GARNETT — The Iola High School football team steamrolled Anderson County in the second half of Friday night’s game to take a 28-14 victory.
The Mustangs (2-2) trailed early in this one but made up for it late, outscoring the Bulldogs 21-0 in the second half.
“We didn’t really change much at halftime, it was really the same game plan we had. We just got into the flow of the game,” said Iola head coach David Daugharthy. “I think this was one of the best finishing games we’ve had since I’ve been head coach.”
Anderson County first got on the scoreboard on its opening drive of the game on a Jack Crane 12-yard touchdown rush to put the home team ahead early, 7-0.
The Iola defense stepped up big throughout the entire game including stopping Anderson County on a fourth down try late in the first quarter to get the ball back near the Mustang 40-yard line.
The Mustang defense also came up big when Korbin Cloud picked off the Bulldogs early in the second quarter which he returned to the 1-yard line.
Gage Skahan scored on the next play to even the score at 7-7.
Shortly after, Anderson County quarterback Preston Kueser found Dallas Kueser down the middle of the field for a 26-yard touchdown connection to give Iola another seven-point deficit.
Anderson County led Iola at halftime, 14-7.
Iola struck next near the end of the third quarter when quarterback Landon Weide hit Jake Skahan down the sideline on a 15-yard touchdown pass. The Mustangs missed the point after and trailed the Bulldogs by one with a minute left in the third quarter, 14-13.
“Right now he (Weide) looks pretty smooth throwing the ball,” said Daugharthy. “He’s making really big plays so he’s going to be something special to watch in the next couple of weeks. I was also really impressed with how he ran the ball tonight.”
Near the beginning of the fourth quarter the Mustangs got a big momentum shift when Tre Wilson intercepted a Kueser pass near the Iola 10-yard line. 
“I think once we started making a few plays here and there, it started swinging back in our favor. Once we started feeling confident that’s when things really started to turn over,” said Daugharthy. “We were the tougher team in the second half and we executed.”
A few plays later, Weide hit G. Skahan in the corner of the end zone which was followed by a Drayden Reiter two-point conversion run for the 21-14 fourth quarter Iola lead. 
Reiter was called upon again on the next offensive drive when he rushed in a touchdown from 29 yards out to put the final touches on a 28-14 victory.
