THANK YOU BOOSTERS – YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!
 
Cats Post Seventh Win Against Scrappy St. Ambrose
            The Bobcats fell behind St. Ambrose 14-0 early and trailed going into the fourth quarter, but kept chipping away to a season-ending 21-14 victory over the Killer Bees in their 2024 season finale.
            It wasn't always pretty by any means, as the offense struggled through much of the day against the Heart North foe. But the 'Cats, 7-3 and 4-2 in conference play, did enough to get the win over the hosts as the PSC defense registered a second-half shutout. St. Ambrose finished 3-8 and 1-5 in the league.
 
Scoring by Quarters:
Peru State  0-2-10-9 = 21
St. Ambrose 7-7-0-0 = 14
 
            St. Ambrose jumped to an early 7-0 lead on a 25-yard touchdown pass midway through the first quarter. They added another scoring pass early in the second period, a five-yard toss capping a 17-play, 77 yard drive, for a 14-0 lead.
            The 'Cat defense put Peru State's first points on the board with a tackle in the endzone for a safety with six minutes left in the second. St. Ambrose took the 14-2 halftime lead.
            The second half was all Bobcats. Senior quarterback Colin Shields hit freshman wideout Daylan Jones on a 40-yard pass early in the third, with freshman kicker Gus Bashore nailing the PAT. Bashore added a 21-yard field goal late in the third to close the deficit to 14-12.
            Shields hit junior wide receiver Kaleb Herbel from four yards out with 11 minutes left to secure Peru State's first lead. A two point conversion attempt failed, making it 18-14 Peru State. Bashore closed scoring out with a 32-yard field goal with just under five minutes to play.
            Peru State limited the hosts to 212 yards of total offense. The 'Cats totaled 309 yards, 186 through the air and 123 rushing. Stacian Livingston, limited by injury in recent weeks, looked like his old self as the junior had 116 rushing yards on 23 carries.
            Daylan Jones capped a strong freshman campaign with five catches for 97 yards and a score. Herbel caught three passes for 13 yards and a touchdown, and freshman Gio Contreras caught four passes for 61 yards.
            Freshman linebacker Ja-Quez Oliver once again paced the defense with nine tackles, a sack and a pass broken up. Sophomore defensive back Ashley Thompson had another strong game with eight stops. Junior Aaron Thomas registered seven stops, a sack and a forced fumble, and sophomore Duke McClinton shined with seven tackles and an interception with a 46-yard return.
            Peru State recorded seven wins for just the third time in a decade. They finished third in the Heart North.
 
Grand View Wins Heart North; Three-Way Tie for Tops In The South
As Heart Qualifies Record Four Playoff Teams
            Grand View claimed its sixth consecutive Heart North title with a 31-13 win over second place Graceland on Saturday. In the South, Benedictine, Mid-America and Baker split the title, each with 5-1 league marks.
            All four qualified for the 20-team NAIA playoffs – the first time in history four schools from the same conference did so. Baker faces Pikeville (Ky.) in the first round Saturday, while the other three schools earned byes.
            Grand View finished the regular season ranked #2 in the NAIA, with Benedictine #9, Mid-America #12, and Baker #13. Peru State's losses this year came to Grand View, Mid-America, and Graceland.
 
Young Bobcats Head Into Offseason Looking To Build on Success
            Replacing key departures, especially on offense, will be a big focus for the Bobcat football program heading into the off-season.
            Two of the top three quarterbacks, Colin Shields and Grant Gutschow, concluded their careers Saturday. Gutschow also came on strong in the second half of the season after moving to running back following injuries to underclassmen Stacian Livingston and Ricky Fulton.
Jordan Kempf, who split time at running back along with being the 'Cats top receiver and return man but battled his own injuries late, also departs, as does backup receiver Lander Imbimbo.
            Offensive linemen Jackson White, Kolby Tibbets and Caden Luna also completed their careers and leave big holes to fill. Kicker Nathan Barnes also departs. While several young kickers had opportunities, inconsistencies on special teams throughout much of the season will need to be addressed either internally or with new legs.
            The defense appears to be loaded, with only defensive back Caleb Jackson set to graduate. Jackson was a standout, but depth in the secondary allowed a lot of players to see action.
            How much of the core of the team returns remains to be seen in an era when transfers are increasingly common, but the program has plenty of reasons to be excited about 2024. The Boosters play a crucial role in making the Bobcats a national power once again.
           
Boosters Also Turn Attention to Offseason
          As the players and coaches wind down after an exciting 2024 season, the Boosters have a busy time ahead. This is a critical period for generating revenue and support for a program on the rise.
            Growing membership will be a focus of the Booster Club in 2025. Getting more parents of players involved will be one key. But perhaps the biggest growth opportunity is in convincing Bobcat alumni to join the cause; though almost 1,000 football alums are on the College alumni list, only a fraction are Boosters.
            A reminder that Boosters are counted on to help make three key offseason fundraisers as successful as they can be. More details will be sent as each event nears, but please mark your calendar for the following:
 
            Sunday, Feb. 2, Wild Game Feed and Fish Fry, Auburn
            Saturday, Feb. 15, Powerlifting Meet, Peru State College
            Friday, July 18, Football Boosters Golf Tournament, Shenandoah IA.
 
Newsletter To Go Monthly
            The Football Booster newsletter will switch to a monthly distribution during the offseason.
 
Heart Results November 16
Grand View 31, Graceland 13
            Benedictine 86, William Woods 0
            Baker 16, Missouri Baptist 8
            Mid-America 70, Central Methodist 14
            William Penn 17, Missouri Valley 7
            Culver-Stockton 38, Clarke 21
 
Final Heart North Standings                  Final Heart South Standings
            Grand View 10-0 (6-0)                                    Baker 9-1 (5-1)
            Graceland 7-4 (5-1)                                         Mid-America 9-1 (5-1)
            Peru State 7-3 (4-2)                                       Benedictine 9-2 (5-1)
          Culver-Stockton 4-8 (3-3)                               Missouri Baptist 6-4 (3-3)
            William Penn 4-6 (2-4)                                   Missouri Valley 4-6 (2-4)
            St. Ambrose 3-8 (1-5)                                     Central Methodist 1-10 (1-5)
            Clarke 1-10 (0-6)                                            William Woods 1-10 (0-6)
         
2024 Bobcat Schedule, Results
Aug. 31 Bobcats 27, Hastings 21 (OT)
Sept. 7 Bobcats 35, Central Methodist 3
Sept. 14 MidAmerica Nazarene 53, Bobcats 6
Sept. 21 Missouri Baptist, cancelled
Sept. 28 Bobcats 34, Clarke 9*
Oct. 5 Graceland 43, Bobcats 35*
Oct. 19 Bobcats 28, William Penn 21*
Oct. 26 Bobcats 50, William Woods 7
Nov. 2 Bobcats 52, Culver-Stockton 21*
Nov. 9 Grand View 26, Bobcats 7*
Nov. 16 Bobcats 21, St. Ambrose 14*
 
            Home games in bold.  *Denotes Heart North games.