Quarterback Cole Martin and his convoy of blockers delivered the goods Friday night as McDonald County hauled away a pivotal Big 8 West victory.
Martin rushed for 215 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries and threw for 187 yards and two scores, helping the visiting Mustangs edge Nevada 39-34 on Friday night at Logan Field.
McDonald County won its fifth straight, seizing sole possession of second place in the West at 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the league. The Mustangs are also second in District 6 standings with the playoffs drawing near.
"I'm proud of how our kids kept fighting all night," coach Kellen Hoover said. "It was a gritty win. Both teams were like boxers throwing punches. That's a really good football team."
The squads traded haymakers, but McDonald County had the most consistent playmaker -- Martin. His signature play, a draw that lets the senior scan the field before choosing a running lane, struck gold time and again.
"He's back there for a reason," Hoover said of Martin's decision-making ability. "So much of it is based on alignment. We've got six linemen in there that we feel like can open up some things."
The convoy -- right tackle Jayce Hitt, right guard Garrett Gricks, center Junior Eliam, left guard Toby Moore, left tackle Ivan Serna and H-back Logan Harriman -- controlled the line of scrimmage, giving Martin the time he needed.
The Mustangs' offensive fireworks weren't limited to Martin. Colton Ruddick had two receptions for 71 yards and two TDs, and Destyn Dowd added scoring runs of 7 and 5 yards. Five players caught at least two passes each. Levi Malone pulled in four for 34 yards, and Pierce Harmon had two for 33.
The Tigers (6-2, 4-2), who entered ranked ninth in Class 4, featured heralded wingback Avious Steadman. Steadman showed breakaway moves, rambling for 217 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries.
"He got a couple of plays on us," Hoover said.
But the Mustangs stopped Steadman inside the 10 in the final seconds of the opening half. Nevada failed to score at that key juncture, and McDonald County led 13-12 at halftime.
"That was a huge series right there before the end of the first half," Hoover said. "That kind of gave us a boost, showed us we could stop those guys on short yardage."
Jared Mora intercepted two passes for a defense that rose to the challenge when it mattered most.
"The couple of turnovers we forced were really big plays," Hoover said.
McDonald County struck first, marching 67 yards. Harmon's leaping 14-yard grab on third-and-9 kept the drive going. On the next play, Martin hit Ruddick in stride for a 34-yard touchdown, making it 6-0 at the 7:40 mark of the first quarter.
Nevada quarterback Cade Beshore and Case Sanderson connected on a 74-yard TD toss, quickly tying the score.
Martin's 30-yard touchdown burst on fourth-and-1, plus Mora's PAT, put the Mustangs ahead 13-6.
Steadman's 59-yard dash pulled the Tigers within 13-12, but the try for two failed.
The scoring pace accelerated after the intermission break.
A Steadman 4-yard TD and two-point run gave Nevada its only lead at 20-13 early in the third quarter.
McDonald County responded with 14 unanswered points -- on a Dowd run, Martin's 37-yard pass to Ruddick and two Mora kicks -- to seemingly take momentum. But Steadman struck, this time with a 69-yard scamper. The Mustangs foiled the two-point play and led 27-26 at the end of three.
"Our defense made a lot of big plays to help us out as an offense," Hoover said.
Dowd's second TD, from 5 yards out, provided breathing room at 33-26. The PAT kick went awry.
McDonald County forced a punt, and Martin's 11-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-5 made it 39-26 with six minutes left.
Mora's second interception came moments later, essentially sealing the win.
Nevada got a TD and two-point conversion with 1:02 remaining in the game. But the Mustangs recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
