If Perry needed a wakeup call for its CVC crossover game with visiting Geneva on Sept. 20, the Pirates got one. A fumble by Perry in its own territory led to a 30-yard tackle-breaking touchdown run by Geneva senior QB Luke Barbo, which left the Pirates in an early 7-0 hole. But Perry’s passing game, led by Toledo-bound senior QB Walter Moses, helped right the ship, and it was smooth sailing after that for the Pirates in a 44-7 rout on homecoming night. Moses passed for 314 yards and five touchdowns, with three of those scoring tosses going to senior wideout Luke Sivon. @Perry_Pirates senior QB Walter Moses, who will play for Toledo next season, passed for 314 yards and five touchdowns in a 44-7 win over Geneva. Here he gives his thoughts on the victory: pic.twitter.com/KFJXXesNsd — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) September 21, 2024 “The passing game,” Moses said in with a smile regarding the key to the Pirates’ surge. “It’s been their struggle against us in the past, so being able to pass effectively helped us a lot.” Moses also completed scoring passes to a pair of sophomores — running back Carter Hopkins and wide receiver Greg Mechenbier, and arched a perfect toss for a two-point conversion in the corner of the end zone to senior Armani Chiappone, who made sure to keep both feet inbounds after making the over-the-shoulder catch. Hopkins carried nine times for 49 yards and another touchdown. @Perry_Pirates sophomore Carter Hopkins (49 yards rushing and one TD, plus a receiving TD) talks about Perry’s 44-7 win over Geneva pic.twitter.com/FeVRVlGWAp — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) September 21, 2024 “We took over the game by running the ball hard and just kept going,” Hopkins said. Perry responded to its 7-0 deficit with an eight-play, 68-yard drive capped by Moses’ short pass to Hopkins, who outraced the defense 19 yards to the end zone. The Pirates went up, 9-7, on the next possession when a fourth-down snap sailed over the head of the Geneva punter, who kicked the ball out of the end zone. On the first play of the ensuing possession after Geneva punted, Moses found Mechenbier open on a slant for a 41-yard touchdown, then passed to Chiappone for the conversion and a 17-7 lead. Chiappone followed by picking off a Barbo pass near midfield early in the second quarter, and Hopkins finished an eight-play, 57-yard drive with a one-yard on a pitch from Moses to make it 24-7 after the extra point. Geneva got its wing-T offense in gear after that for its longest sustained drive of the night, starting from its 20 and highlighted by a 32-yard run by Barbo on a keeper. and advanced to a second-and-six at the Perry 24. But a two-yard loss and two incompletions gave the ball back to Perry with 58 seconds left in the half. It took just 50 seconds and four plays for the Pirates to cover 74 yards, all on passes by Moses, including a 40-yarder to Sivon and another 25-yarder to Sivon for a touchdown and 31-7 lead going into halftime. “It makes me (look) smarter,” Perry coach Bob Gecewich said of his team’s ability to score in a hurry. “We have some really talented players. Cutting them loose and letting them play football is really important for us to get out of their way, and they capitalized and made plays tonight.” Moses found Sivon twice more for touchdowns in the second half. Sivon finished with nine receptions for 163 yards and three scores. Barbo had 10 carries for 74 yards for the Eagles. Junior Bryce Peet added eight carries for 57 yards. Perry’s defense limited the ground-oriented Eagles to 149 yards rushing, and 94 of those yards came on three runs. @Perry_Pirates senior LB Chris Bezzeg, who also got 3 carries and caught a pass on offense, breaks down Perry’s 44-7 win over Geneva pic.twitter.com/4zqCxN2TFD — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) September 21, 2024 “They run a lot of counters and reverses, and we had to be disciplined,” Perry senior linebacker Chris Bezzeg said. “Linebackers and defensive ends, all of us, we have to watch our read key. We have one guy we have to watch, and we have to follow the play and make a play.” Both teams are now 4-1, and will open CVC games within their respective divisions on Sept. 27. Geneva will travel to Edgewood, and Perry will head to Rocky River to play Lutheran West. @Perry_Pirates Coach Bob Gecewich discusses Perry’s 44-7 win over Geneva (Part 1) pic.twitter.com/LQwcApGGdC — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) September 21, 2024 “I think we still need to get better in some areas,” Gecewich said regarding the state of his team at the season’s midpoint. “We’re relatively healthy, so that’s always a plus. We’re sitting here at 4-1, and that’s better than the alternative. So just keep playing ball and get better every week.” @Perry_Pirates Coach Bob Gecewich reviews Perry’s 44-7 win over Geneva (Part 2) pic.twitter.com/aPHTOKLj5r — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) September 21, 2024 THE SCORE Perry 44, Geneva 7