GARNETT — Iola High’s Mustangs allowed Anderson County High’s Bulldogs stake a 21-0 lead before climbing into Friday night’s Class 4A District 6 contest.
The hole was too deep. The rain came.
Iola trailed by nine, 41-32, with 6:33 left in the third quarter.
A fumble recovery by Stephen McDonald gave the ball back to the Mustangs at the 11:01 mark of the fourth quarter.
But four plays later, a lateral pass thrown by Charles Apt went unattended by the Mustangs. Anderson County’s Dakota Jumet scooped the football up and went 65 yards for a touchdown.
That was the turning point. The Bulldogs went on to win the game 61-46.
Jumet set the tone of the game returning the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown.
Iola’s offense was again slow to get going. The Mustang defense could not stop the Bulldogs from running the football.
“We aren’t tackling people. We have two players right there and can’t make the play so they pick up yardage or get a big play off of it,” said Rick Horton, Mustang head coach.
“When you give up 61 points, you’re not tackling people.”
The Bulldogs rolled up 456 yards on the ground led by the one-two punch of senior Alen Troyer and junior Thomas Mudd.
Troyer rushed or 234 yards on 21 carries and scored four touchdowns. Mudd had 202 yards on 20 carries and scored three touchdowns.
Iola had three turnovers in the game that had rain throughout. The first one was an interception of an Apt pass by Anderson County’s Cale Hedges.
On the next play from scrimmage, Troyer went 80 yards to put the Bulldogs up 21-0 with 11:39 left in the second quarter.
Iola finally decided to get in the game. On the Mustangs’ first play following the kickoff, Apt connected with Dylan Allen over the middle. Allen turned the pass and catch into a 63-yard touchdown play.
Allen’s kick made it 21-7.
Iola tried a short kickoff that allowed the Bulldogs to set up shop on the Mustang 49-yard line. Troyer capped the drive on a three-yard touchdown run.
On the ensuing kickoff, Jerrik Sigg dashed to the Anderson County 15-yard line. An eight-yard pass to Clint Heffern got the Mustangs in closer but a holding penalty pushed them back to the 12.
Apt hit Sigg on a swing pass which he scored on with just over seven minutes to play.
A short kickoff paid off for Iola this time as Devon Burton recovered the ball at the Anderson County 30. Six plays later, Apt hurdled over a defender and into the end zone.
Allen kicked the extra point and Iola was within eight, 28-20.
Apt would finish the night 13 of 38 for 238 yards passing and 71 yards on 14 carries.
But a failed fake punt cost the Mustangs late in the second quarter. Apt’s knee hit the ground when he went for a low snap.
The Bulldogs had the football at the Iola 19. Mudd pushed over the goal line from one yard out with 26 seconds left.
Hedges intercepted another Apt pass with nine second left in the first half. Iola trailed 35-20.
The Mustangs came out in the third quarter and drove the ball 66 yards on six plays. Marcus Sullivan, who had 132 yards on 15 carries, scored from eight yards out but the extra-point kick failed.
The Bulldogs answered on a 32-yard run to paydirt by Mudd.
A 30-yard reception by Corey Taylor set up the next Iola score. Apt missed Allen down the left side on the next play. Allen went out and down the right side of the field.
Falling onto his back, Allen concentrated and caught the football for a 37-yard touchdown. A two-point conversion run failed. It was 41-32 at the 6:33 mark of the third quarter.
The third quarter was played without much rain coming down. Right after the fumble recovery in the fourth quarter, the rain came again.
“We had a shot there but we gave up on the play and they didn’t,” Horton said of the lateral play that went for a touchdown for Anderson County.
Troyer and Sullivan each had two touchdowns in the final six minutes of the game.
The loss put Iola at 0-8. The Mustangs host Prairie View, which lost 49-0 to Fort Scott Friday, on Thursday.
“Prairie View is pretty good team that runs the ball out of the wishbone. We have to do a better job of tackling people,” Horton said.
“We’ve challenged our kids to come out and play for pride. Not to settle for an 0-9 season.”
Allen had five catches for 124 yards while Cl. Heffern made three catches for 38 yards.
Apt led the Iola defense with seven unassisted tackles and five assists plus a fumble recovery. Jacob Rhoads had six solo tackles and two assisted tackles.
Kyle Heffern made two solo stops and eight assisted tackles. Sullivan had three solos and four assisted tackles.
McDonald had one solo and three assisted tackles plus a fumble recovery. John Whitworth and Brad Bazo each had two solo tackles.
Iola 0-20-12-14—46
ACHS 14-21-6-20—61
AC — Jumet 92 yd kickoff returne (Jumet kick)
AC — Mudd 37 yd run (Jumet kick)
AC — Troyer 80 yd run (Jumet kick)
Iola — Allen 63 yd pass from Apt (Allen kick)
AC — Troyer 3 yd run (Jumet kick)
Iola — Sigg 12 yd pass from Apt (kick failed)
Iola — Apt 9 yd run (Allen kick)
AC — Mudd 1 yd run (Jumet kick)
Iola — Sullivan 8 yd run (kick failed)
AC — Mudd 32 yd run (kick failed)
Iola — Allen 37 yd pass from Apt (run failed)
AC — Jumet 65 yd fumble return (run good)
AC — Troyer 37 yd run (run failed)
Iola — Sullivan 62 yd run (Sullivan run)
AC — Troyer 37 yd run (run failed)
Iola — Sullivan 21 yd run (run failed)
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Iola-Sullivan 15-132, Apt 14-71, Sigg 9-79, Whitworth 2-29. ACHS-Troyer 21-234, Mudd 20-202, Bowman 4-11, Rickabaugh 6-24, Pretzer 1-(-15).
Passing: Iola-Apt 12-38-238-2. ACHS-Rickabaugh 0-2-0-0.
Receiving: Iola-Allen 5-124, Sigg 2-15, C. Heffern 3-38, Taylor 1-30, Sullivan 2-31. ACHS-none.
Punting: Iola-K. Heffern 2-62 (31 yd avg.). ACHS-Rickabaugh 2-78 (39 yd avg.).
