Mustangs win as Sigg has historic game – IHS senior tailback sets Mustang rushing records in season’s final contest

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Sports

October 29, 2011 - 12:00 AM

LACYGNE – “Win. Win the game,” said Jerrik Sigg, senior tailback, when asked his and the team’s goal Thursday night.
Win they did. Iola High’s Mustangs brought down the curtain on the 2011 football season with a 44-28 road victory over Prairie View High’s Buffalos to go 2-7.
Sigg was the star of the show. The 6-1, 172-pound senior broke loose where the Buffalo roam amassing 343 yards on 53 carries. Both were Iola High records.
Sigg went into the game with 947 yards, 339 yards behind the single-season record. Sigg already had two of the top single-game rushing performances in Mustang history this season.
Mustang fans who made the trip to LaCygne Thursday witness IHS football history. As Iola’s offense fed the Buffalo defense a steady diet of Jerrik Sigg.
“Man, the rushing record is great but the main thing about tonight is we wanted to end it right,” Sigg said. “We definitely wanted to win tonight.”
Offensively, Sigg and Mustang head coach Rick Horton said Iola could have thrown against the Buffalo defense all night. “But when you can run the ball, less things go wrong,” Horton said.
Not much went wrong for the Mustangs on the final night of football. Iola’s defense forced six Prairie View turnovers – three fumbles and three interceptions.
The only big miscue was a 72-yard kickoff return by Dalton Stockton right after Sigg scored the first touchdown of the night in the first quarter. Sigg found the end zone six times for the Mustangs in the game and threw three two-point conversion passes.
Sigg needed 53 yards to reach the 1,000-yard club for IHS.
It was senior Zach Crawford who put the football in Sigg’s hands early in the game. Prairie View took the opening kickoff but Crawford forced the football out of the grip of the Buffalos’ Tyler Stillians. Sigg recovered the fumble at the Iola 40-yard line with 9:56 left in the first quarter.
Sigg began a 10-play drive with an 11-yard run. On the eighth play – all runs by Sigg – he reached 1,000 yards. From there he kept piling up yards as Iola pushed forward for a 28-14 halftime lead.
The Stockton kickoff return and a two-point conversion pass put the Buffalos in the lead 8-6. But the Sigg train continued as Iola marched from its own 18-yard line down the field.
There was just one setback, a Mason Coons pass to Sigg for a six-yard loss. But the Buffalos wiped that loss out with the first of two consecutive personal foul penalties.
Iola was at the Buffalo 12-yard line, which preceded a five-yard run and a seven-yard touchdown run by Sigg. A two-point pass failed but Iola was back on top 12-8. The Mustangs did not trail again.
The Buffalos moved the football to the Iola 25-yard line. On the first play of the second quarter, the Mustang defense stiffened.
The Mustangs held Stillians to a yard gain on a fourth-and-two.
“We had drives tonight. Drives we finished with a score,” Horton said. “So many times this season we’d have a big play then couldn’t finish the drive.”
Iola had an eight-play drive with other players getting into the action.
Senior wide receiver Clint Heffern had a short gain on a pass from Coons. Sophomore running back John Whitworth had a 14-yard run and sophomore running back Jacob Rhoads had a four-yard carry.
Running out of the wildcat formation most of the night, Sigg took the direct snap and Coons lined up as a receiver. Sigg capped off the drive on a 16-yard run. Whitworth had the two-point conversion run.
Prairie View used the running of Jake Bradley to set up its second-quarter touchdown. But it was a seven-yard pass play from Shey Spears to Luke Miller which got into the end zone. It was 20-14.
Mustang answered with a eight-play drive. Sigg scored on a three-yard run at the 2:47 mark. He tossed a two-point conversion pass to senior Devin Culler.
Iola got the ball right back when Clint Heffern intercepted a Spears’ pass on the first play of the Buffalo possession. Iola stalled on the Prairie View nine.
