On what started as a perfect night for football, and a perfect night for our Mustangs kicking off the Jake Martin era, we cruised to a 21-0 first quarter lead.  Just a it appeared that this one would come easy, things turned a bit ugly as a black cloud rolled in and hovered over the MAC.  In addition to a steady 30 minute rain, it brought with it the bad luck associated with black clouds and black cats.  Momentum jumped into a Walton uniform as they inaugurated a 79 yard touchdown drive that began in the waning minutes of the first quarter and ended in the endzone 10 minutes later with 4:28 remaining in the half, and we hadn’t touched the ball in the period as of yet.  When we did, we were ineffective and turned it over on downs twice, and with under a minute to play in the half, aided by a 15-yard flag, the Bearcats scored again to cut the Mustangs lead to 21-14, and suddenly this one didn’t look like the sure thing that it did back in the opening stanza.

Things continued to deteriorate as the Bearcats, who received the ball to start the second half, got a great kick-off return to the Brossart 40 and finished it off a few plays later.  Their two-point conversion attempt went for naught, BUT Hold The Phone, there was a flag on the play, and the new life allowed the visitors to punch it in this time, taking a 22-21 lead as the Mustang faithful sat stunned as to what was transpiring.

On our final possession of the 3rd Quarter we posed a major threat, advancing the football to the 14 yard line before seeing it fizzle out.  However, Soccer/Football Senior Ryan Eldridge was in Field Goal range and delivered a 29 yard conversion to give the Stangs the lead back at 24-22 with 12 minutes remaining in the game.  The Mustang defense resurfaced in the fourth quarter stymieing the Cats on all three of their possessions that included a Brady Boruske interception along with two turnovers on downs.  Meanwhile, the Mustangs put together a 58yard drive resulting in Landon Spaulding finding Quinten Tischner in the endzone, giving the home team some breathing room, and securing the 30-22 victory.

It was Bentley McKinzie who got the scoring underway in the first quarter, rambling 9 yards to paydirt givng the Mustangs a 7-0 lead, when Ryan Eldridge split the uprights for the “And One.”  Spaulding hit Brady Boruske on a 57 yard pass play for our second score, plus an Eldridge PAT, and Landen Ketron intercepted a Braxton Parr pass and took it to the house for a Pick Six, making it 21-0 Mustangs after one.  We would not score again until late in the third frame when Eldridge knocked home a 29yard Field Goal, and then in the fourth, Spaulding found Quinten Tischner in the endzone for an 11 yard trophy toss, giving the Mustangs the final score of 30-22.  There were many other notable contributions, especially on defense, where Quinten Tischner teamed up with Beckett Meersman, Justin Bezold and Landen Ketron who all made some big defensive stops.  We are blessed to have a history of great kickers, and Ryan Eldridge picked up right where Max Runge left off a year ago, nailing his first three PAT attempts and hitting a 29 yard Field Goal.

For his efforts, Senior Brady Boruske was tabbed our Player of the Game being on the receiving end of a 36 yard Landon Spaulding aerial, and followed it up with a 59 yard touchdown reception.  In the pivotal third quarter, Boruske carried the piggy from our 47 yard line to the 26 yard line of Walton, followed by a 15 yard tack-on.  He also made a late-game inerception that snuffed out a Bearcat drive.

The Mustangs will travel to Sayre in Lexington next Friday night where we will play the Past Class 1A State Champs for the fourth time.  Sayre leads the series 2-1, having lost to us 21-3 back in 2019, and defeating us 20-13 in 2020, and 8-5 in 2025.

The Sayre Spartans, coming off of a come-from-behind win over Class 1A’s second ranked Kentucky Country Day a week ago in Louisville, wasted no time in establishing their dominance in their home opener, running the opening kickoff back for a touchdown on the first play of the game.  Not to worry, Landon Spaulding found Brady Boruske for a 41yard gainer on our first series, driving the ball to the Sayre 34 while looking to even the score, prior to turning the ball over on downs.  Boruske would again figure big in the second Sayre possession, when he intercepted a Gage Pennington pass deep in Brossart territory to thwart that scoring threat.  After forcing a Mustang punt, the Spartans marched 64 yards just prior to the quarter stop and Harrison Phillips ran it in from 13 yards out to establish a 14-0 home team advantage after 12 minutes of play.  In the second period Brossart had three possessions and a knee prior to halftime, while Sayre scored on two of theirs, one being a Pennington to Paul Miller 12 yard TD connection, and the other, another a 90yard punt return, leaving us reeling at 28-0 at intermission.  Their place kicker, Amanuel Arms hit all six of his PAT attempts on the night.  We did threaten to score with 1:30 remining in the half, when Ryan Eldridge missed on a 28yd Field Goal attempt, that was set up by a 29yard pass completion from Landen Spaulding to Brady Boruske.

