MP defense stops up Mepo

MT. PLEASANT — After a scrimmage game in Danville one week prior to Friday night’s season opener, Mt. Pleasant coach John Bowlin asked his team if they were ready for a full game. When it was finally gametime, the Panthers showed they were plenty capable.

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Mt. Pleasant knocked off Mediapolis, a returning Class 2A playoff team, in a defensive grinder in Week 1. The Panthers stifled the Bulldog offense enough for a 17-14 victory.

After stopping a three-year losing streak in season openers last fall in Fairfield, Bowlin’s Panthers have now kicked off the season in victory mode in two-straight seasons.

The Panthers had to grind back after a rough defensive first drive that saw Mediapolis score on a leaping touchdown catch by senior receiver Gannon Gunn. The score was 7-0 Bulldogs, and that’s where it would stand after one quarter of play.

Early in the second quarter, Mt. Pleasant would knot things up when quarterback Greyson Walker found Isaiah Lange in the back of the end zone for a touchdown.

With the game tied at 7-7, Jack Newman gave the Panthers the ball back by picking off a deep Bulldog pass. That set up a touchdown run by Griffen Jones, on fourth and goal from the 1-yard line.

Mt. Pleasant kicker Dylan White kept his day perfect with a 24-yard field goal to put the Panthers up 17-7 with just five seconds left in the third quarter, but Mediapolis’ Noah Schmidgall returned the ensuing kick off all the way back to the end zone, and just like that, it was 17-14 Panthers with one quarter to play.

Mediapolis had a couple of chances to tie or win the game late in the fourth quarter. The first was snuffed out when Tate Dorothy rushed the quarterback and forced a turnover with a strip-sack after the Bulldogs had crossed the 50-yard line. After Mediapolis used all of its timeouts on defense, the Mt. Pleasant defense forced a turnover on downs to end the game. Brody Clark and Kaden Schadt had 58 yards and 57 yards receiving respectively. Merrick Lamm caught a 25-yard pass, and Lange had the only reception score.

Walker finished the day 10-for-16 for 144 yards and one touchdown. The Panther running game only went for 85 yards, with Ramzy Davis leading the way with 55 yards on the ground, and Jones scoring the only rushing touchdown.

Clark was the leading tackler for Mt. Pleasant, with four. He also had one of the Panthers’ two interceptions, alongside Newman. Dorothy’s forced fumble was the only one of the game, and Keegan Heaton secured the recovery.

The game was the first installment of the Southeast Iowa Union’s live Mt. Pleasant broadcasts on the Union’s Mt. Pleasant Live Facebook and YouTube channels. The Union will be broadcasting all home football and volleyball contests this fall.

Mt. Pleasant is now 1-0, and will hit the road to take on Knoxville (0-1) this Friday night.