Handling adversity was key Friday night.
In a constant rain, Iola High’s Mustangs kicked off the 2012 season with a 22-0 victory over visiting Cherryvale High’s Chargers.
It was the good, the bad and the ugly for a season opener at home.
Neither team had much offense in the first half. Iola led 2-0 at halftime.
The Mustang defense tackled Cherryvale’s Hunter Robinson in the end zone for the safety. Iola put the two points on the board with 7:26 left in the first quarter.
With the rain hitting Iola thanks to Hurricane Isaac, both teams had trouble holding onto the football. It became Fumble City on the Mustang field but Iola managed the wet weather better.
It’s a new team with a new attitude under a new head coach. Mustang head coach Doug Kerr talked about turning the Mustang football program around. The 2012 team took a first step Friday.
“The good was we overcame a lot of adversity in this weather. The kids didn’t let it get to them,” Kerr said. “We made mistakes but they didn’t get their heads down. That was huge for us.”
Kerr said the bad was that Iola had chances to put the game away early and just didn’t have that “umpf” to get it done. But the Mustangs kept working and got the job done in the second half.
For a brief time at the start of the third quarter, the rain let up. Yet another Charger fumble set up Iola’s first touchdown of the season. Alex Bauer recovered the football at the Iola 28-yard line at the 8:16 mark.
Mason Coons connected with Jacob Harrison on a 26-yard pass play. Then the Mustang offensive line opened a hole for John Whitworth.
Whitworth got through and kept his balance when he was almost tripped up. He scampered 42 yards to paydirt at the 7:24 mark. The extra-point kick failed but Iola led 8-0.
Even when the Chargers gathered a little momentum in the third quarter, the Mustang defense stepped up. The Chargers’ Jessie John intercepted a Coons’ pass and returned it to the Iola 35-yard line.
Drew Housel picked up nine yards on two carries. But a penalty and another fumble pushed the Chargers back. A fourth-down pass by Zach Trim was batted down by Iola’s Jacob Rhoads.
Three plays later, Whitworth got loose again for a 46 yard touchdown run. Isaias Macias kicked the extra point and Iola led 15-0 with 11:41 left in the game.
