Washington Evening Journal
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Panthers pound Trojans in Fairfield
Andy Krutsinger
Sep. 24, 2018 1:29 pm
FAIRFIELD - The Mt. Pleasant football team just pounded away at the Trojan defense on Friday night. The Panthers wore down Fairfield throughout the first half and took advantage of a tired Trojan defense in the second, scoring 21-straight points to walk away with a 35-17 win.
The two teams traded punches all first half, with Fairfield drawing first blood in the first quarter. Power running back Tristin Waugh was a workhorse for the Trojans, running the ball up the middle again and again to get Fairfield inside the five. Then, from the four-yard line, Waugh blasted through the left side for a four-yard score. The PAT was good, and the Trojans led 7-0.
The game stayed 7-0 until there was 8:28 on the clock in the second quarter. Mt. Pleasant got their first points when Zach Beason launched a pass deep down the left side to Chase Lamm, who had sprung wide open. Lamm made the catch and took it into the end zone for a 66-yard score. Khang Truong, who was kicking in replacement of an injured David Blancas, hit the extra point and the game was tied at 7-7.
Fairfield took back the lead just over three minutes later on a 37-yard field goal by Landen Schafer, but Mt. Pleasant wasn't quite done scoring in the first half.
The Trojans started to wear down in the second quarter as Beason called his own number on the quarterback draw on several different occasions, running over Fairfield defenders as Mt. Pleasant pushed downfield. Eventually, Beason rumbled in for a one-yard touchdown run, and the PAT was good. Mt. Pleasant lead 14-10, and that's where the score stayed until halftime.
Mt. Pleasant's biggest play of the night came with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter. With the ball at the Panther 21 yard-line, Beason threw a slant to Tucker Johnson, who broke a tackle and sprinted the length of the field, throwing a stiff arm against a trailing defender as he crossed the goal line with a 79-yard touchdown reception. That was the only score of the third quarter for either team, and it was 27-10 after three.
While the Panthers continued to gash the Trojan defense on quarterback draws and the occasional downfield pass, Fairfield's offense had slowed. Mt. Pleasant was getting pressure on the Trojan offensive line, and Waugh was cut down on the majority of his rushing attempts.
'The defensive meeting was really intense (and) I thought the kids responded really well,” head coach Shawn Striegel said. 'Bryce Anderson and James DeMeyer really stepped it up in the second time. A lot of that is we were able to stay on offense a lot.”
The combination of a stagnant Fairfield running game and a worn out Trojan defense helped the Panthers continue to pull away. The Panthers had two scoring drives in the fourth quarter, with Levi Puig punching in a two-yard touchdown run with 10:51 remaining, and Logan Bass finding the end zone on a one-yard touchdown run in the final minute.
The Panthers held a 35-10 lead as the clock ticked down, but Fairfield did get one last score on the board before it was over. Carson Crile found Jackson Weaton on a 14-yard touchdown pass with 18 seconds left.
Coach Striegel credited his offensive line, as well as his big quarterback for exhausting the Fairfield defense all game. He said the frequent quarterback draws were more or less just responding to the Trojans' defensive looks.
'The big thing is, that was what they were going to give us,” Striegel said. 'They were trying to take the pass away with the two high safeties. Credit to Zach and the offensive line for gaining those yards.”
Beason finished the day 15-24 through the air for 267 yards and two touchdowns, and wound up with 116 yards and one touchdown on 22 rushing attempts. Kyle Samples was hte second-leading rushesr for hte Panthers, gaining 21 yards on five carries
Lamm had six catches for 115 yards and touchdown to lead the receivers. Johnson finished with two catches for 82 yards and a score. Puig had four cathces for 42 yards, and Rylan Seberg ended the night with three catches for 28 yards.
Fairfield's power running game did keep the Panthers away from getting too many takeaways, but Mt. Pleasant did have one interception. Tate Shull picked off Crile in the second half and brought it back 39 yards to set up one of the Panther scores.
Mt. Pleasant has now won three games in a row and sits at 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the district. This week, they'll take on Keokuk (1-4, 0-1) at home on Friday, Sept. 28, at 7:30 p.m.