BY JAMES SAVILLE

Mount Ayr Community fans who made the trip to Greenfield witnessed an unbelievable second half comeback by the Raiders that led to a 35-27 win over the Nodaway Valley Wolverines on September 25.  

Even the most loyal Raider fan had to feel a little down as the Wolverines dominated the Raiders in all phases of the game in the first half, building a 21-0 lead.  

Whatever strategy or motivation used by the Raider players and coaches at halftime should be bottled and kept in a secure place because the guys wearing the white uniforms in the final 24 minutes played much, much better than they did in the first 24.  

“We did make a few changes,” admitted coach Delwyn Showalter.  “We just had to get more focused on each man doing his job.”  

Coach Derek Lambert continued, “We knew Nodaway Valley was a talented team, but we made them look even better by not being able to do even the simple things, like catch the ball, run hard and block somebody. Our young men accepted the challenge and played a simply amazing second half.”

Nodaway Valley returned the opening kickoff to the Raider 49 to begin their first scoring drive.  It took the Wolverines about four minutes and nine plays to grab an early 7-0 lead.  Zach Jacobson carried the last 18 yards and Sam Lowry added the PAT at the 7:57 mark of the first quarter.  

The Raiders returned the kickoff back to the Mount Ayr 37 to begin their first possession.  Chad Starlin slipped through the Wolverine defense for 18 yards, getting the Raiders a first down in Nodaway Valley territory.  The Raider drive stalled at the Wolverine 25 when Dusty Lyden was just about a foot short on a fourth down rush.  

Nick Fox engineered a 75-yard scoring drive comprised of a mixture of Jacobson runs and  four straight pass completions.  Spencer Scar made an outstanding grab of Fox’s fourth aerial, good for 34 yards and the second Nodaway Valley touchdown with less than a minute gone in the second period.  Sam Lowry added the PAT and with 11:14 left in the first half, the Raiders were staring at a 14-0 deficit. 

Matt Jones carried four times and the Raiders picked up two first downs taking the ball out to the Raider 45 on Mount Ayr Community’s second possession.  A short gain and a couple of incomplete passes and the Raiders were forced to punt the ball back to Nodaway Valley.  

Nick Fox rolled out, tucked the ball in and raced 71 yards to the Raider one-yard line.  Two plays later the Wolverine QB dove over from the one for the third TD of the game.  Lowry added the PAT and the Wolverine homecoming crowd cheered their 21-0 lead with 6:03 left in the second quarter.  

The Raiders moved the ball from the 20 to near the 50 before punting the ball back to the Wolverines with under a minute left in the first half.  The Wolverines allowed the clock to run out and jogged off the field with a commanding 21-0 lead.

The Raiders took the second half kickoff and began their first drive at the 29-yard line.  Korey Beaman caught a Showalter pass for the Raiders initial first down of the second half.  Cade Lambson ripped off a big 20-yard run getting the Raiders the third first down inside the Wolverine 30.  A holding penalty moved the Raiders back outside the 40, but Chad Starlin scampered to the 27 and a horse collar penalty gave the Raiders a first down at the Wolverine 12.   Three plays later David Showalter got the Raiders on the board as  he  bowled over from the three.  Korey Beaman kicked the PAT and with 6:12 left in the quarter, the Raiders trailed 21-7.  

It only took Nodaway Valley a minute to answer as Nick Fox again was the major factor in the drive.  He hit Spencer Scar for 22 yards and then broke tackles on a 53-yard scoring run increasing the lead back to 27-7.  The Raiders blocked the PAT keeping the margin at 20 with 5:02 left in the third quarter.  

The Raiders needed only four plays to answer the Nodaway Valley touchdown with one of their own.  Matt Jones gained 12, a Showalter to Beaman 16-yard pass got the Raiders a first down at the Wolverine 42.  Cade Lambson broke through the first line of defense and rumbled 42 yards to the pylon and the score was 27-13.  Korey Beaman added the PAT at the 3:23 mark of period number three and the Raiders were within 13 at 27-14.

