Banged up, battered, and bruised, the East Union High Lancers refused to call it quits Friday against Central Catholic.

Unfortunately, their slow start coupled with the Raiders taking control during the first half of the Valley Oak League put them in a big hole.

In the 61-29 loss, East Union managed to stage a comeback behind reserve quarterback Jackson Fay, who was filling in for an injured Kirk Simoni.

But those efforts fell short.

“We have to do better against the run,” said Lancers coach Jason Stock. “We got off to that slow start, and it didn’t help that we turned the ball over.”

East Union (2-2 VOL, 6-2 overall) had trouble containing the Raiders (2-1, 3-4) and their ground game behind Carter Meeks, who spearheaded that six-play, 66-yard drive with a 27-yard pickup followed later by his 14-yard touchdown run.

The Lancers drove the ball to the Central 9 on their first possession, with Brayden Camara picking 26 yards on a run. The drive stalled with the Raiders taking over on down — they marched the length of the field capped off by a Zymir Nelson 16-yard scoring run in the second quarter.

Central made it 21-0 shortly before the intermission with tight end Collin Benninger turning a pass from Kayden McHenry into a 50-yard gain – he fumbled the ball inside the EU 5 but the ball was recovered by one of his teammates.

A few plays later, McHenry scored on a quarterback sneak, giving his team a 21-0 halftime lead.

The Lancers’ chances looked bleak after they fell behind, 28-0, in the third following Isaiah Faagata’s 6-yard TD run for Central.

That was followed by a wild scoring sequence.

Fay stepped behind center, running the option that led to several big plays.

The first of that was by Camara, who found an open lane and raced 70 yards to the end zone.

The Raiders countered, with Zymir Nelson getting the call. He followed up his 27-yard gain with a 16-yard score, upping the lead, 34-7.

EU was quick to answer back. Fay, on the option, saw the opening and put on the afterburners by going 76 yards to the end zone.

“We had prepped Jackson to take some snaps — he added a new wrinkle to our offense,” Stock said.

For Fay, this was his first time at the position in a game situation.

“I now have big respect for QBs playing at this high level,” he said.

With the score 34-13, Central took its turn. Jonathan Fuentes tacked on six points with his 40-yard run near the end of the third.

The Raiders cashed in on a turnover at midfield with Chase Perino hauling in Max Medina’s pass for a 40-yard scoring play. The game marked the Central Catholic debut for Medina, a Cal Poly commit for baseball who also played varsity football at Patterson the last three years. He’s the reigning All-VOL Outstanding Offensive Player.

On the ensuing kickoff, JP Abrew bounced out to the outside, outrunning the coverage and turning in an 80-yard return. Fay then connected with Daniel Grijalva on the two-point conversion, making the score, 47-21.

East Union’s Erick Cortez recovered the onside kick, with Fay leading the way from there and scoring on a 16-yard run. He also ran it in for two points.

Central Catholic closed out the scoring with Meeks scoring his second touchdown — he had 135 yards on 11 carries — and Fuentes also getting his second TD on 75-yard burst.

Camara, meanwhile, finished with a game-high 151 yards on 13 attempts while Fay gained 126 on 11 pops.

The Lancers, who continue their tough part of the schedule — they lost a week earlier to Oakdale — by taking on longtime city rival Manteca High next week.