Pressure can be a fickle beast.
Three straight losses, capped by a shutout defeat at the hands of Frontenac last week, had Iola High’s Mustangs scuffling.
Their offensive struggles continued early Friday against Anderson County as the Bulldogs took a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter.
But in the span of two passes — 56- and 87-yard bombs from Landon Weide to TJ Taylor — that pressure was swatted away like a pesky fly.
The passes, and an opportunistic defense, helped turn the tide as Iola scored 34 straight points through the balance of the contest.
The 34-7 victory lifts the Mustangs to 2-3. More importantly, Iola is back even at 1-1 in district play, and at 2-1 in Pioneer League action.
“This win does a lot for us,” Iola head coach David Daugharthy said. “It keeps our playoff hopes alive. It keeps a lot of things alive. We even still have a shot at League. You never know what’s going to come down the stretch with the other teams.”
Leading the charge was the Weide and Taylor connection, who combined for four completions covering 171 yards.
“I ran a lot of routes, and it just felt good tonight,” Taylor said. “We were just having fun out there, scoring touchdowns.”
There may have been a bit more to it than the soft-spoken senior was letting on.
Daugharthy said it became clear in the early going that Taylor had the advantage when Anderson County went with man-to-man coverage.
“TJ was running great routes, and Landon threw some good balls to him. And our offensive line protected him very well.”
A scoreless first quarter led to Anderson County’s first big break, when Fisher Galey broke through the line of scrimmage and rumbled pretty much untouched for an 83-yard touchdown.
Iola, seeking an equalizer, made its way downfield. Weide’s 5-yard run on third-and-4, followed by a 14-yard pass to Carter Hutton got things started.
The drive nearly stalled, but a critical offsides penalty on Anderson County on fourth and short gave Iola a first down at the Bulldog 28.
Jarrett Herrmann busted his way around the left side, weaved through a pair of defenders, and outraced the rest of the Anderson County roster to the end zone. Trent Jones tacked on a 2-point run, and suddenly Iola was in front, 8-7.
That’s when the fun began.
Anderson County went three-and-out, setting up Iola at its 40.Two plays later, Weide found Taylor open down the left side. Taylor easily outran the Bulldog defensive back to the end zone, and suddenly Iola’s lead stood at 14-7.
