CARBONDALE — The Iola Mustangs hope to make the most of Homecoming this Friday as they look to pick up their first win following a 49-6 loss to the Santa Fe Chargers.
Iola was behind after the opening kickoff and not much changed after that, as the Mustangs allowed a third opponent in a row to eclipse 40 points. But for Coach David Daugharthy, the Mustangs’ flashes of talent make the losses more frustrating.
“We know we are very, very close on offense and even defensively,” Daugharthy said. “We were close at times to make the right plays, whether it be on defense or on offense, but we just don’t make the right block or a guy misses a tackle. We’re so close to figuring it out. It’s just a matter of time.”
First-year starting quarterback Kale Pratt continues honing his craft after completing 7 of 14 passes for 189 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Austin Crooks. Iola’s skill position players in Pratt, running back and backup quarterback Reed Clift, junior running back Noah Anderson and sophomore running back Kevon Loving combined for more than 150 yards rushing.
“We saw glimpses tonight of things to come,” Daugharthy said. “Once we put it all together, I definitely saw improvement tonight. Unfortunately, the scoreboard didn’t show that. The kids were trying hard; we just have more work to do.”
With the loss, the Mustangs fall to 0-3 and hope to pick up their first win Friday when they host Anderson County for homecoming. Anderson County comes into Friday’s game looking to play homecoming spoiler and has the confidence of a team that’s won their last two contests 35-6 over Lexington and 27-6 against Jayhawk-Linn.
“The kids will be ready to go. Returning home will be good,” Daugharthy said. “We’re going to show them some film, and they’ll see some aspects of how we could have competed against a very, very good team. Once they see it on film, I know they are going to be more confident.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
