FRONTENAC — The Iola High School football team had their season come to a close on Friday in a 35-15 loss at Frontenac in the first round of the 3A state playoffs.
The Mustangs (2-7; 0-2) let the Raiders get out to a 22-0 lead following halftime but fought hard to get back in the game after a pair of touchdowns in the second half made it a 22-15 game.
Frontenac would then put the game out of reach, scoring two more touchdowns in the second half and shutting out Iola the rest of the way for the 35-15 final score.
“I think every single senior that played tonight left it all out here,” said Iola head coach David Daugharthy. “I was extremely proud of them and I think it’s indicative of what they’ve done to the program the last few years. I’m pretty heartbroken and I know they are too.”
Iola’s special teams hurt them first as long snapper Grady Dougherthy snapped a ball over his Mustang punter’s head for Frontenac to convert two points on a safety. The Raiders would then follow the safety up with a Mario Menghini three-yard touchdown rush to take an early 8-0 advantage.
Menghini was called on again for Frontenac when he carried the ball into the end zone from 12 yards out for the two touchdown lead, 15-0.
The Mustangs would attempt a field goal on their next offensive drive but it was blocked from the 11-yard line to keep the score at 15-0 in favor of Frontenac.
The Iola defense stepped up at the end of the first half when they poked the ball out of a Frontenac ball carrier’s hands and Carter Hutton hopped on it for the fumble recovery. The game would be sent to halftime with Iola remaining scoreless and trailing, 15-0.
“We stepped it up on that side and physically we matched up with them,” said Daugharhty. “I think the run was set up at the end of the first half, we got that stop at the goal line, stripped the ball out and I think that started to turn some things.”
The Raiders didn’t slow up following halftime as Menghini pranced into the end zone on an 80-yard reception from quarterback Kal Terlip for the 22-0 home team advantage.
Iola’s Tre Wilson would put his team on the scoreboard on the second offensive drive of the second half on a 49-yard touchdown rush followed by a successful two-point conversion.
The Mustangs would tighten the game even closer within a seven point differential when quarterback Ben Kerr hit Korbin Cloud for a 23-yard touchdown strike with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. The touchdown connection slimmed the Iola deficit to 22-15.
The tight score wouldn’t last however as Frontenac got right back on the scoreboard on another Menghini touchdown reception, this time for 31 yards and the 29-15 home team edge.
Raider quarterback Terlip proceeded to find Menghini once more down the sideline for a 32-yard touchdown strike with less than a minute remaining before the fourth quarter. Menghini’s fifth touchdown of the evening marked the 35-15 final score.
“Being in the playoffs I think is a positive, being in a game especially in the third quarter, we were down one score at one point,” Daugharthy said. “I think that speaks to where we could be in the future. We were banged up this year but the reality is we could have legitimately won this game tonight and we had them on the ropes, we just didn’t quite finish it.”
