March 28, 2024

Roadrunner speed too much for Raiders

Mount Ayr ends season at 5-4

MOUNT AYR — Mount Ayr had a good start going to Friday’s Class 1A District 5 game against Interstate 35.

The Raiders drove down to the Roadrunners 10-yard line, but the drive stalled. A field goal attempt missed and the Roadrunners took over.

Interstate 35 wasted little time capitalizing on its opportunity.

It set the tone for the rest of the game as Interstate 35 went on to a 27-12 victory in the season finale for both teams.

“We started off the game well,” said Mount Ayr co-coach Delwyn Showalter. “We drove the ball down the field, but we didn’t get any points. Unfortunately that became a little bit of a pattern.”

The Raiders had another drive deep into Roadrunner territory that stalled.

“That becomes frustrating,” Showalter said. “You start to lose a little bit of confidence.

Interstate 35’s offense took advantage of the missed opportunities. A couple of plays after the missed field goal, Roadrunners running back Mason Cassidy raced 72 yards down the field for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead.

The Raiders had trouble slowing down Cassidy and quarterback Brayden Egli.

Cassidy rushed for 180 yards on 26 carries.

Cassidy’s shiftyness made him tough for the Raider defenders to tackle.

“He can start and stop and he hits the hole so hard. He can change directions at full speed,” Showalter said. “We knew he was going to be that type of a runner. We tried to prepare for it.”

The Raiders couldn’t effectively simulate Cassidy in practice.

“If we had somebody that could’ve mimicked him, we would’ve played him,” Showalter said. “It wasn’t for a lack of trying. He’s a tough one.”

Egli was 12-of-17 for 180 yards and three touchdowns.

“They have a lot of speed,” Showalter said.

Mount Ayr struggled with Interstate 35’s speed on defense.

“They’ve got decent size. They’re not all that big, but they played quick,” Showalter said. “Quick defensive lines have given us trouble all year. We had difficulty on our counters and with some of those plays. We were able to get to the outside once in awhile, but not consistently. They were able to string it out, get us in the backfield.”

Interstate 35 pushed the lead to 13-0 later in the second quarter when Egli hit Tanner Daniels on a 19-yard pass.

The two connected with time winding down in the first half on a 12-yard strike to give the Roadrunners a 20-0 lead at halftime.

Mount Ayr struck first in the second half on an 8-yard Zach Murphy run. The extra-point kick was blocked, leaving Interstate 35’s lead at 20-6.

The Roadrunners went to the aerial game again as Egli found Richie Griglione on a 70-yard score. The extra point kick pushed the lead to 27-6 with 4:17 left in the third quarter.

Mount Ayr’s other score came when Murphy returned a blocked punt for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The two-point conversion failed, leaving the final margin.

Cal Daughton led the Raiders with 99 yards rushing. Brad Phelps had 77 yards.

Myles Greene was 3-of-10 passing for 45 yards. Marcus Daughton had a 32 yard reception.

Season Review — Mount Ayr finishes the season 5-4 overall and 3-4 in the district.

The Raiders overcame heavy graduation losses from last season to finish with a winning record.

“You talk about the progress we made this year,” Showalter said. “I don’t think anybody gave us a chance at five wins. To win five and play for number six and the number three spot in the district tells them a lot. I told them to remember how hard they worked to get to this point.”

Showalter credited the five seniors for their leadership this season.

“The seniors did a great job holding this team together,” Showalter said. “Our confidence was depleted about as far as it could go after Pella Christian and Plesantville. We came back with our two best weeks of practice, played two great games. A lot of senior leadership goes into that.”

The five seniors were Cal Daughton, Devin Russo, Mitchell Jennett, Clay Wimer and Kyler Martin.

“They’re a small group, but they’re just good kids. They’re hardworking,” Showalter said. “They’re kids you’d be glad to take home and claim as your own. They were fun to be around in practice, in the weight room. They’re really solid people and gave you everything they had on the football field.”

For the rest of the team, they learned plenty on the field this season.

“Our guys learned a lot about the kind of effort it takes to compete at a high level,” Showalter said. “We had so many people that didn’t have the experience of being on the varsity field at the beginning of the game. It’s easy to come in when you’re leading by four or five scores. Anybody can come in and function in that situation. When the game’s starting 0-0 and the other team’s fresh and you’re getting their best shot, that’s a different situation all together. That takes a different kind of effort. They learned that.”

The Raiders did win two of three coming down the stretch, building momentum for next season.

Now they know what they need to do for next season, starting in offseason workouts.

“What the guys need to do is spend a lot of time in the weight room, in speed and agilities, and not just give the time and effort, but giving their all in those sessions,” Showalter said.

“Certainly the experience we picked up this year is going to be valuable.”