The Mustangs took care of business Friday night, on a perfect night for football, while celebrating Homecoming, cheering with our Junior High cheerleaders, and honoring our Junior High Football Colts.  The Trimble County Raiders came to town with a 1-7 record and no expectations of earning their second win of the season in Alexandria.  To their credit their roster had between 25 and 30 players, whereas often in their past, attrition would have rendered them with a squad of less than 20 at this stage of a near-winless season.  This unit, playing under a first year caching staff with ties to the program,  showed that they could compete at high school football, at last for a quarter, before our talent and bench depth took its toll on them and the Mustangs drew off to win in Running-Clock manner.

The game began with the Mustangs making short work of the Raider defense, marching 78 yards in 5 plays to lead 7-0 before the fans were comfortable in their seats (9:56).  Our first score was set up by a 38 yard pass play from Landon Spaulding to Quinten Tischner and was finished off by Tommy Busby who ran through a 25 yard minefield to paydirt.  Following our score both teams exchanged intercepted passes, and the scoring was over in the first quarter. The quarter ended with the Mustangs in the midst of a 78 yard drive that Brady Boruske finished off with a 9 yard scamper, his fifth touchdown of the season.  The Boruske touchdown was set up by a 37 yard ramble by Bentley McKinzie.  With 1:34 remaining in the half, the Mustangs struck again as Spaulding found Quinten Tischner wide open for a 10 yard touchdown.  Ryan Eldridge hit the third of three first half PATs to make the score 21-0 at halftime.

Brady Boruske, charged with our kick-off duties for the night, kicked a screaming line drive into the Trimble County front line to open the second half, as the ball pin-balled among potential receivers,  Boruske secured possession of the carom, and the Mustangs were back in business.  This time Coach Martin allowed fan-favorite, Beckett Meersman a few minutes of fame, giving his Jumbo Package fullback the ball to finish off the 2-yard plunge.  Such was his jubilation that he drew multiple “Excessive Celebration” flags, but they were well worth it on this momentous occasion for the senior big man.   A Landon Ketron interception would spearhead our next score, a 2-yard keeper by our quarterback, Landon Spaulding, topping off a 52 yard drive.  The stanza ended with the Mustangs in complete command at 33-0. 

The game was sent to a running clock shortly after the onset of the fourth quarter as Kasey Moeller dented the scoring column with a 7 yard run, making the score 40-0 when Eldridge split the uprights.  Trimble County got on the board with 9:33 remaining in the game when Freshman Noah Sandusky carried the piggy unmolested for 32 yards , and when quarterback Silas Sandusky found Hudson Jent open in the endzone, the Raiders had closed the gap to 40-8.  With the clock winding down Brossart Freshman Quarterback Hudson Ruth orchestrated a 58 yard drive that he finished off by carrying the ball 18 yards into the endzone with merely 17 seconds left in the game.  When Eldridge hit his fifth of six PAT attempts, the final score of 47-8 was displayed on the scoreboard.

Our JV team will be in action Monday night at 6pm at the MAC versus Pendleton County.

STATS TO FOLLOW

In other contests of consequence, Newport defeated Dayton 28-7, sending the Greendevils to Alexandria on November 6^th for a first-round playoff date with our Mustangs.  Holy Cross handled Ludlow to formalize their standing as the top-ranked team in our district, earning them a date with Bellevue on the 6^th.