Offense took over for both Iola’s and Osawatomie’s football teams, but the Mustang defense wasn’t able to hold the Trojans’ big plays at bay in a 48-31 loss Thursday night.
On the first drive of the game, Kaden Macha was picked off by Osawatomie’s Cody Hazlett. Fortunately, the Mustangs defense recovered a fumble on the Trojan first drive.
Taking over on their own 27 yard line, the Iola offense was held to a three-and-out. So far, it looked like neither offense was going to have a good night.
After a punt, the Trojans took the ball on Iola’s 48.
“Offensively, we moved the ball pretty well, but we only scored 31 points,” coach Doug Kerr said. “We can’t score quick like Osawatomie scored.”
Osawatomie’s offense needed only one play after getting the ball back. Running back Riley England beat the Mustang defense for a 48-yard rushing touchdown. Iola trailed 6-0, after a missed extra point.
The Mustangs took over on their own 32. Brice Aiello started the drive on the right track with a 13-yard run. The Mustangs would stall, and be forced to go for it on 4th and 7. A fumbled hand-off recovered by Iola spoiled the drive, but kept the Trojans from getting extra yards on the play.
“They’ve got one kid who’s kind of their star. They kind of ride him until he’s broke, but we couldn’t break him early,” Kerr said. “We kept making adjustments. But our adjustments were kind of like throwing kerosene on a fire and just made it worse.”
That kid is England, and he struck fast and often. After a 27-yard rush, England ran 10 yards for a touchdown. The Trojans led 14-0 after getting the two-point conversion.
The Mustangs took over on their own 35 after the kickoff. The drive was moving along thanks to single-digit runs by Macha and Keanen Badders. Aiello burst for a 20-yard rush. Macha then ran the ball in for an 8-yard rushing touchdown. Iola trailed 14-7.
Before the quarter would end, the Osawatomie offense struck quickly. Quarterback Brody Russell connected with Chaseton Wylie for a 71-yard touchdown. The Trojans increased their lead to 20-7 after a missed extra point.
The Mustangs took the ball on their 25. Macha was rolling on the drive, starting it off with a 20-yard run. Iola’s drive continued into the second quarter. Ethan Scheibmeir had a 21-yard rush, moving the Mustangs to Osawatomie’s 31. Aiello had another long run, this time for 12 yards. Macha finished it off with a 10-yard rush, setting up for his 7-yard touchdown run. The Mustangs were down 20-13 after a missed extra point.
The Trojan offense answered back after starting on Iola’s 32. England broke free for a 46-yard rush. That would lead to Russell scoring on a 4-yard run. The Trojans led 27-13.
Instead of getting the ball back, Iola watched as Osawatomie successfully converted an onside kick to keep the ball. On the first series, Iola held the Trojans to a 4th and 12. But, Russell would toss a 21-yard pass to Morgan Soucie for a first down. England scored on an 8-yard rush. The Trojans increased the lead to 34-13.
After a stalled Mustang drive, Macha had a 50-yard punt putting the ball at Osawatomie’s own 4 thanks to Aiello touching it before it rolled into the end zone for a touchback. Iola’s defense held, forcing the Trojans to punt. With 37 seconds left, Iola got the ball back, but failed to score.
In the third quarter, the Trojans started with the ball. Their first drive was highlighted by a 40-yard rush from England. He followed with a score on a 6-yard rush. The Trojans led 41-13.
Iola scored on their next drive. Aiello, Scheibmer and Macha took turns rushing the ball. Aiello had a 15-yard run on the drive. Scheibmeir had a 9-yard rush. Macha scored again, this time on a 2-yard run. The Mustangs trailed 41-19 after a missed extra point.
The Trojans came through with another big play. Russell connected with Wylie for a second time, resulting in a 43-yard touchdown. The Trojans led 48-19.
The Mustangs’ next drive moved into the fourth quarter. The drive led to a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Macha. The Trojans now led 48-25.
Iola’s defense held the Trojans to a forced punt. The Mustangs took over on their own 35. Macha threw a 12-yard pass to Chase Regehr for a first down. Later in the drive, on 4th and 2 from the Trojans’ 11, Macha rushed for 4 yards and a first down. Jake Gumfory then had a 7-yard touchdown run. Iola trailed 48-31.
The Trojans kept the ball on the ground, which kept the clock moving until the game was final.
The Mustangs rushed for 291 yards on 51 carries. Macha led the way with his four touchdowns and had 121 rushing yards. Aiello ran for a team-leading 124 yards. Scheibmeir had 24 yards rushing and Badders ran for 19 yards.
“I think our offense picked up the momentum tonight and defensively, at times, we’ve been snake bit by third downs,” Kerr said. “On third downs, we just can’t get off the field. We’ve got to really focus harder and practice harder on stopping third downs.”
Iola travels to Central Heights on Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
“The kids fought hard and they kept in the game. I’m proud of them for that,” Kerr said. “We’ve got some winnable games coming up, so we just have got to get better.”
Mustang defense can’t stop Trojans’ big play offense
