After surviving the winds and unseasonable cold, the Friday night lights version of football for the Morrison Mustangs can only be defined as a “Night of Numbers.” The number that had a definite effect on play wasn’t the 45 degree temperatures, but the constant 20-30 mile an hour winds. The winds were relentless from the west, and that changed both team’s call selection. Throwing against the wind eliminated any long patterns, and throwing with the wind required restraint by the quarterback upon release.
The other number that looms big is the way that team possessions ended. Morrison owned the ball 11 times and turned the ball over on downs three times. They lost possession due to fumbles three times and punted four times, ending one drive with a score. The last snap of the game was when sophomore Dylan Keller connected with sophomore Grant Slater for a 76-yard touchdown.This ended a three week scoring drought for the Mustangs.
In contrast, the Bureau Valley Storm celebrated Homecoming by also having 11 possessions and turning the ball over via fumbles on three occasions. They scored on six of the remaining eight possessions.
The Storm’s offensive numbers paralleled the score, as they out-rushed the Mustangs 304 yards to 130 yards. They passed for 197 yards compared to the Mustangs’ 79–of which 76 were in the final play of the game. Bureau Valley’s Will Konneck accumulated 190 yards rushing including a 94-yard touchdown run. This followed a drive-ending, failed fourth down and two downs by the Mustangs.
The number of big plays had a significant part in the Storm’s success. They recorded ten plays gaining 15 or more yards; 256 of the 501 yards were wrapped in four plays. Konneck scored on runs of 94 and 30 yards. Freshman quarterback Drake Davis connected two 71–yard passes for touchdowns by Parker Neuhalfen and Tommy Johnston.
In contrast, the Mustangs only gained 15 or more yards on three plays for the evening. The 76-yard touchdown by Slater was accompanied by two runs by Andy Bird (15 and 26 yds) to complete the list of big offensive plays for Morrison.
The final numbers on the scoreboard were the most unpleasant of the evening. The Storm went to their Homecoming dance with a 45-6 victory over the Morrison Mustangs.
Regardless of the numbers mentioned above, it can’t go without being mentioned that this Morrison team is competing each Friday night with a low number of players, If there were a number to measure effort and commitment to playing a complete game to the best of their ability, they would score very high.