A slow start for quickly turned disastrous Friday night for Ottawa, as La Salle-Peru raced to a 21-0 lead and never looked back, rolling to a 41-24 victory in one of the state’s oldest rivalries.

Sophomore star quarterback Marion Persich powered the Cavaliers (1-2) to their first win of the season, also the first for head coach JJ Raffelson.

While La Salle-Peru got off to a fast start, Ottawa (2-1) didn’t go down without a fight.

Despite being pleased with his first career win, Raffelson said his team still had room to improve.

“It feels good to get the first win of the season and the first win in my head coaching career,” Raffelson said. “We played a good first half of football, and then we came back out and had some things go wrong.

“I’m glad we got the win, but we’ve got to play four quarters of good football and our guys know that.”

With twelve different Cavaliers getting a touch throughout the night, LP’s quick-strike offense spread the ball around early and often.

It all started with their star quarterback who said that’s by design - and by trust.

“I know I can put the ball in any of my guys’ hands and trust they’re going to go make a play,” Persich said. “It makes my job easy and just makes the game fun.”

Among the 12 Cavaliers who entered the box score, senior running back Easton Moriarty led the ground game with 17 carries for 84 yards and added a 15-yard reception.

Junior receiver and defensive back Jaron Morscheiser led the team through the air with two catches for 52 yards and a touchdown, also recording an interception on defense.

Persich made an impact not only through the air, but also with his legs, repeatedly escaping the pocket to create plays on the ground.

“I love to pass. I love to sit in the pocket, trust my O-line and deliver a ball to our guys. But that doesn’t mean I’m not ready to take off if it’s there. I know I can use my legs to make plays too.”

Persich was happy to get the win in a rivalry game early in the year, but expects more from the Cavaliers.

“It feels really good to get our first win - and to do it against Ottawa makes it even better,” he said. “But honestly, I feel like we should’ve been playing like this from the start. We really should be 3-0 right now.”

Persich finished 11 of 19 passing for 207 yards and three touchdowns and added 99 rushing yards and two more scores on just five carries.

Ottawa coach Chad Gross said Persich was every bit as difficult to defend as advertised.

“He’s as good as any high school kid that I’ve seen,” Gross said. “Even when we get guys to him, he’s just able to break through. He’s a heck of a player.”

Offensively, Ottawa struggled to find a rhythm in the first half as LP’s blitz-heavy scheme caused problems up front.

“Credit LP - they had a great defensive game plan tonight,” Gross said. “They were really pressuring us early. Our line was having a hard time picking up their speed and all the blitzing and stunts they were doing up front. That really contributed to our slow start.”

An unfortunate and frightening moment came in the third quarter when Ottawa senior quarterback Mark Munson went down with an injury that stopped play for an extended period.

“It’s never easy to see something like that,” Gross said. “Mark’s a very tough kid, and he should know we’re all praying for him and hoping for the best.”

The Pirates mounted a push in the second half, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome. Ottawa finished with 317 total yards - 193 on the ground, 124 through the air.

Senior running back Archer Cechowicz led the Pirates on the ground with 13 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown. Munson completed 10 of 14 passes for 124 yards, one touchdown and one interception, adding 24 yards on four carries.

Despite the loss, Gross made sure to remind his team that it should not derail their long-term goals for 2025.

“We’re still 2-1,” Gross said. “It’s early in the season. Tonight was a setback, but it’s not the end of the season by any means.”