The Raiders tried an onside kick, but Nodaway Valley recovered with good field position at their own 44.  The Raider defense finally stopped the Fox-led offense and Spencer Scar dropped back to punt for the Wolverines.  The snap sailed over his head and the Raiders tackled him for a 32-yard loss at the Wolverine 19.  

Dusty Lyden, Cade Lambson and Matt Jones each carried the ball with Jones going over from the four with 18 seconds left in the third quarter. Beaman’s third PAT was successful and the game was starting to get close at 27-21.  

The third quarter ended in a bizarre manner as Beaman missed his squib kickoff, but the ball bounced the required 10 yards and Jordan Clymer came out of the pile with the ball, putting the Raiders back in business at the 45-yard line.

After a motion penalty moved the Raiders back, Matt Jones’ nine-yard run got the Raiders inside the 30. The Wolverines then got a steady diet of Cade Lambson right up the middle, getting the Raiders a first down at the 12.  Lambsondragged tacklers into the end zone from the 12 for what looked like the tying score, but a yellow flag fluttered in from across the field nullifying the TD.  The Raiders needed five more plays to score the tying TD with Lambson bulling in from the one with 6:34 left in the game.  Beaman split the uprights and the Raiders had come all the way back to take a 28-27 lead.

Nodaway Valley’s potent offense suddenly had to face an inspired Raider defense and the visitors were not going to be denied.  The Wolverines got one first down, but on a second and nine situation, the Raiders’ Brian Still and Matt Jones were not fooled by a reverse and threw Spencer Scar for a 14-yard loss.  Nick Fox gained no yards on third  down and Matt Jones threw Fox for a four-yard loss of fourth down giving the Raiders the ball at the Nodaway Valley  24.  

Matt Jones blasted 19 yards to the five for a Raider first down.  The Raiders ran the clock down before Jones went over from the one with seven seconds left on the clock. Beaman’s fifth PAT was good and a shocked Wolverine crowd looked at a scoreboard showing the Raiders leading by 8.   

The Wolverines got to run two plays as the Raiders were called for pass interference on a desperation throw on a first down play.  The Raiders tackled the ball carrier on the next play completing one of the best comebacks in recent Raider football history 35-27.

Cade Lambson led the Mount Ayr rushing attack with 110 yards on 15 carries.  Dusty Lyden carried 16 times for 72 yards, Matt Jones had 66 yards on 10 carries, Chad Starlin 35 yards on six tries and David Showalter netted 19 yards on 10 carries.  Nick Fox led the Wolverines with 151 yards on 15 carries.  David Showalter was two of nine passing for 28 yards on Friday.  Korey Beaman caught both passes against the Wolverines.

Dylan Lame had 10 tackles including two for losses and a quarterback sack to lead the defense.  Cade Lambson had a sack and nine tackles, Matt Jones had a sack and two tackles for losses among his six stops, Brian Still seven tackles (two for losses), Jacob Glendenning five  tackles (one for a loss), Starlin five tackles, Dusty Lyden four,  Drake Schafer four, Devin Richards three (one for a loss), Dustin Pritchett three, Malcom Mercer two, Jesse Penick two and David Showalter one to complete the Raider tackle chart against the Wolverines.  

                                 MAC NV

First Downs               18     14

Yards Gained Rushing 315   222

Yards Lost Rushing   13     64                                 

Net Yards Rushing     302 158

Passes Attempted     9     10                                                           

Passes Completed     2       7                                                                  

Passes Intercepted 0 0

Net Passing Yards   28 100                                                                       

Total Net Offense  330 258

Punts/ Average 2/37.5 0/0

Rumbles/ Lost 0/0 2/1

Penalties/ Yards 6/55 2/20

1 2 3 4 Tot MAC 0 0 21 14 35

NV 7 14 6 0 27

 Mount Ayr Community’s Raiderettes picked up some wins and their first losses of the season in action this past week.

The girls ran their streak to five with a 3-2 win over Interstate 35, then fell to Bedford 3-0 for their first loss of the season.

At the East Union tournament Saturday the girls defeated Shenandoah but fell to Chariton and Winterset.