Following a chance to regroup at halftime, the Spartans kicked off to the Mustangs to start the second half, and Brady Boruske returned it 40 yards, giving the ‘Stangs good field position, and hopefully breathing some life into our offense.  However, Sayre was up to the task, turning back a 4th and inches attempt, allowing them to take over on downs at their own 34 yard line yard line, from where Pennington would execute a 63 yard trophy pass to Peyton Rafter, sending the game to a running clock.  The Spartans would add on a “good measure” score late in the 3rd period, and neither teams JVs were able to add points to the scoreboard in the running-clock finale.

We will return home next Friday night, hosting St. Henry in a 7pm bout, looking to get back in the win column. The JVs are slated to host Campbell County this Monday night at 6pm.

STATS

In the passing game, Landon Spaulding (#13) completed 8 of his 25 passes (32.0% completion rate) for 116 yards, while Charlie Rauch (#9) went 0 for 2. Combined, the quarterbacks completed 8 of 27 passing attempts (29.6%) for a total of 116 yards, with no passing touchdowns or interceptions recorded.

On the ground, the team totaled 24 rushing yards across 20 carries, averaging 1.2 yards per carry. Tommy Busby (#10) led the rushers in yardage, taking 7 carries for 18 yards (2.6 YPC). Landon Spaulding (#13) handled the team-high 9 carries, gaining 9 yards (1.0 YPC). Charlie Rauch (#9) had 1 carry for 0 yards, and Alex Twehues (#44) lost 3 yards on 3 attempts (-1.0 YPC). No rushing touchdowns or two-point conversions were scored.

The receiving attack was driven by Brady Boruske (#2), who hauled in 6 catches for 103 yards, averaging 17.2 yards per reception. Quinten Tischner (#8) added 2 receptions for 13 yards (6.5 YPR). Together, the duo accounted for all 8 team receptions and 116 receiving yards, averaging 14.5 yards per catch.

I get the feeling that we let one get away, being edged 43-40 in yet another game of two halves. Once again, we could not have have been much better than what we demonstrated in the first quarter. Taking the opening kickoff at the 20 yard line, we marched 80 yards, picking up six first downs over the next 7 minutes and 32 seconds when Landon Spaulding finished off the final yard, giving the Mustangs an early game 6-0 lead, when our two-point tack-on effort went for naught. The Cru went 3 and out in their first offensive possession, and following a Brossart punt, St. Henry mustered a single first-down before the quarter expired.

The second quarter was a whole different script. In both of our first three possessions, the Mustangs drew blood twice – an 80 yard Landon Spaulding jaunt, and a 69 yard Spaulding to Justin Bezold aerial while St. Henry struck on an 18 yard Cy Perento to Brayden Hughes pass play. When the dust settled the Mustangs maintained a 19-6 lead. In the seventh of eight second quarter change of possessions, the Cru blocked a Ryan Eldridge punt, carrying it into the end zone, making the score 19-14, BUT, the Mustangs weren’t done yet. Following a pair of sacks, one each by Beckett Meersman and Charlie Rauch, the Mustangs had great field position at the Crusader 29, from where we marched the football all of the way to the 1 yard line when time expired in the half. Failure to come away with something on that drive would come back to haunt us.

