmerica Nazarene University Saturday afternoon at home on Senior Day, 70-44.

Prior to kickoff, Central honored its 2024 senior class, which included Evan Workman, Drake Dudley, Chase Rankin, Carl Robinson, Gavin Watts, Nathaniel Smith, Quinn Whitley, Cristian Brice, David Leach, Y’Marius Joshlin, Dylan Holt, Connor Leighton, Samual Tillman, Cooper Tillman, and Oscar Simon.

The Eagles conclude their season with a 1-10 overall record and a 1-5 record in Heart South Division play. This was the third single-win season in a row for a program that is trying to rebuild after a tragedy that saw one player dead at the hands of another in an off-campus shooting just prior to the start of the 2-22 season. Central hired Dave Brown to take over the program starting last season. It was his first-ever head coaching job. The Eagles won one game last year and one this year as Coach Brown strives to remake a program nearly from scratch.

Saturday’s home game closed out a season fraught with lopsided defeats against nationally-ranked teams, with a few near-misses. Central’s lone win came against William Woods before a home crowd on Saturday, November 2.

Entering Saturday’s game, MidAmerica Nazarene was ranked 13 overall in the NAIA. The Pioneers found the endzone on the first drive of the game, going 71 yards in nine plays, to cap the drive with a 10-yard rushing touchdown. 

Central responded almost immediately, as Robinson returned an 80-yard kickoff for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. 

MNU would score one more time in the first quarter to take a 14-7 lead. The Pioneers then quickly stretched their lead to 35-7 with three unanswered scores in the second quarter. 

Central’s defense was able to find the endzone with a little more than 90 seconds left until halftime. Holt forced a fumble on the Pioneers’ 30-yard line, which Leach then picked up for the scoop and score.

MNU scored an additional touchdown right before the break to take a 42-14 lead into halftime.

Central could not answer offensively in the second half, and the high-powered Pioneer offense was too much to handle, as MNU would go on to win 70-14.