With the two wins and three losses the girls are now 6-3 for the season.

Mount Ayr Community 3, Interstate 35 2

Mount Ayr Community ran their season mark to 5-0 with an exciting 3-2 match win over the always strong Interstate 35 Roadrunners on Monday, Sept. 14.  

The game scores were 25-15, 25-22, 10-25, 19-25 and 15-12.  

“It was a great win as we played really well in a tough environment,” said coach Amy Shields.  

Listed are the varsity stats for the Interstate 35 win:

Hitting: Bailey Myer, 19-29, six kills; Tiffany Wimer, 16-25, four kills; Katelyn Sobotka, 14-17, five kills; Dawn O’Brien, 10-14, five kills; Jordyn Grose, 7-14, four kills; Becca Pennington, 6-6, five kills; Jensen Stewart, 5-7, two kills; Erica Kemery, 1-2. Team: 78-117, 19 kills.

Serving: Jensen Stewart, 22-23, five aces; Katelyn Sobotka, 14-15; Becca Pennington, 13-14, one ace; Erica Kemery, 12-14, four aces; Tiffany Wimer, 10-13; Bailey Myer, 7-10. Team: 58-72, 12 aces.

Digs: Tiffany Wimer, 20; Erica Kemery, 16; Bailey Myer, 15; Jensen Stewart, 7; Becca Pennington, 5; Jordyn Grose, 2; Katelyn Sobotka, 1. Team: 66.

Setting assists: Becca Pennington, 23; Katelyn Sobotka, 1; Bailey Myer, 1. Team: 25.

Serve recieve: Bailey Myer, 21-29; Tiffany Wimer, 15-22; Erica Kemery, 11-21; Becca Pennington, 1-2; Jensen Stewart, 2-2; Cacey Wilson, 1-1. Team: 50-76.

Blocks: Tiffany Wimer, 2; Jordyn Grose, 2; Bailey Myer, 2; Katelyn Sobotka, 1; Becca Pennington, 1. Team: 8.

Bedford 3, Mount Ayr Community 0

      Mount Ayr Community suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of the Bedford Lady Bulldogs in Bedford on September 15.  “

We played pretty well, but the Bedford squad played very strong at the net,” said coach Amy Shields.  The varsity record now stands at 5-1 .     

The Raiderettes held leads early in all three games, but the Bulldogs power allowed them to rally back in each contest to defeat the Raiderettes 3-0.  

The scores were: 25-19, 25-21 and 25-17.  Jensen Stewart topped the team in serving, Katelyn Sobotka had team leading nine kills and Becca Pennington again led the squad in sets. 

Tiffany Wimer was 83 percent on serve receive and Bailey Myer’s 21 digs topped the Raiderettes on Tuesday.

Listed are the varsity stats for the Bedford win:

Hitting: Bailey Myer, 19-26, six kills; Katelyn Sobotka, 16-16, nine kills; Tiffany Wimer, 14-14, five kills; Erica Kemery, 7-9, one kill; Jordyn Grose, 6-6, one kill; Dawn O’Brien, 5-6, one kill; Becca Penningotn, 2-2, two kills; Kelsey Glendenning, 1-2; Cacey Wilson, 1-1. Team: 73-82, 25 kills.

Serving: Jensen Stewart, 18-18, two aces; Becca Pennington, 8-8, one ace; Katelyn Sobotka, 8-8; Cacey Wilson, 8-8; Tiffany Wimer, 6-7; Erica Kemery, 5-5; Bailey Myer, 4-5, one ace. Team: 57-59, four aces.

Digs: Bailey Myer, 21; Erica Kemery, 17; Tiffany Wimer, 16; Beca Pennington, 14; Jensen Stewart. 8; Katelyn Sobotka, 4; Jordyn Grose, 3; Cacey Wilson, 2; Dawn O’Brien, 1. Team: 86.

Serve assists: Becca Pennington, 19; Katelyn Sobotka, 1. Team: 20.