Whitworth intercepted Spears with 11 seconds left in the half. Iola took two shots down the field through the air but came up empty.
Iola had the opening possession of the second half but stumbled a bit. Senior Devon Conner punted to the Buffalo 25-yard line. Three plays later Heffern had his second interecption the game.
Prairie View stopped Iola again. But once again, the Mustang defense took the ball away. Bradley fumbled and senior Blake Appling recovered the ball for Iola.
The Mustangs moved the 42 yards to the end zone. Two pass plays put the Mustangs in position for Sigg to score on a four-yard run. Sigg connected with Coons on the two-point conversion pass.
“Our linemen were blocking well up front and the receivers and other backs blocked on the outside,” Sigg said.
Senior tight end Corey Taylor was sealing the corner with blocks, Sigg said.
Prairie View pulled to within 14, 36-22, with 37 seconds left in the third quarter. Iola came right back for a 25-yard run by Sigg at the 10:53 mark of the fourth quarter. Conner caught the conversion pass.
Spears led the Buffalos on a drive down the field. It appeared he was running to get in the end zone.
Sophomore Bryce Misenhelter ripped the ball from his grip. Misenhelter started the other way when he fumbled it. Clint Heffern recovered the ball for Iola at its own six-yard line.
Iola ate up some time but didn’t score on the next drive. Prairie View went to the air to get the final touchdown of the night.
Sigg was 14 yards away from the single-season record. There were two minutes remaining in the game and his IHS football career.
Two plays – eight yard run and a 10-yard run- put Sigg atop the Mustang list. They also helped Iola run out the clock for the win.
Crawford forced two fumbles on the night. He had seven solo tackles and one assisted. Clint Heffern put three solo stops and three assisted tackles with his two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Sigg had three solo tackles and one assisted. Appling had one assisted tackle and a fumble recovery.
Culler had one solo tackle. Other seniors defensively, Zack Vaughn had one solo and two assisted tackles, Kris Collins had one solo tackle, Gavin Wilson had two assisted tackles and Brad Bazo had one assisted tackles.
“We came in here to win a game. Our defense played well and got the turnovers tonight. That sets up your offense. Puts a little more pep in your step,” Horton said.
“We kept our offense on the field tonight.”
For the record, Sigg set the IHS single-game rushing record with 343 yards on 53 carries, which was most ever also. He passed Tyler Ringwald’s 291 yards on 14 carries set in 2005.
Sigg became the single-season record holder. He finished the 2011 season with 1,290 yards on 217 carries. The old mark was 1,286 on 225 carries by Webb Mechling in 1992. Both were done in nine games.
Sigg climbed to third on the IHS career rushing list with 1,632 on 287 carries.
Sigg leads the Southeast Kansas League in scoring. He now has 26 touchdowns and seven two-point conversions. He has 170 points.
Iola 12-16-8-8-44
PV 8-6-8-6-28
Iola – Sigg 1 yd run (run failed)
PV – Stockton 72 yd kickoff return (Feldman pass from Spears)
Iola – Sigg 7 yd run (pass failed)
Iola – Sigg 15 yd run (Whitworth run)
PV – Miller 7 yd pass from Spears (pass failed)
Iola – Sigg 3 yd run (Culler pass from Sigg)
Iola – Sigg 4 yd run (Coons pass from Sigg)
PV – Bradley 1 yd run (Bradley run)
Iola – Sigg 25 yd run (Conner pass from Sigg)
PV – Stockton 36 yd pass from Spears (pass failed)
Iola PVHS
First downs 22 12
Rushes-yds 64-392 34-187
Passing yds 32 97
Total Offense 424 284
Passing 4-11-0 5-12-3
Fumbles-lost 1/0 4/3
Punts-avg. 2-37 0-0
Penalties-yds 7-70 9-101.5
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Iola-Sigg 53-343, Whitworth 7-34, Coons 2-7, Conner 1-4, Rhoads 1-4. Prairie View-Stillians 10-41, Kelly 1-9, Bradley 8-67, Spears 15-70.
Passing: Iola-Coons 3-5-14-0, Sigg 1-6-18-0. Prairie View-Spears5-12-97-3.
Receiving: Iola-Cl. Heffern 2-20, Sigg 1-(-6), Rhoads 1-18. Prairie View-Stockton 3-56, Miller 1-7, Stillians 1-34.
Punting: Iola-Conner 2-74 (37 yd avg.) Prairie View- none

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