As I said in my halftime comments on the broadcast, despite the narrow margin on the scoreboard, the general consensus was that we were the better team, had outplayed the Cru in the first half, and would prove our superiority in the second half, and put the St Henry ball on the wall. This appeared to be spot on, as we kicked off in the second half to the Cru who promptly fumbled it away, recovered by Charlie Rauch. When the Mustangs scored on a 69 yard drive capped off by a 9 yard touchdown on a Spaulding keeper, and when Eldridge split the uprights things looked more favorable as we extended the lead to 25-14. It would be short-lived however, as the Cru unveiled Senior Lucas Pate, who would dominate the game from that point on, scoring the first of four St. Henry touchdowns by rolling 75 yards, narrowing the margin back to 26-20. The big play sequence continued as Brady Boruske did the Crusader scatback one-better by returning the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for the third touchdown in 33 seconds, re-extending the Brossart lead to 33-20. Certainly, this would be enough to win. Certainly not. Pate answered the challenge with a 28 yard touchdown run, his second of the period. In retrospect, the difference in the second half would be that one team had Lucas Pate and the other one didn’t. Despite leading 33-28 after three quarters, you could feel that the momentum had shifted into St. Henry Red and Blue.

The fourth quarter began by Landon Spaulding finding Quinten Tichner on a 30 yard pass play, and when Eldridge tacked on the PAT, we again exhaled and thought for sure a 12 point, two possession 40-28 lead would hold up. Unbeknownst to us, our Mustangs were finished scoring on the night, while the Cru, in the person of Lucas Pate had another gear, and had two more scores in their bag of tricks – a 31 yard pass play from Quarterback Perento to Pate, and then a 22 yard trophy run by Pate with 3:22 remaining in this 3 hour and 25 minute marathon event. Unfortunately, despite an 11th Hour drive that nearly put Ryan Eldridge in Field Goal range which would have tied the score at 43s, we fumbled away the football, which sealed our fate. as the upstart Crusaders claimed the victory, assuring a happy ride back to Erlanger. Both teams now sport 1-2 records.

This one hurts. We put up 40 points, while leaving additional points on the field, and didn’t win. We failed to maintain a lead, despite doing so for 44 minutes and 38 seconds of the contest. We allowed the Cru to “Stick Around,” incurred some untimely penalties, and then we let a single player beat us. Lucas Pate is really good, BUT after rushing for 65 yards against Holy Cross and 92 yards vs Boone County, Lucas Pate rushed for 214 of St. Henry’s total 224 rushing yards (St. Henry Stats Show 239 of 247) on the night here in Alexandria. Add on 31 yards receiving and Pate victimized us for 245 total yards (St. Henry Stats say 270 Yds) on the night. Wowzer! In the entire second half he took on the entire Mustang defense, and won. Landon Spaulding had a big night for the Mustangs – 26/37 for 295 yards and 2 TDs with 1 Interception through the air, and 8 carries for 137 yards and 3 TDs on the ground. Their QB, Cy Perento was 9/18 for 147 yards and 2 TDs. Quinten Tischner hauled in 12 Receptions for 131 yards and a Touchdown for the home team.

The Mustangs head to Brooksville next Friday night where we will take on the homestanding Bracken County Polar Bears who will be coming off of a bye week, and will be looking for their first win of the season against two losses (Holy Cross and Mason County). In other games of note Friday night, Walton-Verona shut out Ludlow, a district opponent of ours, 33-0. This is the same Ludlow who defeated Newport 21-12 two weeks ago. Go Figure!

Just a short report tonight.  I was listening from home, and like you, was subjected to a number of internet outages, making it difficult to obtain accurate stats etc.. Poor WiFi and spotty AT&T coverage at the venue caused buffering issues throughout the broadcast. As Adam explained on-air, the crew did what they could with what they had.  For away games, we’re at the mercy of the venue’s connectivity.  The replay (above) is in-tact.

This one went as hoped for, a convincing, dominating Brossart win over Bracken County.  The Bears, now 0-3, elected to receive to start the game, quickly going 3 and out.  Landon Spaulding wasted no time in finding Brady Boruske for a 70 yard touchdown connection on our first play from scrimmage, and when Ryan Eldridge hit his first of 3 of 4 PAT attempts, the Mustangs were on top 7-0 with 10:03 remaining in the first quarter.  A long Boruske carry would set up a 1 yard plunge by Spaulding for our second score, this one coming early in the second quarter which held up through halftime at 14-0.  We missed a couple of opportunites in the first half when we failed to convert on 4th and shorts, turning the ball over to the Bears on downs.  Neither came back to haunt us.