Serve receive: Bailey Myer, 13-20; Tiffany Wimer, 10-12; Erica Kemery, 9-19; Jensen Stewart, 5-5; Cacey Wilson, 2-3. Team: 39-59.

Blocks: Katelyn Sobotka, 2; Becca Pennington, 2; Tiffany Wimer, 1. Team: 5.

East Union tournament

Mount Ayr Community went 1-2 in pool play at the East Union tournament in Afton on Saturday, Sept. 19. 

The Raiderettes started slow, dropping two games to the Chariton Chargers by scores of 21-11 and 21-12 in their opening match.  The Raiderettes lost to the State ranked 2A Winterset Huskies in the second match by scores of 21-9 and 21-14.  

The Raiderettes won their final match of the day by beating Shenandoah 21-19 and 21-18.  

“We had trouble getting started early in the morning against Chariton, but we started playing better against the Huskies,” said coach Amy Shields.  “We played well against the Fillies in the final match.”

Statistics from the three matches at the tournament included:

Hitting: Bailey Myer, 28-37, nine kills; Tiffany Wimer, 18-25, five kills; Dawn O’Brien, 13-18, two kills; Katelyn Sobotka, 11-17, three kills; Jordyn Grose, 9-11, two kills; Becca Pennington, 4-4, two kills; Jensen Stewart, 3-4, one kill; Ashley Phelps, 1-1. Team 87-107, 24 kills.

Serving: Tiffany Wimer, 16-19; Jensen Stewart, 15-17, four aces; Becca Pennington, 14-16, three aces; Katelyn Sobotka, 11-14, one ace; Bailey Myer, 8-9, two aces; Cacey Wilson, 5-5; Erica Kemery, 0-1. Team: 69-81, 10 aces.

Digs: Bailey Myer, 25; Becca Pennington, 20; Tiffany Wimer, 19; Erica Kemery, 16; Jensen Stewart, 15; Cacey Wilson, 8; Dawn O’Brien, 6; Jordyn Grose, 4; Ashley Phelps, 4; Katelyn Sobotka, 3. Team: 117.

Set assists: Becca Pennington, 16; Jensen Stewart, 5; Katelyn Sobotka, 1. Team: 22.

Serve receive: Bailey Myer, 33-50; Tiffany Wimer, 12-22; Ashley Phelps, 7-11; Jensen Stewart, 4-7; Erica Kemery, 3-9; Cacy Wilson, 1-4. Team: 80-103.

Blocks: Katelyn Sobotka, 7; Jordyn Grose, 6; Becca Pennington, 2; Dawn O’Brien, 1; Bailey Myer, 1. Team: 17.

Next action

The Raiderettes  hosted Lenox Tuesday, Sept. 22, and play in the Corning tournament Saturday, Sept. 26. They go to Nodaway Valley Tuesday, Sept. 29.

  Mount Ayr Community opened Class 1A District 6 play with a 21-12 victory over an emotionally charged Interstate 35 squad in Mount Ayr Friday night.

The Roadrunners were playing without running back Kaleb Vandyke, who was injured last week, and they gave the Raiders quite a challenge before losing 21-12.

“We dropped some passes and had some turnovers, but you have to give credit to the Roadrunners as they played very well,” said coach Derek Lambert.  

“We made some good defensive stands and we finally slowed Ethan Calvert some in the second half,” commented coach Delwyn Showalter.  “Their size and numbers took their toll, but our guys made some great plays in crucial situations.”

  Mount Ayr Community took less than a minute to score the first touchdown of the game, grabbing an early lead.  The Raiders started their scoring drive with an 18-yard pass from David Showalter to Matt Sobotka getting the Raiders quickly into Roadrunner territory.  Matt Jones cut inside a great block by Cade Lambson and roared 16 yards to the 22-yard line.  Matt Sobotka carried it in from there on the next play and Mount Ayr Community was on the board first at the 11:05 mark.  Korey Beaman added the PAT and the Raiders led 7-0.  

