Football | 9/6/2014 4:30:00 PM

Box Score FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- The Methodist football team raced out to a 20-point first quarter lead en route to a 36-21 win over Southern Virginia in each teams' season opener on Saturday afternoon at Monarch Stadium.
 
Anthony Radke had a pair of first-quarter touchdown receptions and Noah Shuler had three rushing touchdowns in total as MU (1-0) extended its win streak from last season to seven games.
 
The Monarchs opened the scoring at the 13:21 mark of the first period as Max Reber round Radke for a two-yard scoring play. Nick McHugh converted the extra point for an early 7-0 lead. At the 5:01 mark of the first quarter, Reber again found Radke, this time from 18 yards out, and after a failed PAT the Monarchs led 13-0.
 
Late in the first quarter, Shuler scored his first rushing touchdown of the game, from two yards out, and McHugh converted a PAT for a 20-0 lead.
 
In the second quarter, Shuler scored on a 10-yard scamper just over 30 seconds into the period and MU saw its lead balloon to 26-0. Southern Virginia made it 26-7 after the Knights blocked an MU punt and Jerry Washington recovered it in the endzone. Kieren Phelps added the PAT.
 
With just 35 seconds to go in the first half, MU essentially iced the game as Shuler plunged in from two-yards out for his third score and a 33-7 MU lead at the break.
 
Kyler Harris scored on 99-yard pass from Mitch Stevenson for SVU early in the third quarter, and he added a 58-yard touchdown reception late in the fourth, but the MU surge early proved too much to overcome.
 
Shuler led the Monarchs with 86 yards on the ground. He carried the ball 22 time and scored three touchdowns. Quarterback Max Reber was 27-of-43 passing for 329 yards. He threw a pair of touchdowns with one interception. Patrick Jacobs had a team-best seven catches for 66 yards. Radke finished with 96 yards on six grabs and the two touchdowns.
 
Defensively, Bryan Bing led Methodist with seven tackles, and an interception. Marlon Thomas and James Atkinson had five tackles apiece, and D.J. Payne and J.D. Stalvey each had a quarterback sack.
 
The Monarchs are back in action on next Saturday when play at Guilford at 7:00 pm.