While district play hasn’t yet started, and Iola High isn’t even assured of a Pioneer League championship, Friday’s 38-20 win over Wellsville was “a big step forward for our program,” head coach Doug Kerr said. THE TEAMS traded punts in the first quarter until McIntosh found Adam Kauth on a short pass on fourth down midway through the period. Kauth rambled 42 yards for the touchdown and a 7-0 lead. WITH THE win, Iola moves back into a first-place tie in the Pioneer League standings at 3-1 (4-2 overall). The loss was the first in league play for Wellsville (3-1). Central Heights dropped to 2-2 in league play with its 18-14 loss to Prairie View Friday.
Still smarting from a somewhat surprising 28-7 loss to Central Heights a week earlier, Iola took control defensively early on, then rode a tide of big plays and huge momentum swings to pull away in the second half.
“We took a bad loss, but we didn’t let it fester and become two losses,” Kerr said. “That’s a huge testament to our kids, our program, and our town.”
The victory wasn’t as easy as the score might indicate.
Iola led 10-0 at halftime before Wellsville chewed up almost eight minutes of possession to start the third quarter. But Iola’s Kaden Macha tripped up Eagle quarterback Shamus Kearney a yard shy of the first down marker on a fourth-and-two play at the Mustang 19.
The stop triggered an avalanche of fun over the next 1 1/2 quarters.
John Whitworth took the ball on the next play from scrimmage 81 yards to paydirt to up the lead to 17-0, before Wellsville’s Brett Osbern returned the favor on a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to cut the Eagle deficit back to 10.
Iola’s Kaden Macha scored on a 3-yard run late in the third to push the lead back to 24-7, and the Mustangs thought they had Wellsville stopped on its next possession. Kerr called timeout with 2 seconds left in the period in order to force the Eagles to punt into the gusty southeast wind.
Instead, Wellsville went for it on fourth down, and Landyn Holtwick blasted around the end and went untouched for a 67-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 24-14. Even more troublesome, Iola’s Bryce Misenhelter was ejected from the game on the play for stepping on a Wellsville player as Osbern raced to the end zone.
Wellsville forced a Mustang punt, and looked to be in business at midfield when Iola’s Trent Latta and Whitworth combined on the biggest defensive play of the game. Latta’s solo tackle jarred the ball from Osbern on a first-down run, and Whitworth was on the ball in an instant.
First down, Mustangs.
Latta was on the receiving end of a key, 17-yard pass from Tyler McIntosh three plays later to set Iola up at the Wellsville 11. Macha scored on a one-yard keeper to push the lead to 31-14.
Mustang senior Cody Conner snuffed Wellsville’s next drive with an interception at midfield, leading to Latta’s second key catch of the half, a 19-yard touchdown strike from McIntosh to put the game out of reach.
McIntosh was 8 of 10 passing for 120 yards and two touchdowns in a nice comeback game from last week’s three-interception performance. One of his incompletions bounced through a receiver’s hands, and the other was just a shade too far out of bounds for Latta to catch.
“I’m proud of how Tyler bounced back,” Kerr said. “You could tell he was a little tenuous with his passes early on, but he really started to trust his receivers and made some nice throws.”
Isaias Macias pushed the lead to 10-0 in the second quarter on a 37-yard field goal — into the wind, no less.
Meanwhile, Iola’s defense was downright stifling over the first two quarters. The Mustangs held Wellsville to 32 yards of total offense before halftime and only three first downs.
Iola escaped trouble at the end of the half, when a short punt with 2 seconds left allowed Wellsville to lob a pass downfield that drew a pass interference penalty with no time left on the clock. Kearney’s pass to the end zone was just wide of the target to keep Wellsville scoreless at the half.
A slight adjustment in strategy at intermission helped pave the way for Iola’s second-half fireworks.
With Wellsville’s aggressive defenders plugging the gaps at seemingly ever turn, Iola called more cutbacks and counter plays, including Whitworth’s 81-yard score. Kauth also was able to gouge the Eagle defense for 35 and 12 yards.
The Mustangs rushed for 222 yards in the contest, led by Whitworth’s 102 yards on nine carries. Kauth carried three times for 48 yards, while Brice Aiello had 33 yards on eight carries.
Shane Walden led the defense with eight tackles, followed by Latta with seven stops and a forced fumble. Kaden Macha also had seven tackles. Conner had a pick, and Whitworth the key fumble recovery.
Holtwick’s 89 yards on four carries paced Wellsville. Kearney was 6 of 13 passing for 41 yards and a pick.
But any hopes for a postseason berth will hinge on the next three weeks as Iola opens Class 4A, District 6 play at Chanute next Friday. After that is a trip to Fort Scott before the regular season ends on Halloween night at home against Anderson County.
“It certainly doesn’t get any easier,” Kerr said.
Iola 38, Wellsville 20
Wellsville 0-0-14-6
Iola 7-3-14-14
Iola — Kauth 42 yd catch from McIntosh (Macias kick)
Iola — Macias 37 yd field goal
Iola — Whitworth 81 yd run (Macias kick)
Wellsville — Osbern 95 yd kickoff return (kick good)
Iola — Macha 3 yd run (Macias kick)
Wesllville — Holtwick 65 yd run (kick good)
Iola — Macha 1 yd run (Macias kick)
Iola — Latta 19 yd catch from McIntosh (Macais kick)
Wellsville Iola
First Downs 5 11
Rushes-yds 37-202 43-222
Passing yds 41 120
Total offense 243 342
Passing 6-13-1 8-13-0
Fumbles-lost 1-1 1-0
Punts/avg 2/33 3/26
Penalties 3-14 5-43
Individual leaders
Rushing: Iola — Whitworth, 9-102; Kauth, 3-48; Aiello, 8-33; Macha, 10-28; Walden, 3-20; Rhoads, 6-10; McIntosh, 3-(minus-4). Wellsville — Holtwick, 4-85; Meyer, 12-47; Osbern, 14-40; Kearney, 10-27; Silby, 1-3.
Passing: Iola — McIntosh, 8-10-120 yards-1 TD. Wellsville —Kearney, 6-13-41 yds-1 Int.
Receiving: Iola — Latta, 3-67, Kauth, 2-48, Rhoads, 2-(minus-1). Wellsville — Silsby, 3-41; Breithaupt, 1-3; Osbern, 1-(minus-3).
Mustangs give Wellsville the boot, 38-20