Freshman Tommy Busby scored his first career touchdown on a 5-yard carry.  It came at the 8:07 mark in the third quarter, making it 21-0 Mustangs, and would be followed by the second long-distance aerial connection between Spaulding and Boruske, this one going for an 80 yard score, Boruske’s second trophy run of the night.  This PAT attempt failed as the Mustangs increased our lead to 27-0.  The Bears answered late in the period, making it 27-7, giving the Bracken County fans something to cheer about, as Ryland Tucker connected wth Andrew Kirk for a 67yard touchdown. which would result in the final score.

Boruske had a big night, again, picking up 234 yards via air, a new school record for Most Receiving Yards In A Single Game, and he was deprived a third touchdown reception from Spaulding, as he was stopped at the one yard line, mid-second period.  Brady also had a pair of interceptions.  Landon Spaulding now holds the top 3 spots on the Single Game-Yards-Passing School Records Chart, recording 300 yards through the air against Bracken County (2nd Best), and picking up 28 more by land, scoring our second TD from one yard out.   

Tripp Wilson continues to work his way into prime playing form, making 4 receptions for 53 yards.  The Mustangs dominated through the air 300 yards to 107 for Da Bears, who also won the overland battle 62 yards to 56 yards.

The Mustangs, now 2-2, will be back on the road next Friday night, invading Carlisle, taking on the 4-0 Nicholas County Blue Jackets.  They own wins over Bellevue, Pendleton County, Lewis County and last night defeated Louisville Iroquois 28-14.  Brossart and Nicholas County have a history.  We lead the overall series 8-7, losing to the Blue Jackets 30-7 a year ago at the MAC.  Previous to last year’s loss, we had won 5 of 6 of our last encounters.

In what would become a half in which each team dominated for a quarter, the Mustangs scored a pair of touchdowns on their first two possessions, the first being a Landon Spaulding 7 yard pass play to Landon Ketron with a Ryan Eldridge PAT, giving the Mustangs a very early game 7-0 lead that was set up by ball-snapping miscues by the Jackets.  After Nicholas County went 3 and out on their second possession, the Mustangs again had great field position at the Nicholas County 35 yard line, and made easy work of that challenge, picking up one first-down enroute to a Bentley McKinzie 2-yard run to paydirt.  The Eldridge PAT attempt was not successful, giving the Mustangs a 13-0 advantage heading to the 2nd Quarter, when Big Mo jumped into a Nicholas County uniform that would see them take the lead by halftime.

In that stanza, Senior Jayden Watkins, who leads the state in rushing yards (unclassified) carried the ball twice into the endzone, once from 51 yards out, and the other from 45 yards away.  It wasn’t as though the Mustangs didn’t have our chance to still be in front at intermission, as we moved the ball to the 1 yard line where we were stopped on a Spaulding rushing attempt and then Landon was intercepted with merely seconds remaining in the half as the Mustangs left points on the field, trailing 14-13 conjuring up memories of the St. Henry game, where we had also failed to score from the one yard line just prior to the half. 

The Jackets would kick off to the Mustangs to begin the second half, and we wasted no time in gobbling up yardage and clock, marching 70 yards while picking up a trio of first downs, culminated with a Tommy Busby 3 Yard touchdown plunge, giving the Mustangs the lead at 21-14 when Spaulding strolled into the endzone for the 2-point conversion.  The Mustangs had previously snuffed out a Nicholas County threat when Landon Ketron intercepted a Ty Simons pass deep in Mustangs territory.

The fourth quarter began with our faking a punt on 4th and long, which saw Tripp Wilson carry the piggy 23 yards to the Nicholas County 34 yard line picking up a first down, before turning it over on downs.  This was the last time the Mustangs would touch the football until the waning seconds of the 4th quarter, as Nicholas County orchestrated a 71 yard drive that was finished off by the Jackets’ Dakota Sparks scoring on a fumble recovery in their endzone with 1:38 remaining in the game.  Trailing 21-20, they elected to go for two, and it all came down to this (reminiscent of a game played at Cincinnati Aiken about a decade earlier).  Knowing that their blue-chipper, Watkins would get the call, the Mustangs loaded the box and denied the Jackets the two-point conversion, giving the Mustangs the win when we picked up a single first down and took a knee to secure the quality win in Carlisle.  Running back Bentley McKinzie was named the BMustangs.com Player of the Game.

