The McDonald County High School football team was ready for the rain.
Switching back to last year's offense that featured a power running game with two tight ends from this year's spread offense, the Mustangs used three yards and a cloud of Oakley Roessler to beat the Nevada Tigers, 42-20, in its annual homecoming game held Sept. 21 at MCHS.
Roessler, running behind an offensive line of Will Gordon, Kaidan Campbell, Tanner Harnar, Tryston Leach and Elliott Wolfe and tight ends Rendon Lane and Brennon White, carried 39 times for 279 yards and five touchdowns.
"We kind of just got into a little bit of 'ground and pound'," said coach Kellen Hoover. "We said, 'We are going to take the weather out of the equation' -- a lesson learned from East Newton or at least the early part of East Newton where we tried to get back there and run some of our spread. We jumped into our double tight-I (formation) and told our offensive line and Joe (fullback Joe Brown) and Oakley we were going to rely on the ground game. We haven't asked a lot from the tight ends all year, but they just stepped up to the plate and hit a home run tonight."
Nevada appeared to get on the scoreboard on the first play of the game, but a 59-yard touchdown run by sophomore Kaden Denny was called back due to a holding penalty, the first of three long touchdowns by the Tigers called back due to penalties.
Nevada overcame the penalty and marched inside the Mustangs' 30-yard line, but the drive stalled after a 26-yard touchdown by Jaren Powrie on fourth-and-10 was called back.
The teams traded punts before the Mustangs marched 75 yards in 11 plays, capped by a three-yard touchdown by Roessler and Dylan Allison's first of six extra points, to take a 7-0 lead.
Junior Teriek recovered a fumble on a punt to set up Roessler's second TD, a 25-yard run early in the second quarter. Zack Woods then recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, setting up a 40-yard touchdown drive, with Roessler scoring his third touchdown, this one from eight yards out.
Trent Alik recovered a fumble for the Tiger third turnover on three consecutive possessions, giving McDonald County the ball on the Nevada 36-yard line. Joe Brown gave McDonald County a 28-0 halftime lead with a two-yard run with just over a minute to halftime.
Nevada opened the second half by recovering a Mustang fumble and going 40 yards to cut the lead to 28-6. McDonald County answered with a 56-yard drive capped by a Roessler one-yard run to stretch the lead to 35-6.
Nolan Baisch then got into the fumble recovery act, giving McDonald County the ball on the Nevada seven-yard line. A Ben Mora to Joe Brown touchdown pass from the four-yard line was called back before Roessler scored McDonald County's final touchdown to make the score 42-6 with 5:16 left in the third quarter.
The Tigers scored on their next two possessions, to cut the lead to 42-20, but McDonald County was able to run out the clock with the help of an Oscar Ortiz interception to end one Nevada threat.
"It was really just a good team effort," Hoover said. "The defense played extremely well the first half, and our special teams put together their best effort of the year. Our gunners on the punt team (Teriek and Alik) do a fantastic job getting downfield and getting into the returner's face. Dylan hit six extra points and we also asked him to take on kicking duties the past two weeks and he has done exactly what we have asked every time."
Brown added 38 yards on 15 carries, while Mora threw three times, completing one pass for seven yards.
Lane led the defensive charts with eight solo tackles and four assists. Alik and Brown had six solo tackles, while Ortiz had two interceptions to go along with the four fumble recoveries by the Mustangs.
Powrie carried 19 times for 103 yards, while Denney added 98 yards on 13 carries to lead the Tigers. Nevada finished with 244 total yards, including just four yards through the air.
McDonald County improves to 3-2 heading into its Sept. 28 game at Cassville. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Sports on 09/27/2018