On senior night at Iola Municipal Stadium on Friday, it was a freshman who led the way to keep the Mustangs season alive as Iola powered past Anderson County 33-12 to win their first district game. Their hopes of a second straight trip to the playoffs are still intact.
The Mustangs are now 3-5 on the season and 1-1 in district play.
The freshman in question was one Isaac Badders, the freshman running back who accounted for all four of Iola’s touchdowns Friday night along with 153 yards on 22 carries.
“It feels good,” Badders said. “But from my point of view, I’m not the only one who scores them. It’s my line. They take a lot of part in this. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to make the plays I make or do the things I do. I’m bonded like a brother to them.”
Badders’ emergence this season has been one of a revelation for many. After being one of the leaders of last years undefeated Iola eighth grade squad, he’s now one of the top weapons for the Mustangs and head coach David Daugharthy who has been pleasantly surprised at how far the freshman has progressed so far this season.
“I knew he had the capabilities,” Daugharthy said. “I had watched him play in middle school and I knew he had the skills but I didn’t think he’d make the improvements needed to be a consistent starter on both sides of the ball but it’s a testament to how hard he’s worked. He’s not all the way there yet because he’s not that strong but his ability to learn the game is what’s impressed me the most.”
In a game that saw two seniors go down hard with injuries (Cale Barnhart left the game with a shoulder injury and Isaac Vink who rushed for 79 yards on 13 carries and had one reception for 43 yards, left the game for a couple of series with ankle troubles) Badders found himself motivated, even more, to continue to grind it out to bring home a win for his seniors.
“It makes me feel like I’m doing it for them,” Badders said. “Not for me but for everyone around me. We’re all doing it for them right now.”
Badders scored from 1, 2 and 1 yard out and broke free on a 29-yard touchdown run with 6:50 left in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, around Badders, the Mustangs all came out with a renewed sense of focus on both sides of the ball.
“I’m really pleased,” Daugharthy said .”We had a lot of kids go down early in the game. Cale Barnhart left the game and he’s a key part of our offense and defense but we filled in seamlessly behind it. I was impressed with how they adapted. We knew what we had to do tonight. I was really proud with how we executed, it’s a testament to how we practiced.”
Sophomore quarterback Casen Barker ran for 49 yards on 15 carries and was 1-5 for 43 yards and junior running back Elijah Luedke had six carries for 43 yards.
Defensively, the Mustangs tightened things up immensely over the week after allowing Burlington to hang 50 on them.
Their first touchdown, a 33-yard pass, occurred only because of a favorable spot on a fourth-down run the play before. The Bulldogs got the first down and got in the end zone on the next play.
After that, the Mustangs allowed one final score on a seven-yard run following a delay due to an injured player.
“Our point of emphasis this week was attacking and being downhill, running better angles so we can do that better,” Daugharthy said. “I do think we tackled a lot better but we still have a lot of improvements to make. Overall, I was very pleased with how we played defensively. We took a good step and now we need to take another one this week.”