Beaman booted the kickoff into the end zone making Interstate 35 begin their first drive at their own 20.  Ethan Calvert went up the middle for 30 yards, getting the Roadrunners a first down at mid- field.  An Interstate 35 penalty helped the Raider defense force the visitors into a punting situation.  

The Raiders could not move the ball and the Roadrunners began their second drive on their 49-yard line.  Ethan Calvert was the workhorse on the ground as the Roadrunners got a first down at the Raider nine yard line.  The Raider defense stiffened and took over on downs at their own one yard line.  

Runs by Jones, Lambson and Love got the Raiders a first down out near the 20 yard line.  Showalter found Sobotka open in the flat for 13 yards and then hooked up with split end Korey Beaman for 42 more, putting the Raiders deep in Roadrunner territory at the 20 yard line.  The drive stalled and Interstate 35 got the ball back at the 20 when Korey Beaman’s 32- yard field goal attempt sailed wide right.

The Roadrunners went on a 18-play scoring drive (17 rushes and one pass) with Ethan Calvert taking the ball the final two yards, drawing the visitors within 1 at 7-6 at the 3:44 mark of the second period.  Korey Beaman knocked down Zach Moore’s PAT pass attempt to preserve the Raider one- point advantage. 

Mount Ayr Community took advantage of a good return to set up their next scoring drive at their own 45 yard line.  Most of the yardage came through the air as Sobotka gathered in one pass  and scooted to the Roadrunner 20 for a first down.  David Showalter completed a touchdown pass to Chad Starlin two plays later, increasing the Raider lead with just over a minute left in the first half.  Korey Beaman nailed the PAT and the Raiders took a 14-6 lead into the half-time break.

Matt Sobotka intercepted a Zach Moore pass early in the third quarter to give the Raiders great field position at the Roadrunner 32 yard line.  Runs by Cade Lambson and Matt Jones got the Raiders into the Red Zone.  

Matt Sobotka got some great blocks and took the ball for a first down at the two yard line.  Matt Jones blasted in for the TD at the 7:25 mark of the period.  Korey Beaman remained perfect on PAT’s and Mount Ayr led 21-6.  Neither team moved the ball effectively the remainder of the quarter and the teams headed into the final 12 minutes with Mount Ayr Community enjoying a 15-point lead.

Dylan Lame stopped the Roadrunners early in the fourth by pouncing on a fumble, but the Raiders ran just three plays and punted the ball back to Interstate 35 again.  

The Roadrunners got a good return and started what was to be another scoring drive. Five different players rushed the ball before Zach Moore hit Dillon Wickett with a pass for the second Roadrunner touchdown.  The 22-yard strike cut the lead to 21-12 and the score remained that way as the Raiders were able to thwart an important two-point conversion try.

The clock showed over seven minutes left to play when the Raiders started their next  drive.  The Raiders put their defense to the test as after making two first downs they fumbled the ball back to the Roadrunners at midfield with just under five minutes left.  

The defense held the Roadrunners on a big fourth and six play at the Raider 32 and regained control of the ball.  Mount Ayr  Community did not get any first downs, but did run some time off the clock before punting the ball back to Interstate 35. 

Jake Glendenning was able to knock down a fourth down pass attempt and the Raiders took over and were able to run out the clock and complete the 21-12 district victory.

David Showalter completed 63 percent of his passes good for 126 yards and one touchdown.  Chad Starlin had the TD reception, Matt Sobotka caught three passes and Korey Beaman hauled in a big 42 yarder Friday.  

Matt Jones again led the rushing attack with 80 yards on 14 carries and Matt Sobotka netted 37 yards on six rushes.  Interstate’s Ethan Calvert led all ball carriers with 156 yards on 22 carries in the game. 

The defense had a busy night as the Roadrunners rushed the ball 57 times Friday.  

Matt Jones was in on 15 tackles, Cade Lambson 14, Dylan Lame nine, Brian Still eight and Drake Schafer seven to help limit the Roadrunners to just two TD’s.   

