Panthers outlast Trojans

MT. PLEASANT - The visiting Fairfield Trojans gave the Panthers a first-half sweat on Friday night in Mt. Pleasant's homecoming game.

The Trojans, who came into the game winless, threatened to spoil the Panthers' homecoming party with a two-point halftime lead, but Mt. Pleasant won the fourth quarter 28-0 to get away with a 42-16 victory.

Jack Johnson gave the Panthers an early spark, scoring twice in the first half before being forced to leave the game with an injury. After setting up the opening score on a long run downfield, he punched in the only first quarter touchdown from six yards out. Then, early in the second quarter, Johnson busted out a 20-yard touchdown run to put the Panthers up 14-0.

Fairfield bounced right back with a huge play on special teams. Landen Schafer darted through the Mt. Pleasant coverage for a 90-yard kickoff return touchdown, one that would steal momentum for the Trojans that would last throughout the entire second quarter.

Late in the second quarter and trailing 14-7 and facing a fourth-and-eight from the 44-yard line, the Trojan offense would make their biggest play of the game. Landon Kooiker sprinted past the Panther defense and caught a deep ball from Carter Ferrel for a touchdown. The PAT was missed, but Fairfield was within one, at 14-13 with 3:30 remaining.

The Trojans got the ball one last time in the first half. Schafer nailed a 25-yard field goal in the last 10 seconds to give Fairfield a 16-14 halftime lead.

'When you finally put all the pieces together, great things can happen,” said Fairfield head coach Nate Weaton about the first half. 'We went into halftime up, the first time it's happened all year. Unfortunately we just came out a little slow.”

Mt. Pleasant marched down on their first possession of the third quarter, eventually scoring on a four-yard run by Klayton Kleinkopf. That gave the Panthers the lead, and they wouldn't look back.

The next three scores came on passes from Brody Bender to Rylan Seberg. Seberg caught a 34-yard touchdown pass late in the third and a 66-yard bomb early in the fourth. Then, with five minutes left in the game, the connection was there again for a 34-yard exclamation point.

'I was fired up after the first half,” Seberg said. 'The running game worked our first series, and then we just couldn't get anything going. I knew I had to get fired up and bring the energy.”

Seberg ended the game with seven catches for 193 yards and three scores to account for the vast majority of Mt. Pleasant's air attack. Bender finished 12-20 for 224 yards and three scores.

Johnson ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Logan Bass had 64 yards on the ground, and Kleinkopf had 25 yards and a score.

The Panther defense had three interceptions. Seberg, Brady Hall and Brevin Wilson all picked off a pass.

Kooiker had a big game of his own for Fairfield. He caught seven passes for 121 yards and a score.

Carter Ferrel went 12-25 for 119 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Leone Gichure had 31 yards rushing and 25 yards passing. Drew Martin led the Trojan defense with 8.5 tackles.

Mt. Pleasant (4-1, 0-1) will play Keokuk on the road this weekend. Fairfield (0-5, 0-1) will host Ft. Madison in their homecoming game.