Mt. Pleasant faces road test

KNOXVILLE — Mt. Pleasant put on a strong defensive showing in its opening game of the 2025 season. The Panthers held Mediapolis to just two touchdowns in a 17-14 win.

The Panthers limited the Bulldogs to just 13 yards on the ground and had three takeaways to improve to 1-0 on the season. After getting a win in their home opener, they will look to carry that momentum on the road against Knoxville.

Mt. Pleasant and Knoxville will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Randy Wilson Track. Knoxville enters the game at 0-1 after a 56-21 loss to Centerville last Friday.

Defense was the story for Mt. Pleasant in Week 1. Along with its three forced turnovers, it tallied 27 tackles, including five for loss. Veterans Brody Clark and Max Sloat led the way with four and 3.5 tackles, respectively. Clark also had one of the Panthers two interceptions against the Bulldogs.

Despite the low score line, Mt. Pleasant quarterback Grayson Walker had a strong showing offensively in Week 1. Walker completed 10 of 16 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. The Panthers rushing attack combined for 85 yards and a touchdown courtesy of sophomore Griffen Jones. Their 47 rushing attempts after just one game is currently the second-most in Class 3A. They also have the most first down pickups (30) after one week of action.

Knoxville is looking for its first win in two games dating back to last season. It ended the 2024 campaign at 4-5 with a 1-4 mark in Class 3A Division 6, and finished tied for fourth place out of six teams.

Junior quarterback Roston McCarty had a solid outing for Knoxville in its first game. He completed 17 of 28 pass attempts for 185 yards and a pair of touchdowns. On the ground, Knoxville racked up 148 yards and a score as a team.

Defensively, junior Jackson Clarke had nine tackles, including two for loss against Centerville. Clarke led the way with 43.5 tackles for Knoxville as a sophomore last season.