The Iola Mustangs will be trying to jump-start a winning streak on Friday when they welcome Burlington to the unfriendly, hopefully, confines of Riverside Park.
The Mustangs will be looking to build momentum after a 20-14 win in Osawatomie last week and move a game closer to coach Doug Kerr’s goal of an undefeated October and district season.
In order to accomplish that goal, the Mustangs will need to find a way to limit the Wildcats’ top offensive playmaker Connor Jeffers — No. 10 — in the running game.
Jeffers plays tailback and has run the ball twice as many times this season as his next closest teammate. The junior has 106 carries this season with 530 yards and eight touchdowns.
“We run the single-wing offense so he lines up at tailback, but in a traditional offense, he’s our quarterback,” Burlington first-year coach John Petrie said.
The single-wing is a new offense for Burlington this season, but Petrie says his players have really adjusted well.
“It is all new,” Petrie said. “The first two games out of the chute, we had quite a few hiccups, but we really got rolling to win three straight before hitting a buzz saw last week against Rossville. We are looking to bounce back this week.”
If Iola is able to take a lead early, they must also be prepared for Jeffers to throw the ball, even if Petrie would prefer to just keep it on the ground.
“We are definitely a run-first offense,” Petrie said. “Jeffers is doing a great job for us and really becoming a team leader.”
In six games, Jeffers has only completed 11 of 34 passes, but four of those have gone for touchdowns and he has only thrown one interception with 258 yards.
“He has learned so much,” Petrie said of Jeffers. “We are still learning each other and what we are capable of, but so far things are pretty good.”
When Jeffers does throw the ball, the odds are pretty good that he will be targeting big-play receiver Garrison Fielder. The junior has four catches this season for 131 yards to lead the team in both categories and is averaging over 32 yards per reception.
This may be a game where Kerr and his coaching staff decide to have Mustang junior cornerback Isaac Vink shadow the Burlington playmaker.
The team’s No. 2 cornerback Caden Knavel was injured against Osawatomie last week and struggled in coverage after the injury.
For the Mustangs’ offense, they will look to get off to a fast start like they did last week against the Trojans.
Vink emerged last week to provided quarterback Ben Cooper with a solid third option in the passing game to go with junior Ethan Holloway and senior Joey Zimmerman, but in order for the offense to have success against Burlington, Iola must get their dynamic duo of sophomore running backs established early and often.