Our Mustangs played without the services of wide receiver Brady Boruske, Spauding’s primary target, forcing Coach Jake Martin to go to Plan B, which would test our capabilities of running the football, and having confidence that our defense could contain Watkins and limit their scoring output, a glaring shortcoming just two weeks ago versus St. Henry.  Mission Accomplished.  We showed in this one that we are not a “One-Trick Pony” and that we can overcome adversity.  The win knocked Nicholas County from the ranks of the undefeated, now 4-1, as the Mustangs improve to 3-2 on the campaign.  We were fortunate to get this game in as nasty weather forced numerous cancellations from a large storm that moved south-east from Carrollton through Frankfort, Paris and Lexington barely missing Carlisle to the south.  We will return home next Friday night as we host DeSales High School out of Louisville 22-0 winners over Louisville Southern last night.  This was their first win of the season after an 0-4 start.  Don’t be fooled by their record, they are a quality program as evidenced by their 35-7 demolition of our Mustangs a year ago in the Derby City. 

Our JV team will be in action at 10am Saturday morning at Dayton.

GAME STATS (Provided):

First Downs:  BB-18, NCo 11

Total Yards:  BB 265, NCo 232

Rushing Yards:  BB 161,  NCo 180

Rushing Attempts:  BB 32- NCo 45

Time of Possession:  BB – 16:12,  NCo 21:23

INDIVIDUALS:

Spaulding Passing – 12/23 104 Yards,  1 TD,  1 INT

Rushing:  McKinzie 11/72 – 1 TD,   Busby 8/56, 1 TD,  Spaulding 12/30,  Wilson 1/23

This is a “No Joy In Mudville” kind of report.  Coming home following a pair of 10th Region opponent road wins, there was unbridled optimism that the win streak would continue and we would be on a roll heading into the bye week and the onset of district play two weeks hence.  Off to an inauspicious start, our Mustangs who took the opening kickoff, found themselves 3rd and 8 when Landon Spaulding’s passing offering was picked off by DeSales’ John Bowling, who returned it to the Brossart 30 yard line, and shortly thereafter Camden Wells finished off the series with a 1 yard plunge into the endzone, and when the PAT was good, the Mustangs found themselves trailing 7-0 before the fans were comfortable in their seats.  We would recover a Colts fumble and shortly thereafter Brady Boruske hauled in a Spaulding strike and carried the piggy to the 9 yard line.  Lightning would strike again and for the second time in the period, the normally reliable Spauling was picked off by Dorian Brice, and the Mustangs’ Sure-Thing looking, Points-On-The-Board threat went for naught.  The first period ended with the visitors on top 7-0. 

The Mustangs demonstrated some resilience and the ability to move the ball early in the second period, orchestrating a 65 yard drive, culminated by Landon Spaulding finding Brady Boruske for the requisite one-yard for the touchdown.  When Ryan Eldridge split the uprights, we were all tied up at 7s and all was well with Mustang nation.  Our jubilation was short-lived, as on the very next Colts’ offensive series, it took them only 34 seconds as Wells once again inflicted damage on our team going 51 yards on a pass reception, returning the big numbers to the Colts side of the scoreboard, up 14-7 at the half.

DeSales received the kickoff to start the second half with a big return, but flags would be our friend early on in the 3rd period, as this and other gainers would be nullified and the Colts were forced to punt on their first offensive possession.  The Mustangs returned the favor and this time the Colts would succeed in marching 80 yards for a touchdown pass to John Bowling as the Colts upped the ante to 21-7 with 12 minutes remaining in this contest, despite a 60 Yard Boruske kick-off return giving the Mustangs first and ten at the Colts 29 yard line, but we failed to capitalize.  The ballgame was laid to rest early in the fourth stanza as the Colts completed a 66 yard drive on a 2-yard trophy run by Noah Cross making it 28-7 – Game, Set, and Match!

The ensuing kickoff was one for the ages.  The ball landed near the sideline at the 20 yard line and maintained a straight course all of the way to the two-yard line, where Brady Boruske was forced to pick it up with the DeSales special teams unit bearing down on him.  Everyone in the house, including myself, anticipated that the ball would turn right, go out of bounds and that the Mustangs would be awarded possession at the 35 yard line, but not to be.  Stick around long enough and you will see it all.  It is also noteworthy that the Mustangs would march the ball from the 2-yard line, all of the way to the Colts’ 29 yard line – a 69 yard drive, before turning it over on downs.

