By RYAN STONEBRAKER
SHENANDOAH, Iowa — The chances of any Iowa high school football team going through the season unbeaten is small. Some may lose a game or two each year, early or late in the season, but most, if not 99.9-percent, of the schools in the state will suffer at least one loss. Last Friday, Mount Ayr took its first loss 55-22 to non-conference foe Shenandoah. The Raiders beat the Mustangs 26-14 last season. Mount Ayr will play their home opener and district opener Friday against Riverside.
“We battled, but we had a hard time slowing them down,” Mount Ayr coach Ryan Victor said. “We were beat up a little with injuries, it’s no excuse, but it was a different game than last week.”
The Mustangs scored the first points of the game with two touchdowns in the first quarter to lead 14-0. The second quarter saw Mount Ayr score its first points to get on the scoreboard with six points. Shenandoah, however, extended the lead to 34-6 by halftime with 20 second-quarter points.
The Raiders had their best quarter in the third scoring 16 points, out-scoring Shenandoah 16-14 in the third quarter. The Mustangs lead though was too much to overcome.
Mount Ayr had 293 yards of total offense in the game with 17 passing and 280 rushing yards respectively. Adler Reed, who was making his first start at quarterback this season, passed for 17 yards on three completions. He rushed for 99 yards on 16 carries and scored one touchdown. Dyson Thompson led the Raiders in rushing with 161 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns.
Victor said he was pleased with his team’s running game.
“We ran the football well in these first two games. I think we have something there,” he said.
Defensively, Mount Ayr was led in tackling by Reed with six, Nathan Roemer 5 and Bryson Martin 4.5. The Raiders had three tackles for loss with one each from three different players.
Shenandoah quarterback Joe O’Rourke passed for 153 yards on nine completions and had two touchdown passes. He also rushed for 108 yards on 12 carries and three touchdowns. Gabe Buttry led the Mustangs in rushing with 205 yards on 18 carries and three touchdowns. As a team, Shenandoah rushed for 351 yards and had six rushing touchdowns.
The Raiders will host Riverside on Friday for their district opening game. Both teams are 1-1 having each won in week 0 and lost in week 1. Riverside made the playoffs last year, but graduated all-everything running back Jaxon Gordon who is now playing football at Morningside College in Sioux City.
“We have some things we have to clean up and get to where we know we can be. It’s (district opener) going to be a dogfight,” said Victor about the Raiders game this Friday against Riverside.
Riverside quarterback Peyton Amdor has passed for 174 yards on 13 completions with one touchdown in the first two games. Amdor also has rushed for 65 yards on 13 carries and a pair of scores. Sophomore Mason Housers is the leading rusher with 109 yards on 25 carries and four touchdowns. Cole Jeppesen has also rushed for 89 yards and a touchdown. Jeppesen is the top receiver with six catches for 58 yards. Defensively, Riverside is led by Amdor and Grant Richardson with 11 tackles each.
Every school in Class A District 7 but Nodaway Valley has won a game going into week 2. SW Valley leads the district with a 2-0 record in non-conference games. ACGC, AHSTW and Riverside each have won a game.
Shenandoah 55,
Mount Ayr 22
Friday, August 28
At Shenandoah
1 2 3 4 Final
MA 0 6 16 0 22
S 14 20 14 7 55
Individual Statistics:
Passing: Mount Ayr – Adler Reed 3-for-7 17 yards 0 TD’s, 1 INT. Shenandoah – Joe O’Rourke 9-for-11 153 yards, 2 TD’s, 0 INT’s.
Rushing: Mount Ayr – Dyson Thompson 13-161; Adler Reed 16-99; Bryson Martin 7-23; Weston Adams 2-(-3); Trace Knapp 1-0. Shenandoah – Gabe Buttry 18-205, Joe O’Rourke 12-108, Nolan Meier 5-21, Lukus Major 2-17.
Receiving: Mount Ayr – Isac Dugan 2-12; Dyson Thompson 1-5. Shenandoah – Carter Sells 6-84, Gabe Buttry 2-46, Hunter Schebaum 1-23.
Tackles (Total):
Mount Ayr –
Shenandoah – Gabe Buttry 6, Hayden Roush 5.5, Charles Liles 4, William Berning 4, Carter Sells 4, Nick Berrier 3.5, Bowen Burdorf 2, Austin Reed 2, Michael Blane 2, Max Tompkins 1.5, Hunter Schebaum 1, Harley Wiley 1, Tyson Harris 0.5, Ryan Love 0.5, Duke Scott 0.5, Nolan Meier 0.5, Wyatt Liles 0.5, Landon Fuller 0.5, Declan Maher 0.5. Mount Ayr – Adler Reed 6, Nathan Roemer 5, Bryson Martin 4.5, Isac Dugan 4, Logan Worthington 3.5, Trace Knapp 3, Manny Hyde 3, Logan Mercer 2.5, Cordell Clemens 1.5, Drew Graham 1.5, Calvin Main 1, Tate Larson 0.5, Weston Drake 0.5.
Tackles For Loss: Mount Ayr – Isac Dugan 1, Bryson Martin 1, Logan Worthington 1. Shenandoah – Bowen Burdorf 0.5, Charles Liles 0.5.
Sacks: Mount Ayr – N/A. Shenandoah – Bowen Burdorf 0.5, Charles Liles 0.5.
Fumbles: Mount Ayr – none. Shenandoah – Charles Liles 1.
Interceptions: Mount Ayr – none. Shenandoah – Tyson Harris 1-0 yards.
Kicking Statistics:
Kick Returns: Mount Ayr – Bryson Martin 4-61, Isac Dugan 1-13. Shenandoah – Hayden Roush 2-28.
Punt Returns: Mount Ayr – none. Shenandoah – N/A.
Kick-Offs: Mount Ayr – Drew Graham 3-93 yards, Bryson Martin 2-23 yards. Shenandoah – Joe O’Rourke 9-225 yards.
Punting: Mount Ayr – isac Dugan 2-60 yards, 30.0-yard ave. Shenandoah – Joe O’Rourke 2-67 yards, 33.5-yard ave.
PAT’s: Mount Ayr – N/A. Shenandoah – 7-for-8
Two-Point Conversions: Mount Ayr – Adler Reed 2 Shenandoah – none.
Class A District 7
Team D7 Overall
SW Valley 0-0 2-0
AHSTW 0-0 1-0
AC/GC 0-0 1-0
Mount Ayr 0-0 1-1
Riverside 0-0 1-1
Nodaway Valley 0-0 0-1
Friday, August 21
SW Valley 35, Panorama 18
Riverside 56, Red Oak 6
AHSTW 30, Missouri Valley 7
Friday, August 28
Logan-Magnolia 26, AHSTW 20
ACGC 53, Panorama 7
SW Valley 34, Red Oak 7
Treynor 13, Riverside 7
West Central Valley 38, Nodaway Valley 0
Shenandoah 55, Mount Ayr 22