CHANUTE — A miserable first half, complete with missed assignments, lousy weather and an opponent eager to capitalize on everything Iola High did wrong spelled trouble for the Mustangs Friday evening. THE MUSTANGS had two choices from there: slink their tails and go quietly into the frigid night, or to fight back.
Three Iola turnovers led to quick Blue Comet scores as Chanute led 31-0 at the break and 38-0 just minutes into the second half.
The Mustangs ended the game with a little added vigor, but could do no better than score a lone touchdown in the fourth quarter of a 38-7 defeat.
The loss drops Iola to 4-3 overall and 0-1 in Class 4A district play. The Mustangs have another tough chore in righting their shop. They travel to Fort Scott next Friday for another district matchup.
“Blown assignments killed us,” Iola head coach Doug Kerr said. “These were mistakes we hadn’t been making all year long.”
Chanute was ready from the get-go.
Iola forced an early Blue Comet punt, but the Mustangs first pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage and pulled by Chanute’s Caleb Dietsch for an interception. Dietsch rambled into the end zone, but the score was nullified because officials said a Blue Comet teammate illegally pushed Dietsch across the goal line.
Little matter.
Two plays later, Chanute’s Alex Son bowled through on a 2-yard score to push the Comets up 7-0.
“It seems like when you have an early turnover in a high school game, it can stun a team,” Kerr said. “It took us until about halftime to get unstunned. There was some frustration.”
Iola was still without a first down when Chanute quarterback Christian Wiltse found Ethan VanAnne alone for a 51-yard touchdown pass late in the first half to push the lead to 17-0.
Dallas Joyce joined the fun midway through the second quarter, capping an 11-play, 57-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 24-0.
A Mustang fumble with 15 seconds left in the half turned into trouble again. Wiltse found Kenton Richards on a 30-yard touchdown pass on the next play from scrimmage to push lead to 31-0.
The halftime break did little to slow the Blue Comet charge. Iola’s second play from scrimmage in the third quarter was picked off by Chanute’s Derek Sharp. Wiltse found Dakota Gough on a 28-yard pass on fourth-and-one, setting up Joyce’s second touchdown of the night, a 3-yard run.
Fight back, they did.
While the Mustang offense still could not find its rhythm against the stout Blue Comet defense, Iola’s defenders amped up their play a few notches.
Eric Maxwell blasted Wiltse on one incomplete pass shortly before Adam Kauth leveled a Blue Comet receiver on another incompletion.
Iola forced a fumble and punt on Chanute’s next two possessions.
A bad snap on another Blue Comet punt led to a fumble recovery by Iola’s Kaden Macha, who returned the ball to the Chanute 8. Macha kept the ball on the next two plays, running in the second on a 1-yard keeper for Iola’s sole score.
“I was very proud of how the guys fought back in the second half,” Kerr said, “and it wasn’t like we were doing it against their backups. They had their starters in until the end. We challenged the guys at halftime to play their best 24 minutes of the season, and I think we did that. It was 7-7 after halftime.”
After erupting for more than 320 yards of total offense in the first two quarters, the Blue Comets were held to just 65 in the second half.
But Chanute’s defense was there to make sure Iola could draw no closer. The Mustangs were limited to 149 yards of total offense on the night, and only 19 yards passing.
John Whitworth led the Mustang ground game with 43 yards on nine carries. Macha and Brice Aiello rushed for 34 yards apiece. McIntosh was 4 of 12 passing for 19 yards. Kauth had two receptions for 12 yards; Trent Latta had two catches for seven.
Macha led the Iola defense with 14 tackles, including six solos. Derrick Weir, Bryce Misenhelter and Jesse Zimmerman had seven stops apiece. Shane Walden had a quarterback sack. Maxwell and Macha recovered fumbles.
Macha also had a strong night punting, with three 50-yard-plus punts. He averaged 45 yards per punt.
Friday’s contest was played in a light mist, with temperatures in the 30s and a strong north wind that kept the wind chill to near freezing.
“Our kids really brought it in the second half,” Kerr said. “I just wish we could have brought it in the first quarter.”
Iola 0-0-0-7—7
Chanute 17-14-7-0—38
Chanute — Son 2 yd run (LaRocca kick)
Chanute — LaRocca 22 yd field goal
Chanute — VanAnne 51 yd pass from Wiltse (LaRocca kick)
Chanute — Joyce 1 yd run (LaRocca kick)
Chanute — Richards 30 yd pass from Wiltse (LaRocca kick)
Chanute — Joyce 3 yd run (LaRocca kick)
Iola — Macha 1 yd run (Macias kick)
Iola Chanute
First Downs 8 18
Rushes-yds 39-130 54-205
Passing yds 19 191
Total Offense 149 396
Passing 4-12-2 7-14-0
Fumbles-Lost 2-2 3-2
Punts/Avg 5/45 4/31
Penalties-yds 4/43 2/15
Individual statistics
Rushing: Iola — Whitworth, 9-43; Macha, 9-34; Aiello, 4-34; Kauth, 6-16; Rhoads 8-7; McIntosh, 3-(minus-4). Chanute — Joyce, 24-79; Wiltse, 16-65; Son, 5-22; Richards, 3-22; Luna, 1-13; VanAnne, 2-9; Ellis, 1-1; Vogel, 1-0; Durbin, 1-(minus-6).
Passing: Iola — McIntosh, 4-12, 19 yards. Chanute — Wiltse, 7-14, 191 yards.
Receiving: Iola — Kauth, 2-12; Latta, 2-7. Chanute — Richards, 3-75; VanAnne, 1-51; Sharp, 1-29; Gough, 1-28; Dietsch, 1-8.
Tackles: Iola — Macha, 14; Zimmerman, 7; Weir, 7; Misenhelter, 7; Walden, 7; Latta, 6; Kauth, 6; Maxwell, 4; Rhoads, 3; Frye, 3; Conner, 2; Aiello, 2; Whitworth, 2; Reynolds, 1.
First half troubles doom Mustangs