On the night, Landon Spaulding was 14/30 through the air and 16 carries for 121 yards, connecting on 1 TD pass while issuing 3 interceptions.  His Colts’ counterpart, Sophomore Noah Cross connected on 13 of 16 passing attempts for 96 yards and a touchdown.

DeSales picked up 22 First Downs to our 14, they amassed 391 total yards overall to our 288.  We were out-rushed 295 yards to 169, and DeSales won the Time of Possession battle 30:32 to 20:53.

The Mustangs get two weeks to patch up (We played without Tripp Wilson, Bently McKinzie, Austin Johnson and Bryson Hugley Friday night), and prepare for Holy Cross at Thomas More University two weeks from now on October 9th as we begin District play.  The Indians are the top-ranked team in our district (Brossart, Ludlow, Trimble County, and Holy Cross).  They took a rather head-scratching loss at Eminence Friday night.

In back to back games we have been victimized, against DeSales it was a Pick 6 pass interception, and then again tonight, a return of the opening kick-off, which have set the tone, leading to early game deficits, which have proved impossible to overcome. With the bye week and Holy Cross seemingly struggling, we had hoped for better against the Indians at TMU, as we began district seeding play. The kickoff return was 92 yards by Xavier Thornberry.

The Indians scored on their first three offensive possessions – the Kick-Off return for a touchdown, a 66 yard drive and then they capitalized on a Landon Spaulding interception that occurred late in the first period, and finished it off early in the second, both run in by Quarterback, Brian Ferguson.

In the second period at the 7 minute mark, we marched the football from the Brossart 33 yard line to the Holy Cross 26, where we attempted to get on the board with a Ryan Eldridge 39-yard field goal. However, with Murphy’s Law in full effect, Ryan missed the attempt. We then sat the Tribe down on downs, followed by a punt, but were unable to capitalize. With merely 21 ticks remaining in the half an Indian punt ricocheted off of our returner and was recovered by the Indians at the Brossart 2 yard line, resulting in our trailing 28-0 at halftime – Not at all what we had hoped for. At that point, this Mustang team which had it all together in the pre, and early season, seemed to have forgotten where we put it.

To their credit, these Mustangs refused to look at the scoreboard as we received the kick-off to start the second half, and marched the piggy 65 yards, scoring on a 13 yard Landon Spaulding keeper, giving us six points on the board, following the missed PAT attempt. Again, however, before we could establish any meaningful momentum, the Indians scored on a 51 pass play from Quarterback Brian Ferguson to 6’5” Max Hunt, which quickly negated the Mustang score, as the Tribe extended their lead to 35-6 with 12 minutes remaining in the contest.

At the onset of the fourth quarter, we scored once again, this time a Landon Spaulding one-yard plunge into the endzone, and as an encore, he completed the two-point conversion, making it 35-14. Ben D’Alessandro then executed a perfect onside kick allowing the Mustangs to recover and maintain possession. With the recovery we took possession at the Indians 34 yard line, but turned it over on an interception laying our late-game mini-rally to rest. The Indians tacked on one more score as Dustin Wilson crossed the goal line from 9 yards out with 4:39 remaining in the game, for what would be the final score of 41-14 when the PAT attempt went awry.

On th night Spaulding ran the ball 20 times for 54 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Through the air he was 12 of 23 for 80 yards and was picked off twice. Bentley McKinzie picked up 56 yards on 11 carries, and Tommy Busby gained 59 yards on 10 carries. Brady Boruske, who is obviously not 100%, managed 3 catches for 22 yards. Quinten Tischner hauled in 3 aerials for 16 yards, and Austin Johnson caught 5 passes thrown his way, for 36 yards.

Adam Noe and Patrick Blair on the BMustangs broadcast were quick to credit the efforts of Austin Johnson, who was coming off of an injury, and the efforts of Freshman Tommy Busby, who had our night’s longest run of 21 yards. They also complimented Ben D’Alessandro for succeeding on a pair of onside kicks, which could come in handy down the stretch. We will also hope for a speedy recovery of Quinten Tischner and Brady Boruske who sat out much of the second half with injuries.

