CARBONDALE — The Iola Middle School football team took home a victory for the record book, but a loss on the scoreboard Thursday.
The Mustang eighth-graders won by forfeit, due to Santa Fe Trail not having enough players to field an eighth-grade.
The school combined to play a seventh- and eighth-grade combined contest, with Santa Fe Trail prevailing, 28-6.
The action began with a Kale Pratt 44-yard touchdown rush for the only Mustang points. Pratt ran for 111 yards while scoring a touchdown. He also turned the ball over on a fumble.
Jase Herrmann also ran the ball well, going for 34 ground yards while Reed Clift rushed for 12
Pratt lined up at quarterback later in the game following Austin Crooks’ start and completed one pass for 26 yards. Crooks threw for eight yards, while completing six passes — two of the passes lost yardage, leading to a lower-than-expected total.
Herrmann was the leading Iola receiver, hauling in 29 yards, followed by Layton Stowell and Pratt’s 12 yards apiece.
Defensively, Pratt collected a team-leading nine tackles while Ean DeLaTorre registered seven. Pratt and DeLaTorre also recovered fumbles.
“Tough loss for the boys tonight in this experimental game. Santa Fe Trail out-muscled us running at will for the most part. We had trouble offensively executing plays along with too many turnovers,” said Iola head coach Scott Ellis. “We can play better and will hopefully get on track next week against Prairie View.”
The teams then played a fifth quarter, a 10-minute combined game in which Iola took the 14-0 victory.
The game began with a Kevon Loving 45-yard touchdown run to give the Mustangs the early 8-0 advantage. Loving rushed for 68 yards on three carries.
“The boys played relentlessly and were fired up with the win,” said Ellis. “I’m proud of these guys.”
Mustang Bentley Zarhouni also had a pick-six off the Chargers quarterback as well as a fumble recovery. Defensively, Evan Lacrone made five tackles while Clift brought down four tackles.
The Mustangs will play at Prairie View next Thursday at 4 p.m.
