The Iola Middle School seventh-grade football team ended the season runner-up in the Pioneer League following Monday’s 22-20 loss to Wellsville.
Hoping to avenge a loss to the Eagles from last week, the Mustangs jumped out to an early 14-0 lead but could not maintain their momentum as Wellsville escaped with the victory after scoring a pair of touchdowns in the third and four quarters.
“It was a hard-fought game. We just came up a little short,” Iola coach Scott Ellis said. “I cannot express how proud I am of these seventh-graders. We battled to the very end. They are a good group of kids who worked hard all season.”
Greyson Skahan accounted for all of Iola’s scoring with a trio of touchdowns in successive quarters while rushing for 70 yards.
The first came from the 3-yard line, the second from another burst close to the goal line and the third came from the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter.
The game-tying 2-point conversion came up short.
Defensively, Colton Hall had a team-leading six tackles, Skahan had five, and Bryce Roberts, Austin Scroggins and Ron Ballard had three tackles each.
