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Off the field, Friday's game between South and Centerville at Evans Stadium — the final home football game for the Wildcats in their final football season — was a time to reminisce on 48 years of football.

South will close its doors in the fall of 2008 when it merges with North to form Springfield High School. The football team will still play at Evans Stadium, but Wildcats fans will be rooting for Springfield, not just South.

"This is a great football venue," said Jim Moyers, the South athletic director from 1995-99. "It's been a great ride."

His predecessor, C. Duane Baker, agreed.

"It's not going to be the same, that's for sure," Baker, the South AD from 1981-95. "You're just going to have to put it behind you. You're starting a new chapter."

On the field, it was pure Centerville domination. The Elks beat the Wildcats 42-0 in a Greater Western Ohio Conference Central Division game.

Baker recalled a better time for the Wildcats on the same Evans Stadium grass.

"I remember the first time we beat Centerville," Baker said of 1995's 20-7 win at Evans Stadium. "It tore their heart out. They didn't fool around in the middle of the field after the game. They went straight to their bus."

That wasn't happening Friday, when the Elks rolled up 369 rushing and 107 passing yards.

Centerville (7-2, 4-0 GWOC Central) scored on its first possession, stopped the Wildcats with an interception, then scored again. The score was 14-0 and South had run three offensive plays.

The Elks' roster numbers in the 80s, and they had plenty of momentum after beating the GWOC's other top team, Wayne, last week.

"They are a machine," South head coach Aaron Shaffer said. "They can plug their second guy in and they don't skip a beat."

South (1-8, 0-4) had 100 yards of offense — 73 passing and 27 rushing. The Wildcats punted nine times, and the longest play from scrimmage was a 30-yard pass from Zack Burks to Josh Bass.

Kent Scott had 34 rushing yards on 13 carries.

Four South starters were injured and didn't play. The Wildcats suffered other injuries during the game that further limited the roster.

"We ran a lot of different kids out there," Shaffer said. "But you know what? They went in there and they played hard, and they did what we asked them to do."

South is at North on Saturday.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0366 or bplasters@coxohio.com.