High School Football: Bulldogs 42, Mustangs 6
GARNETT Frustration gave way to an apathetic effort on the part of the Iola Mustang football team Friday night in their 42-6 road bell-ringing at the hands of district-foe Anderson County (1-3, 1-0).
The Mustangs (0-4, 0-1) looked to be up for the challenge early in the ballgame but tenacious blocking and an elusive Bulldog run game put Iola right in the cross hairs of another blowout.
Im very frustrated, head coach David Daugharthy said. Going into this game, I felt like this could have been the score line for us. I dont know if its what we did offensively or defensively that took a step backward. I think it was a mental thing. We need to take a step back and focus solely on our mind and believe that we can win. It didnt look like we had any fight left in this game.
Six Anderson County touchdowns all came from the very able arm and legs of backup Bulldog quarterback Bo Dilliner who ran for a 73, 39 and 40-yard touchdowns, passed for 13- and 18-yard touchdowns and returned a kickoff for an 84-yard touchdown. Dilliner was the nightmare that none of the Mustangs could wake from.
We showed fear, Daugharthy said. Fear to make a tackle, fear to be aggressive, we were not in our correct angles. We were wrong in four facets and thats why they burned us so badly.
Their quarterback played a really good game, (Dilliner) hasnt even started at quarterback all season. Hes a really athletic kid but their offensive and defensive line were strong and really came off the ball. Theyre one of the few teams that have stymied both of our lines. I was very impressed.
Iola opened the game by driving down to the 2-yard line thanks in part to a big run from sophomore fullback Isaac Badders. They got stood up and gave the Bulldogs the ball.
After giving up a huge touchdown run, the Mustangs found a semblance of a spark and found their way down to the goal line again but this time senior running back Elijah Luedke pounded it in from 4 yards out for the score. Anderson County blocked the extra point and after that, Iola wouldnt get inside the Bulldog 15-yard line the rest of the game.
Its our toughness, Daugharthy said. 100 percent thats what it is. The minute something started to go wrong, it all just snow-piled on top of each other. They thought they were just going to come here and roll up with a win. It was clear that one team was ready and one was not. We were not ready.
The Mustangs need to reset as they head into the second week of district play against another 0-4 team, Osawatomie. A win against the Trojans could be a building block towards salvaging what has been a frustrating season for the Mustangs. On the flip side, a loss sinks any semblance of hope that this team has of seeing the postseason.
Weve got to find guys who want to play and want to play even when the chips are down, Daugharthy said. Weve got to find guys who will give everything theyve got. I want guys who will play through anything and right now we dont have that. We dont have mentally tough kids right now.
