Iola High’s Mustangs showed improved play on the football field in 2023.
Their four wins seem modest until you peel back the layers a bit.
Iola tied for first place in its district, but were relegated to the third seed in the Class 3A playoffs due to point tiebreakers, and had to play a brutal schedule with teams like Parsons (twice) and Wellsville on the slate.
“This was a successful season,” head coach David Daugharthy said. “From a coach’s perspective, you always want more, but this year’s senior class left its mark, not just in wins or losses, but in how to play the game and how we approach practice. They imposed that on our underclassmen. Their impact will be left, for sure.”
Opposing coaches took notice, honoring several Mustangs for All-Pioneer League recognition.
Leading the way were seniors Danny Boeken and Drayden Reiter and sophomore Tre Wilson, each of whom brought home first-team All-League honors.
Also earning recognition were seniors Ben Kerr, second-team at both running back and linebacker, Briggs Michael, senior linebacker, Grady Dougherty, senior defensive lineman. Dougherty also earned honorable mention as an offensive lineman.
Meanwhile, Reiter also earned honorable mention for his work at linebacker, as did senior quarterback Landon Weide, senior offensive lineman Jaydon Morrison and Korbin Cloud at both wide receiver and defensive back.
Boeken earned first-team honors on the offensive line and second-team honors for his work on the defensive line.
“He’s been our rock, our true and steady guy the past two years,” Daugharthy said. “If we wanted to run the ball behind somebody, we were going to run behind Danny. He was good at moving people. He had good footwork and was a great leader.”
Defensively, Boeken’s ability to draw double-teams from opposing offensive linemen freed up Iola’s other defenders to make tackles closer to the line of scrimmage.
He had 37 tackles with a sack.
WILSON, the team’s only underclassmen to earn Pioneer League honors, helped solidify Iola’s defense from the free safety position.
“He’s one of the most athletic safety/defensive backs, or really players, I’ve ever coached,” Daugharthy said, praising his ball-hawking ability. “His ability to go up and get the ball at any given high point, meant that if he’s in good coverage, he’s probably going to come away with the interception or pass deflection.
“He’s good at pass coverage, and he took a big step forward in our run coverage,” Daugharthy said. “His progression really helped our defense.”