MAC I-35

First Downs   14     19

Yards Gained Rushing 179   270

Yards Lost Rushing 33       2                                 

NetYardsRushing 146 268

Passes Attempted     8     15                                                           

Passes Completed     8       6                                                                  

Passes Intercepted 0  1

Net Passing Yards 126   67                                                                        

Total Net Offense 272 335

Punts/ Average           4/35 2/28.5

Fumbles/ Lost 1/1 1/1

Penalties/ Yards  3/18 5/40

1 2 3 4 TOT

MAC 7 7 7 0 21

I-35   0 6 0 6 12

 Two wins against Pride of Iowa conference teams have marked the first week of action of the Mount Ayr Community Raiderette girls volleyball team.

The girls blanked Southeast Warren 3-0 in Liberty Center Tuesday, Sept. 1, then rallied for a 3-2 win over Pleasantville in Mount Ayr Thursday, Sept. 3.

Mount Ayr Community 3, Southeast  Warren  0

Mount Ayr had an impressive opening to the 2009 volleyball season as they handled the Southeast Warren Warhawks 3-0 in Liberty Center on September 1.       The Raiderettes won by scores of 25-15, 25-23, 25-18.   “We looked very good, especially for an opening match,” observed coach Amy Shields.  “We did many things well tonight.”

Jensen Stewart and Katelyn Sobotka had a fine night serving as they combined for 12 service aces against the Lady Warhawks.  Becca Pennington led the setting as she was 46-54 for the match.  Bailey Myer and Erica Kemery topped the team in digs. 

Listed are the varsity stats for the  win:

Hitting -- Bailey Myer, 16-20, four kills; Tiffany Wimer, 16-19, four kills; Katelyn Sobotka, 8-10, two kills; Dawn O’Brien, 5-6, three kills; Jordyn Grose, 4-4, one kills; Sarah Dredge, 2-3, one kill. Totals: 56-63, 15 kills.

Serving -- Jensen Stewart, 17-20, five aces;  Katelyn Sobotka, 13-16, seven aces; Becca Pennington, 9-11, three aces; Bailey Myer, 8-9, four aces; Erica Kemery, 5-7, one ace; Tiffany Wimer, 3-6, one ace; Cacey Wilson, 1-3, one ace. Totals: 57-72, 22 aces.

Digs: Bailey Myer, 12; Erica Kemery, 8; Katelyn Sobotka, 4; Tiffany Wiemr, 2; Jensen Stewart, 2; Becca Pennington, 1. Total: 29.

Setting assists: Becca Pennington,16; Katelyn Sobotka, 1; Bailey Myer, 1.

Serve receive: Erica Kemery, 7-17; Tiffany Wimer, 6-9; Bailey Myer, 5-12; Jensen Stewart, 2-3; Cacey Wilson, 1-2. Total: 21-43.

Blocks: Katelyn Sobotka, 1; Jordyn Grose, 1. Team: 2.

Mount Ayr Community 3, Pleasantville 2

Mount Ayr Community had to fight back from a 2-1 deficit to defeat the visiting Pleasantville Trojans 3-2 in Mount Ayr on September 3.  

“We lost focus and played some uninspired volleyball,  especially in game number three,” commented coach Amy Shields.  “We were able to come back in the final two games to secure the win.”

Jensen Stewart did a good job serving in game munber one as the Raiderettes got off to an early lead and they came away with a 25-17 victory.  

Things started to deteriorate in game number two for the Raiderettes as the Lady Trojans took the victory by a score of 25-14.  

It looked like the Raiderettes had things back in control in game number three as they led 23-19, but they allowed the visitors to score six straight points and take game number three by a 25-23 count.    

Becca Pennington got Mount Ayr Community a big lead in game number four and Katelyn Sobotka put down the final point and the Raiderettes won 25-21, sending the match into the tie breaking fifth game.  

The Raiderettes won the fifth game 15-9 to take match 3-2. 

Bailey Myer had 10 kills and Becca Pennington had 23 setting assists for Mount Ayr Community.  Pennington also had a great night behind the service stripe as she hit 20-21 and scored six aces. 

Jensen Stewart was 23-26 with three aces and Katelyn Sobotka had two aces while going 14 of 15.  

