By Jerry Lindsey
Homecoming is all about fun activities, spirit building pep sessions, fun daily themes and a Friday night under the lights prior to a Saturday night crowning and dance. Homecoming 2013 held an extra element; the Mustangs were hosting the fourth ranked Class 2A team in the state of Illinois and worked hard all week on a game plan to stop the Rockets from Rockridge.
Rockridge won the coin toss and elected to receive the kickoff when Ron Kuehl belted out the “Let’s get ready to rumble” chant. The excitement peeked and the ball was received by Rocket junior Luke Johnson on the 18-yard line. Johnson bolted straight up field and cut to the Morrison sideline at about midfield and outran everyone down the sideline for an 82-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and within 13 seconds, the Mustangs were down 6-0. That disappointing start set the tone for the evening as the Rockets blasted by the Mustangs recording seven rushing plays over 17-yards and four passing completion exceeding 19-yards each to crush the Mustangs 41-7.
The opening play for the Mustangs saw the snap go over quarterback Mason Sitzmore’s head for a 14-yard loss before Sitzmore scrambled on the next play for a 22-yard gain on a play that would be the longest rushing gain of the evening as the Mustangs never had a rushing play in double digits the remainder of the evening.
Following a Morrison punt, the highly touted Rockets needed ten plays to penetrate the Morrison end zone again at the 4:42 mark of the quarter. The 63-yard drive was highlighted by a 30-yard quarterback keeper up the middle by Darren Southwell. The Mustangs followed with a three and out and the Rockets retained ownership and finished the quarter on the Mustangs 19-yard line.The score moved to 18-0 on the first snap of the second quarter when Southwell connected with Johnson for a 19-yard pass completion in the end zone.
The Mustangs offense was controlled by the Rockets as the ground gain struggled and the only play that showed promise was the short pass in the flat from Sitzmore to Ryan Mayberry that was completed four times throughout the game. Andy Bird grabbed a ten-yard aerial toward the end of the half that accounted for the longest pass completion of the game for the Mustangs.
The Rockets ran the score to 28-0 with a drive that featured runs of ten and eighteen yards and pass completions of thirty and twenty-four yards and the Mustangs entered the halftime locker-room down 28-0. The halftime stats were as one-sided as the score with the Mustangs gaining only 22 yards on the ground compared to the Rockridge’s 118 yards plus the 82-yard kickoff return.
The second half was much like the first as the Mustangs offense couldn’t get untracked and only gained one first down the entire quarter. the Rockets only owned possession of the ball for five plays in the third period but were able to cross the end line twice as the Southwell penetrated the defense for a 46-yard jaunt before McManus ran nine for a score and the duo did it again on their second possession with Southwell gaining seventeen yards before McManus scored on a 45-yard charge up the middle and the quarter ended at 41-0.
The final period was played under the ‘mercy rule’ which allows the clock to run continuously, but the Mustangs generated a drive that ate the entire time of the fourth quarter and ended with a 5-yard touchdown by Andy Bird to avoid the shutout and end the evening with the scoreboard reading 41-7.
As one would expect, the stats reinforced the dominance of the Rockets and inked Southwell averaging 11.6 yards per carry to gain 151 yards and McManus averaging 17.2 yards per carry and a total of 86 yards.
The Mustangs will have a week to recoup before hosting the Erie-Prophetstown Panthers at E.M. Bud Cole Field next Friday, October 18, 2013.