Iola High’s Mustangs are looking for some hardware Friday.
If Iola can knock off host Wellsville High, it effectively will clinch a Pioneer League championship in the Mustangs’ first year in the new league.
“We’ve talked about it a lot this week in practice,” Mustang head coach Doug Kerr said, noting Iola hasn’t won a league title in football since topping the Southeast Kansas League standings in 1988.
“We want that hardware,” he said. “We want that trophy. We want to put that patch on our letter jackets.”
In order to accomplish this, the Mustangs must contend with an up-and-coming Wellsville squad that lost a large number of seniors last year to graduation, then struggled early this season as newcomers eventually adapted to varsity play.
“But they’ve found their sea legs, so to speak, and they’ve played a lot better as the season has gone along,” Kerr said. “They’ve definitely picked a good time to play good football.”
The Eagles stand at 2-3 overall, having won two straight after dropping their first three contests of the season. They stand at 2-1 in Pioneer League.
The Mustangs are 4-1 overall and 3-0 in league action.
The key to victory is stopping Wellsville’s running attack, Kerr said.
“They like to control the clock with their running game,” Kerr said. “With limited possessions, we’ve got to be efficient when we’re on offense.”
The Mustangs must prevent the big play — much like they’ve done in their 4-1 start — and eliminate penalties and turnovers on offense, Kerr said. A “bend, but don’t break” approach has served Iola well so far, Kerr said.
Maintaining a balanced offensive attack won’t hurt, either. The Mustangs opened the season relying on the run, then turned to the pass in recent weeks as opposing defenses crowded the line of scrimmage.
“I think we’ve surprised our last couple opponents with our passing game,” Kerr said. “Mason Coons (senior quarterback) has done a good job of spreading the ball around to our receivers.”
AFTER FRIDAY, Iola can focus its full attention on Class 4A District 6 play, which will determine which schools qualify for postseason playoffs. The Mustangs host Fort Scott, a former Southeast Kansas League foe, Oct. 12 to start districts.
Coincidentally, it may have been Iola’s lone defeat earlier this year at the hands of another former SEK foe, a 40-20 loss to Coffeyville, that has attributed to the team’s otherwise spotless record.
Morale improved after the young Mustang team battled toe-to-toe with the state-ranked Golden Tornado, Kerr said. “That score was rather deceptive,” he noted.
