Mustangs Lose Season Opener
Strong first quarter not enough to hold off Salem in loss.
The Salem Tigers scored two touchdowns in the span of 18.6 seconds at end the first half and the start of the second half to spark the Tigers to a 26-6 win over McDonald County High School on Aug. 19 at MCHS.
It was the opening game of the 2016 high school football season for both teams.
McDonald County scored on their second possession of the game to take an early 6-0 lead, but could not find the end zone again, while Salem scored 26 unanswered points for the win.
“I thought everything we have done since Feb. 29 paid dividends in regards to the Crossfit football program,” said coach John Diehl after his first game to lead the Mustangs. “We are bigger, faster and stronger than we have ever been.”
Jake Will led the Mustangs on offense and defense in the first quarter. Will forced Salem quarterback Zak Eplin to fumble while sacking him for a 16-yard loss on a fourth and five to end the Tigers’
first possession. Elliott Wolfe recovered the loose ball on the McDonald County 46-yard line.
Quarterback Oakley Roessler was stopped for no gain on first down before Will went up the middle for 14 yards and a first down. Roessler then got free for 24 yards, giving the Mustangs a first down on the 15-yard line. On first down, Will again went through a big hole in the middle of the Tigers’ defense for the touchdown with 5:11 left in the first quarter. Peyton Barton’s pass for the two-point conversion was incomplete, leaving McDonald County with a 6-0 lead.
“We pretty much dominated the first quarter,” Diehl said. “We came out and took the ball and marched right down and put it in the end zone.”
Salem tied the game on the Tigers’ ensuing possession. Marching 68 yards in 10 plays, capped by Eplin’s 14-yard pass to J.J. McGowan with 1:13 left in the first quarter.
McDonald County’s next possession ended when Will was stopped for a five-yard loss when the Mustangs went for a first down on fourth and two near midfield.
It took Salem just four plays to take advantage of the good field position. After Eplin’s 19-yard run for an apparent touchdown was called back, the 6-0 senior quarterback hit Xavier Elwood with an 18-yard touchdown pass for his second TD of the game that gave Salem a 12-6 lead with 8:30 left in the first half.
Salem stretched its lead to 20-8 with a last minute touchdown to end the first half. The Tigers again took advantage of good field position after McDonald County failed to pick up a first down on a fourth-down attempt.
Taking over at its own 45-yard line with 48.5 seconds remaining in the half, Eplin ran for seven yards before hitting McGowan for 35 more to give the Tigers a first down at the McDonald County 3-yard line. Elwood covered those 3 yards on the next play. Jimmy Hobson ran the conversion to give Salem a 20-6 lead with 6.6 seconds left in the half.
The second half started as badly for the Mustangs as the first half ended. Elwood fielded the Mustangs kickoff on his own 18-yard line, then found a seam in the kick coverage for an 82-yard return for a touchdown . Just 12 seconds into the second half, Salem led 26-6.
“Right before halftime we had a letdown and that hurt us,” Diehl said. “We probably should have gone in 12-6 instead of 20-6. Coming out in the second half, we had a breakdown with our special teams and that hurt us. It still should have been 12-6 at that point.”
Neither team cracked the red zone for the rest of the game that included a combined seven punts and one turnover.
“Our defense in the second half made the adjustments it needed to make,” Diehl said. “Coach Sean McCullough (defensive coordinator) and his defensive staff did a fantastic job. Our kids have no quit in them. They could have easily folded the tents and just rolled over. But there was no roll over in any of them. They just kept fighting.”
McDonald County finished with 157 total yards, including 124 on the ground. Will finished with 50 yards on nine carries to lead the team, while Isrrael De Santiago added 42 yards on 10 carries and Roessler had 34 yards on 19 carries.
Barton was three for eight throwing the ball for 33 yards. Cole DelosSantos had two catches for 20 yards and Micah Burkholder had one catch for 13 yards.
Will finished with nine tackles and one caused fumble to lead the defense. Will Dean had seven tackles followed by DelosSantos with six, Roessler five, Trey Black and Wolfe four each.
Salem finished with 289 yards, 219 on the ground led by Eplin with 112 yards on 20 carries. Hobson added 72 yards on 12 carries and Elwood finished with 39 yards on eight carries. Eplin threw for 70 yards on three of nine passing. McGowan had two catches for 52 yards while Elwood had one for 18 yards.
Diehl said McDonald County will make a few changes for the Mustangs’ next game on Aug. 26 in Marshfield.
“Offensively, we are able to bring Peyton Barton along now (at quarterback),” Diehl said. “He went through an injury and is just now getting into game shape. Oakley (Roessler) will now go back to his real position at tailback and slot. With Barton we’re able to throw the ball and we will be more of 50/50 team and won’t be so predictable.
“I told Nick Martin (athletic director) this is a marathon and not a sprint. We are here for the long haul. We are going to get this thing turned around and build it the right way. I just want to say thank you to the people of McDonald County coming out and supporting us. It was fantastic to see the stands filled.”