Riverdale and Morrison took the field on Friday night, September 26, 2015, with both teams looking for their first win of the season. The officials’ persistence wouldn’t allow either team the opportunity to take command of the game. In total 32 penalties were flagged, with as many as three being called on one play, and each opposing coach received an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty. Despite the rash of penalties, the Morrison Mustangs were able to celebrate their first victory of the year, spoiling the Riverdale Homecoming with a 22-7 finale.
A beautiful full moon in a clear sky introduced the evening as the Mustangs received the opening kickoff. They gained two first downs before turning the ball over on downs at the Riverdale 35-yard line. The Rams went a quick three-and-out, and the Mustangs started their first scoring drive on their own 38-yard line. Combining the pass and run, the Mustangs moved to the Riverdale 48, where Andy Bird picked up a mishandled snap and gained 12 yards to the 36. Quarterback Dylan Keller connected with Joey Brackemyer for a 32-yard touchdown, but the officials called a Mustang for an illegal block in the back, to nullify the score. Two snaps later the duo connected again, and this TD counted to give Morrison the opening lead 6-0. A two-point conversion was earned on a fake kick and a complete pass from Ryan VanZuiden to Merik Kennedy, to make it 8-0 with 1:36 remaining in the first period.
Riverdale took the ensuing kickoff into the second quarter and marched 80 yards with 11 running plays and three penalties. With 7:13 remaining in the half, the Mustang lead shrank to 8-7. Morrison owned the ball for two possessions that both ended in Justin Jenson punts. Homecoming halftime festivities began with Morrison holding onto a one point lead, 8-7.
Riverdale went three-and-out on the initial possession of the second half, and the Mustangs started their drive following a penalty on the Riverdale 43-yard line. Pass completions of 34 and 16 yards to Brackemyer put the ball on the 14-yard line. A fumbled handoff between Keller and VanZuiden was recovered by the Rams’ Wyatt Kinkade, stopping the Mustang progress on the Riverdale 13-yard line. Five consecutive carries by Braydon Pridemore moved the line of scrimmage to the Morrison 42-yard line. The Mustang defense forced a fourth-down punt, which was caught by Bird at the 20 and returned to the 39-yard line. Two snaps and a penalty later, Cody Southern cut back over left tackle for a 35-yard gain to the 10-yard line. Bird finished the scoring drive on the next play with only 18.3 seconds left in the third quarter. The extra point failed, and Morrison led 14-7. The quarter ended following two penalties on the kickoff.
The Rams started the final quarter on their own 39-yard line. Two incomplete passes and three more yellow flags forced the Rams to punt with 10:25 remaining in the game. Bird watched the punt bounce a couple times, scooped it up, and ran the left sideline for a 61-yard touchdown; the score expanded to 22-7 with 10:18 remaining. The ensuing possession by Riverdale featured a pass completion from Allen Pratt to Andrew Goodwin for a short gain, but Goodwin’s helmet was knocked off by contact. Morrison was flagged twice for making contact after the helmet was off and later added an Unsportsmanlike penalty to end the fiasco. Riverdale eventually turned the ball over on downs with 6:41 left to play. Morrison went three-and-out. Riverdale had one last attempt to move the ball but failed after six snaps, and Morrison took over possession on the 35-yard line with 2:33 remaining. Bird gained eight yards, and VanZuiden rounded the left end with a 23-yard scamper. With first-and-goal on the 7-yard line, the Mustangs kneed out three snaps to take home a 22-7 victory.
The Mustangs will return home for the Hall of Fame game on Friday, October 2, with the Fresh-Soph game beginning at 5:30 p.m.