Panthers travel north in Week 2

TIPTON - The Mt. Pleasant football team has its hands full this week, as it will be packing up the busses and heading north to play a 2019 Class 2A playoff qualifier.

The Panthers will take on Tipton, a team that slid into the playoffs last season and hasn't had a losing record since 2014.

Mt. Pleasant comes into the Week 2 showdown after a thrilling victory against Clear Creek-Amana in Week 1. The Panthers used timely turnovers to upend the Clippers 28-27 at Mapleleaf Athletic Complex in Mt. Pleasant.

Tipton had a rough start against a quality opponent. The Tigers were defeated 17-8 by West Branch, a team that sits at No. 5 in the Class 1A Gazette and Associated Press rankings.

The Panthers will look for another big game from starting quarterback Jack Johnson, who scampered for 193 yards rushing and three touchdowns in the opening-night victory. He also threw for 137 yards and three scores.

The Mt. Pleasant defense may have given up more yards than it wanted in its Week 1 game, but a trifecta of takeaways turned the tide against CCA. Chase Williamson had an interception and a fumble recovery and Brevin Wilson had a 70-yard interception return.

The Tipton offense is similar to Mt. Pleasant's in one way - their senior quarterback knows how to use his wheels. Starting QB Payten Elijah ran for 145 yards in their Week 1 loss, although he struggled to find the end zone. Running back Levi Daniel ran for 47 yards, second best on the team.

The Tipton passing game was shaky at best, however. Elijah completed just two of his 13 pass attempts and threw for just 49 yards. One of those two passes went to sophomore receiver Caden Schmidt for a 23-yard touchdown pass, but he Elijah was also picked off once.

The Tipton defense was unable to record any takeaways but they did do a decent job of holding a talented West Branch offense. West Branch threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns but racked up only 62 yards on the ground. The game was 10-8 going into the final period where West Branch scored the game-sealing score.

With a win, Mt. Pleasant would secure its first 2-0 start since 2017.