Earning a 10th week

MOUNT AYR – A 43-14 win over AC/GC on Senior Night left Mount Ayr anxiously scoreboard watching to see if its 7-2 record would be good enough to get the Raiders into the postseason.

By around 12:50 a.m. Saturday morning, Mount Ayr knew it would be playing a 10th game this season, traveling to Truro to take on Interstate 35 (9-0) on Friday to open up the postseason.

It’ll be the second time this year the Raiders will square off with the Roadrunners after falling 28-13 to I-35 back on Aug. 31.

“It would mean a lot for these seniors,” said co-head coach Derek Lambert said postgame before knowing if Mount Ayr would be in the postseason. “To turn around from a 3-6 to 7-2, that’s definitely not the coaches. That’s our seniors that have put us in that position.

“Maybe not just play in the postseason, but maybe make some noise because we are really playing probably the best football we’ve played all season,” added Lambert.

The trip to the playoffs will be Mount Ayr’s first since 2015, meaning the seniors are in for the second time in their four-year career.

Mount Ayr didn’t wait around Friday night to get the scoring going as senior kick returner Hunter Haveman bolted 88 yards through a huge hole on the opening kickoff for a touchdown.

It was Haveman’s fourth kickoff return for a touchdown this season.

“I’m questioning why people kick to Hunter,” said Lambert. “He’s got unbelievable speed and makes people miss ... Kudos to our special teams.”

“That was quick that was a big hole,” said Haveman.

A 2-point conversion gave the Raiders an 8-0 lead, which they added onto late in the first quarter as Keelan Klommhaus ran for one of his two touchdowns on a 57-yard carry for a score.

Klommhaus ended the night with 141 yards rushing and two touchdowns as the second rushing TD came came in the second quarter on a 45-yard touchdown run.

Another senior, Myles Greene, got involved in the scoring in the third quarter on a 5-yard run that gave the Raiders a 36-6 lead.

Payton Weehler was responsible for the other two scores, the first on a 1-yard quarterback dive up the middle in the second quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Weehler hit Hauge in the numbers with a 4-yard pass that gave Mount Ayr its final score in the fourth quarter.

Weehler was 13-of-26 passing for 151 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

Defensively, the Raiders battled with the Chargers’ varying looks at the line as AC/GC ran for 277 yards on 54 carries. AC/GC only attempted two passes in the contest.

Ben Kingery did a majority of the damage for the Chargers as has been the case all season, rumbling for 159 yards and the lone two AC/GC scores.

“We knew they were going to run the football 99 percent of the time ... I think coach Dan (Showalter) and coach Delwyn (Showalter) do a great job of preparing our defense for what they’re going to see,” said Lambert. “They just fly to the football and make plays.”

Lambert hopes that the senior leaders will continue to push the Raiders forward as Mount Ayr preps for the postseason.

“They lead by example. They do everything as hard as they can. They put their heart into everything they do and it’s a lot of fun to coach them,” said Lambert.

The Raiders have shuffled players all over the line as running backs hold down the right and left guard positions and a wide receiver is playing right tackle.

“It’d be huge. From last season to this season, it’s a big change,” said Greene. “Even if we don’t, 7-2 is a big change.”

Greene and the rest of the Raiders wont have to spend this week thinking about the ‘if’ as the Raiders punched their ticket.

UP NEXT – Mount Ayr (7-2) heads to Truro to take on Interstate 35. A preview for that game can be found in Thursday’s edition of the News Advertiser this week.

Mount Ayr 43, AC/GC 14

ACGC 0 6 0 8 - 14

MA 15 14 7 7 - 43

1st quarter

MA – Hunter Haveman 88 kick return (2-point conversion), 11:46

MA – Keelan Klommhaus 57 run (Greene kick), 1:16.

2nd quarter

MA – Payton Weehler 1 run (Greene kick), 9:37

ACGC – Ben Kingery 1 run (2-point fail), 8:00

MA – Ke. Klommhaus 45 run (Greene kick), 6:57

3rd quarter

MA – Greene 5 run (Green kick), 6:00

4th quarter

MA – Nathan Hauge 4 from Weehler (Greene kick), 8:12

ACGC –

Individual leaders

Rushing: MA – Keelan Klommhaus 5-141 and 2 TDs; Payton Weehler 9-36 and a TD; Kolben Klommhaus 2-15; Myles Greene 2-15 and a TD; Jace Grose 1-8; Isaac Grose 1-3; Reas Knapp 4-2; Dawson Swank 3-2; Austin Cole 1-1.

Passing: MA – Weehler 13-26-2 for 151 yards and a TD.

Receiving: MA – Dawson Frost 4-64; Cade Clymer 3-48; Ko. Klommhaus 2-15; Knapp 1-12; Cyden Lambert 2-12; Nathan Hauge 1-4 and a TD; I. Grose 1-1.

Tackles (solo-assists): MA – Reas Knapp 6-9; I. Grose 4-8; John Shields 5-4; Ke. Klommhaus 2-9; Drew Willis 4-4; Hunter Haveman 1-7; Rhett Larson 0-6; Swank 1-4; Weehler 1-2; Trae Ehlen 1-2; Connor Eaton 1-1; Hauge 1-1; Ko. Klommhaus 1-1; Seth Shelman 0-3; Swank 1-1; Frost 0-2; Greene 0-2; J. Grose 1-0; Noah Shelman 0-2; Andrew Belzer 0-1; Austin Cole 0-1; Erik Trujilo 0-1.

Fumble recoveries: MA – John Shields 2.

Punts-avg: MA – Frost 1-30.