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Another barricade gone for MP football
Panthers win first home game since 2020, move to 2-0
MT. PLEASANT — One thousand, four hundred and twenty seven. That’s how many days it had been since the last home win for the Mt. Pleasant football team, leading into its matchup Friday night against Tipton.
But just like the overall losing streak broken two weeks earlier in Fairfield, the Panthers’ hometown woes finally came to an end. Mt. Pleasant knocked off previously 2-0 Tipton 33-24 to move to 2-1 for the first time since 2020.
“I know they worked their butt off,” said Mt. Pleasant head coach John Bowlin. “They deserved it.”
The Panthers went down 3-0 after a field goal on Tipton’s first drive, but controlled most of the first half. Mt. Pleasant would score the next 19 points, including a safety, a field goal, and two rushing touchdowns from junior back Cooper Coleman.
“The line worked really good tonight,” Coleman said. “They made holes for us and we just ran the ball.”
After Dylan White’s 37-yard field goal made it 19-3, Tipton threw a huge counterpunch when senior Wyatt Ham took the ensuing kick off all the way back to the end zone. The game was 19-10 by halftime, and would only get more interesting.
The Tigers crept closer to Mt. Pleasant with a nine-yard touchdown pass just minutes into the third quarter, cutting the Panther lead to 19-17, but the Panthers would hit right back when Zach Newton found Avin Truong on a deep ball down the sideline, connecting for a 46-yard score.
“I don't know if I'm supposed to say this, but I was supposed to not go in at that position,” Truong said after the win. “I was just having a bad game, and I just knew I needed a pick-me-up.”
Tipton cut the lead right back down to two with a passing touchdown of its own, and the Panthers held just a 26-24 lead up until the final five minutes, when the Newton to Truong connection worked again.
On a drive dominated by senior workhorse Payton Walker, Newton connected with Truong on another long ball, getting the ball inside the 10-yard line. Walker punched it in, and the Panthers had scored the knockout blow.
“We know we're a good team,” Truong said. “I think our mindset this year has been drastically different from any other year.”
Newton went 8-for-14 for 151 yards, one touchdown, one interception and 45-yards rushing. Truong went for 107 yards and a score on three catches. Walker and Coleman finished with 58 and 50 yards rushing respectively.
Defensively, Walker led the Panthers with 8.5 tackles, including eight solo tackles and a sack that resulted in a safety. Kellen Kohorst had a leaping interception off a deflection, and Merick Lamm recovered a fumble on special teams.
The Panthers, now 2-1, will hit the road to take on Burlington on Friday night. The Grayhounds come in 1-2.
