Bloomington senior running back Valshun Powe, subbing for suspended starter David Simmons, was merely an afterthought.

"It did kind of make me mad," Powe said of the focus on Leshoure. "So I had to show up."

Powe showed he can be a force, running for 176 yards and two touchdowns behind the Purple Raiders' undersized but rejuvenated offensive line. The BHS defense did the rest, knocking Leshoure out of the game early and setting the tone for the Raiders' 35-14 homecoming win over previously unbeaten Centennial at Fred Carlton Field.

BHS improved to 5-1 with a convincing performance against Centennial, which is ranked No. 9 in the Class 6A state poll. More importantly, the Raiders moved into a four-way tie for first place in the Big 12 Conference with Centennial, Normal Community and Normal West.

"When we see that chance to go after first place, we're going to do what we can to get it," said BHS coach Rigo Schmelzer. "I'm proud of them. They really rose to the occasion."

The Raiders won their fourth straight since suffering a 17-14 overtime loss to NCHS in Week Two. Centennial handed the Ironmen their lone loss (23-0).

"This game has been on the back of our mind for four weeks since that devastating loss to Normal," said BHS senior quarterback Brent Holtz, who threw for two TDs and ran for another score. "We were focused all day at school and we were focused in the locker room. We just came ready to play."

Centennial looked ready at the start, driving to the BHS 35 and 32 on its first two possessions before turning the ball over on downs. After Leshoure left the game early in the second quarter with an ankle injury, the Chargers stalled offensively before scoring two late TDs after the game had been decided.

"(Leshoure) was a big loss, but that wasn't our problem," said Centennial coach Mike McDonnell. "We made mental errors offensively and defensively, and you can't do that in a big game like this. They're a good football team, and you can't make mistakes when you play people like that."

The Raiders grabbed a momentum-building 7-0 halftime lead on Holtz's 8-yard TD pass to fullback Chris Jameson before opening the second half with a 21-point explosion.

Holtz connected with David Cook on a 64-yard scoring pass on the second play of the third quarter to make it 14-0. The lead ballooned to 28-0 on an 8-yard run by Holtz and a 36-yard dash by Powe.

Powe later tacked on a 13-yard TD run, helping the Raiders outgain the Chargers 264-49 on the ground. Jameson added 56 yards on nine carries, while Holtz completed 3 of 6 passes for 67 yards. Eren Eti was perfect on five conversion kicks for BHS.

"Valshun ran really hard, but I give most of the credit to our offensive line," Holtz said. "They played a great game. That was the only reason we were able to get to the outside."

"I thought the line did a really great job firing off," Schmelzer said. "I thought they had more fight than Centennial had, and I'm real proud of the effort they gave us."

Centennial senior quarterback Ryan Ward was 18 of 30 for 225 yards and two TDs. Leshoure, who entered the game with 773 yards, was held to 27 yards on 10 attempts.

"The kids are playing good defense," Schmelzer said. "We got pushed a little bit in the first quarter and the 'D' was out there for a long time, but they were able to rise to the occasion. We bent, but we never broke."