District seeding play continues next Friday night at the friendly confines, when Ludlow, who is coming off of a bye week, invades the MAC. They will bring a 5-2 record to Alexandria, having defeated Newport soundly early in the season, but lost to Walton-Verona 33-0. Go Figure! Game time will be 7pm. Come out and support these guys. A win assures us a home game in the playoffs. Newport fell to NCC 17-6 on the hill after leading the Breds 6-0 at intermission. Newport, NCC, and Dayton, who improved to 7-0 with a lopsided win over Bellevue, are all formidable on the other side of our bracket.

Our Mustang JVs will be in action Saturday (10-10) morning versus Holy Cross at the MAC.

For the first twenty-two minutes of the twenty four minutes played in the first half, our Mustangs, with the exception of an interception glitch, totally outplayed Ludlow, our Senior Night opponents.  In the opening stanza we would pick up seven first downs and score on a two-yard Tommy Busby carry, finishing off a 52 yard drive.  Meanwhile Ludlow possessed the ball on two occasions – a 3 and out, and we returned the pass interception favor.  Total domination. For the first ten minutes of the second quarter it was more of the same as Landon Spaulding orchestrated yet another 52 yard drive, putting another six points on the board when Jaxon Miller fell on a ball in the endzone that was knocked loose from Spaulding as he was crossing the goal line.  Neither Ryan Eldridge’s PAT, nor our two-point conversion efforts were good, but we enjoyed a 12-0 lead heading to halftime with Ludlow nowhere close to figuring out the Brossart defense.  With merely 1:34 remaining in the half, Jaylen Stone returned a punt 45 yards, breaking two tackles that would have put the Panthers at mid-field, and scampered up the sideline to paydirt.  Suddenly it was 12-7 when Finn McMillan split the uprights, and neither the half, nor the Panthers scoring had ended.  Spaulding would then be intercepted for the second time, resulting in the Panthers possessing the ball, first- and- goal at the Brossart 4 Yard line.  They would get it as close as a half-yard away before flags became our friend, causing the Panthers to settle for a 22-yard Finn McMillan Field-Goal.  Suddenly, what looked like a Brossart cakewalk, nearly turned into a halftime deficit as the Mustangs demonstrated our school motto of “Charity First,” literally gifting the Panthers those 10 points.  With momentum now in a Ludlow uniform, they would receive the ball to begin the second half. 

That first Ludlow possession in the second half would be pivotal following a near-miss onsides kick attempt by Ben D’Alessandro, as the Mustangs emerged from halftime on a mission, causing loss after loss on that first series forcing the Panthers to punt.  A statement had been made, but we were unable to score ourselves in the third period as the two teams exchanged punches with the score remaining 12-10 with 12 minutes to play in the game.  In the fourth quarter Ludlow blinked first as a 55-yard Landon Spaulding run set up a 3 yard touchdown, culminating a 70 yard drive, as Spaulding called his own number, giving the home team an 18-10, and then 19-10 lead when Ryan Eldridge’s PAT attempt was good, making it a two-possession Brossart lead.  Six minutes later, Ludlow answered as Quarterback Miller Reed hit Jaylen Stone on a 50 yard touchdown pass, and when McMillen’s PAT was good, the Panthers were right back within 2-points at 19-17, with 3:52 to play in the game.  But this time not to worry, Spaulding put together another 51 yard drive resulting in his scoring the icing on the cake touchdown with 33 seconds remaining, giving the home team the 26-17 victory, assuring us a home playoff game with a win over Trimble County next Friday night.

On the night, Landon Spaulding was 9 of 14 through the air for 124 yards, and 2 interceptions.  His Ludlow counterpart, Miller Reed went 5 for 19 for 77 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception.  By land, Spaulding racked up 148 yards on 18 carries that included a pair of touchdowns.

Brossart picked up 16 First Downs to Ludlow’s 10, and also led in the Total Yards by a wide margin 337 yard to the Panthers’ 173.  On the ground, we gained 213 yards while holding Ludlow to merely 96 yards.

For his efforts on our behalf, Senior Quarterback Landon Spaulding was named the BMustangs.com Player of the Game.  His post-game interview can be heard near the end of the broadcast replay.

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.

Post game recaps are generally posted by the next day.