2007 Year in Review

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Mustangs

Mustangs Ranked First in Class 2A

by Jerry Lindsey

The Morrison Mustangs entered “Bud” Cole Field Friday evening with a new mission assigned. Not only did they have to protect their undefeated conference record, they had to defend the honor of being the number one ranked team in Class 2A in the State of Illinois.

The Mustangs came out and made it very clear that the ranking and undefeated record are only numbers and that they are a team that takes the ”Friday Night Lights” very seriously. After kicking off to Riverdale and forcing a punt on the first possession, the offense needed only a short run by Matt Proud, a 34 yard pass completion from Nate Vandermyde to Derek Ward, and a 9 yard run by Nate McBride to get on the scoreboard. Christoph Erber added the point after and the score was 7-0 at the 7:57 mark.

The Ram’s next possession produced one first down before a penalty and a quarterback sack by Ethan Goodenough forced the Rams to the air and Derek Ward was the unintended receiver and returned the interception to the Morrison 30 yard line. McBride and Proud alternated carries down to the 4 yard line where Tyler Hayes took it in for the score. Erber did this thing and the score was 14 -0 with 3:36 left in the first quarter.

The passing game failed for the Rams on their next opportunity when Jason Smith intercepted on the 20 yard line and returned it back to the Rams 48 and the ‘Stangs were positioned to strike again. Immediately, the ball was put back into the air and again Jason Smith was the receiver, but this time it counted for a Morrison touchdown of 48 yards and with 11:51 left in the quarter Morrison now lead 27-0.

Riverdale’s next possession was stalled by penalties and good defensive penetration by Clint Shepard and the Ram’s Kyle Lonergan punted a towering drive into the end zone for a touchback. Starting on their own 20 yard line didn’t bother the Mustangs as the offensive line cleared a hole for Nate McBride and he was off on an 80 yard touchdown scamper and the score edged up to 27-0 after an Erber conversion of the extra point.

The ensuing kickoff quieted the home crowd as Kyle Lonergan returned the kick up the middle for an 81 yard touchdown and gave the Rams hope. Following the extra point the Riverdale crowd was loud again as Tyler Hayes coughed up the kickoff return after a 28 yard run and the fumble was recovered on the Riverdale 42 yard line.

Luke Coors was caught for a loss by Goodenough and he then threw two incomplete passes and the mini-insurgence by the Rams was over. A failure to convert on fourth down gave the Mustangs the ball on their own 34 yard line. Runs by Proud and McBride sandwiched a 34 yard pass completion to Dustin Jones and they were third and goal on the one yard line. The next snap was fumbled by Nate Vandermyde but he was able to recover it in the end zone for a “well-designed” six points. Erber converted and the score was 34-7with 3:03 left in the first half.

Again the Rams were stopped by their own hands when Clint Shepard recovered a Ram fumble on the 41 yard line. Runs by McBride (8 yards), Proud (13 yards) and Hayes (9 yards) set up the 11 yard touchdown jaunt by McBride with only 26 seconds left in the half. Erber’s kick went wide right and the halftime score was Morrison 40 and Riverdale 7.

The momentum stayed with the Mustangs as the second half kick-off was received by Hayes and returned to the 33 yard line. Using the skills of all three Morrison running backs, the ball was carried down to the Riverdale 14 yard line where Nate McBride carried it in for his third touchdown of the evening.
Erber converted to invoke the ‘mercy clock’ with 8:19 remaining in the third quarter. Score 47-7.

With the clock constantly moving the Rams only held possession of the ball three more times is the second half. Two possessions ended in punts and the third stalled when a fumble was recovered by Dustin Jones and the Rams were never to see the offensive side of the ball again.

Allen Jensen, Brian Suarez and Nick Wiebenga alternated carries as the Mustangs ran the clock out and left the field with all records and rankings unblemished with a 47-7 victory.

The Morrison Ponies were defeated by the Rams earlier in the evening by an unusual score of 6-4.

Both the Ponies and the Mustangs continue their schedule next Friday (Sept. 14) with a 5:30 kick-off at River Valley.

Photo Album

by dzuidema
2007-09-10 21:13:44