Panthers cream Chiefs

It was all Mt. Pleasant all night long in Friday's district home game against Keokuk. The Panthers blew the Chiefs out 53-0 for their second straight dominant league victory.

The Panthers scored early and often. The first Mt. Pleasant drive went 95-yards for a score. Logan Bass capped off the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run and a Khang Truong made it 7-0 early.

After a Keokuk three-and-out, Mt. Pleasant scored again. Zach Beason took a snap in the red zone and scrambled for a 12-yard rushing score. The extra point missed but the Panthers led 13-0 midway through the first quarter.

The next Keokuk drive was ended abruptly as Bryce Anderson jumped a pass for an interception. The Panthers capitalized right away with a 38-yard run by Kyle Samples, making it 20-0 with over four minutes left in the quarter.

The lead stayed 20-0 after the first period, but the Panthers were able to score on the first play of the second. On fourth and 16, Zach Beason found Rylan Seberg in the end zone for 32-yard touchdown pass. The PAT was blocked but Mt. Pleasant's lead was at 26-0.

Seberg had another 32-yard touchdown, this time on a run play, a few minutes later. Tucker Johnson got on the baord with a 24-yard touchdown catch as well in the second, and the Panthers led 40-0.

The Panthers were already subbing in backups midway through the second quarter, and Keokuk was finally able to force a Mt. Pleasant punt in the final minutes of the first half. The punt return was muffed, hoewver, and recovered by Chase Williamson. That set up a nine-yard touchdown run by Samples on the final play of the half, giving the Panthers a 46-0 lead at the break.

There was only one score in the second half. Orin Cantu punched in an eight-yard touchdown run, and the PAT ended the scoring at 53-0. Keokuk did have the ball in the red zone as time winded down in the fourth quarter, but the Panthers held to preserve the shutout.

It was the third shutout of the last four games for the Mt. Pleasant defense, which has grown to be one of the best in the district. Klayton Kleinkopf, one of the handful of Danville players suiting up for MPCHS this year, led the team with 6.5 tackles.

'The defensive coaches put together a great game plan and the kids excecuted well all game long,” head coach Shawn Striegel said about his defense. 'We knew we were going to have to keep (Keokuk quarterback Corey Skinner) between the tackles.”

Zach Beason went 10-11 for 151 yards and two touchdowns through the air. He added 35 yards and a scoer on the ground as well. Backup quarterback Brody Bender was 4-7 for 71 yards.

The Panthers finished the day with six rushing touchdowns, including the one By Beason. Samples finished the day with 91 yards and two scores. Levi Puig rushed for 54 yards. Seberg, Cantu and Bass all had one score on the ground and Jack Johnson added 26 yards rushing.

Seberg led the way for the receiving core, catching four balls for 74 yards and a score. Brevin Wilson had two catches for 54 yards. T. Johnson had three catches for 48 yards and a touchdown. Chase Lamm had 25 yards receiving and both Puig and Jacob Stukerjurgen caught one pass.

Anderson's interception and Williamson's fumble recovery on the botched punt were the only two takeaways for Mt. Pleasant.

The Panthers move to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the district. First place will be on the line at Solon on Friday, Oct. 5, when Mt. Pleasant faces the state-ranked Spartans at 7:30 p.m.