Mt. Pleasant faces toughest challenge in final contest

They?re big. They?re tough. They?re quick.

They?re the Williamsburg Raiders; they?re 7-1 this season, and they?re undefeated in Class 3A District 7 play.

They?re also hosting Mt. Pleasant (2-6 overall, 2-3 District 7) in the final football game of the regular season.

It could be the biggest challenge the Panthers have seen yet this year.

Mt. Pleasant will be relying heavily on Connor Shull?s arm and the hands of the receivers to do some damage against the Williamsburg defense.

?We?ll have to try to throw the football,? Mt. Pleasant Head Coach Bob Jensen said. ?They?ve convinced me that we can?t run it ? we?ve had trouble with that all year. So we?ll do more throwing than running, like last week.?

Despite the loss to Keokuk in the Panthers? Week 8 game, Jensen praised the Mt. Pleasant passing game as the best he had seen it all season.

?Defensively, we tried to move a couple kids around to shore up some things,? Jensen said. ?We put Justin Dilks at defensive end and moved Justin Dunn inside to tackle. Tyler Ruby is starting at middle linebacker.?

The defense struggled last week against the Chiefs, giving up a few big plays, and things are certainly not going to be any easier this week.

?(Williamsburg is) one of the top rushing teams in Class 3A,? Jensen said.

The Raiders are, in fact, No. 3 in Class 3A with 2,258 total rushing yards this season, and they are second among Class 3A teams with 39 rushing touchdowns.

Unfortunately, that?s not all the Panthers have to worry about.

?They?re well-rounded. They can throw it and run it, they?ve got a good defense and they?re well-coached,? Jensen said.

?They have size, speed, and they play hard. It?s a tough assignment here in Week 9.?

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Williamsburg.

Mt. Pleasant Panthers' starting lineup

Offense

Position: Name,  Ht., Wt., Class

QB:  Connor Shull,  6-1, 175, Senior

TB:  Josh Larson,  5-9, 160, Junior

FB:  Carson Remick,  5-11, 190, Junior

WR:  Dalton Conrad,  5-10, 140, Senior

WR:  Alex O?Donnell,  5-9, 162, Senior

WR:  Dustin Amos,  6-3, 176, Junior

LT:  Emmett Wester,  6-3, 252, Senior

LG:  Justin Dunn,  6-3, 230, Senior

C:  Jackson Kelley,  6-4, 297, Soph.

RG:  Colton Aplara,  6-1, 215, Senior

RT:  Matt Scudder,  6-2, 209, Junior

Kicker: Liam Clancy,  6-0, 165, Senior

Defense

Position: Name,  Ht., Wt., Class

LE:  Colton Aplara,  6-1, 215, Senior

LT:  Justin Dunn,  6-3, 230, Senior

RT:  Emmett Wester,  6-3, 252, Senior

RE:  Justin Dilks,  6-2, 202, Junior

MLB:  Tyler Ruby,  6-0, 190, Soph.

WLB:  Carson Remick,  5-11, 190, Junior

SLB:  Josh Larson,  5-9, 160, Junior

C:  Alex O?Donnell,  5-9, 162, Senior

C:  Lee Davis,  5-10, 153, Senior

S:  Dustin Amos,  6-3, 176, Junior

S:  Tony Cristoforo,  5-11, 152, Soph.

Punter: Alex O?Donnell,  5-9, 162, Senior