Erica Kemery led the team in digs and Katelyn Sobotka topped the squad in blocks against Pleasantville.  

Listed are the varsity statistics for the win:

Hitting -- Bailey Myer, 27-38, 10 kills; Jordyn Grose, 18-21, eight kills; Katelyn Sobotka, 18-22, eight kills; Dawn O’Brien, 15-22, three kills; Tiffany Wimer, 14-23, four kills. Team: 118-154, 40 kills.

Serving -- Jensen Stewart, 23-26, three aces;  Becca Pennington, 20-21, six aces; Katelyn Sobotka, 14-15, two aces; Bailey Myer, 10-11; Cacey Wilson, 6-9, one ace; Erica Kemeryh, 6-8; Tiffany Wimer, 6-6. Team: 85-96; 12 aces.

Digs: Bailey Myer, 15; Erica Kemery, 18; Becca Pennington, 13; Tiffany Wimer, 9; Jensen Stewart, 8; Cacey Wilson, 7; Katelyn Sobotka, 3; Dawn O’Brien, 3. Total: 76.

Setting assists: Becca Pennington, 23; Jensen Stewart, 3; Tiffany Wimer, 2; Kelsey Glenenning, 1.

Serve receive: Erica Kemery, 15-29; Bailey Myer, 12-23; Tiffany Wimer, 5-9; Cacey Wilson, 2-3; Jensen Stewart, 1-3. Total: 35-67.

Blocks: Katelyn Sobotka, 2; Jordyn Grose, 1; Tiffany Wimer, 1; Dawn O’Brien, 1; Becca Pennington, 1. Team: 6.

Next action

The Raiderettes played at Corning on Tuesday and host the Wayne Falcons to

  Clarke ended its 10-game losing streak against Mount Ayr Community by downing the Raiders 12-3 in Osceola in the football season opener for both teams Friday night.

The Raiders had several new faces in the starting lineup and their inexperience showed on Friday night.  

“Our offensive execution was not where it has to be to win football games,” lamented coach Derric Lambert.  

“Our defense played pretty well except for a few missed assignments,” commented Delwyn Showalter.  

“We still have plenty things to work on this week and we need to improve before the Bulldogs come to town this Friday,” the coaches added.

Mount Ayr Community took the opening kickoff and returned it to the 33-yard line to begin their first possession.  David Showalter hit Matt Jones and Matt Sobotka with two quick passes getting the Raiders into Indian territory at the 41.  Matt Jones carried the ball to the 27-yard line before the drive stalled as David Showalter was sacked on a fourth down play at the Clarke 23.   

Dylan Lame soon recovered a fumble giving the Raiders the ball back in Clarke territory.  Matt Jones carried for a first down at the 30-yard line, but again the Raiders could not move the ball and turned  it back to the Indians on downs at the 38.  

The Raider defense forced the Indians to punt and Joe Lampe booted a 46-yarder that pinned the Raiders deep in their own territory at the 11.  The Raiders made two first downs before coughing up the pigskin at the Mount Ayr Community 41.

Clarke mounted their first scoring drive from that point with Ryan Harmsen and John Jones taking turns rushing for first downs.  Jones carried four straight times from the 18 and punched over for the first TD of the season from the one with 10:22 left in the first half.  The PAT was blocked and the Raiders trailed 6-0.  

The Raiders got a good return of the kickoff, but went backwards for three plays forcing them into a punting situation.   Korey Beaman launched a 64-yard punt putting the Clarke squad in a hole at their own 10.  

The Indians got one first down, but still punted the ball back to Mount Ayr just over midfield.  Matt Sobotka scampered to the Clarke 41, but this drive quickly ended when a Showalter pass was intercepted.  

Clarke maintained possession of the ball the remainder of the quarter and the half ended with the home team leading 6-0.

The second half started with the Raiders defense holding the Indians to just three yards on three plays forcing them to punt from their own 30.  The Raiders muffed the punt and allowed Clarke to regain possession at the Raider 48.  

The Raider defense forced the home team into a three and out again and the Raiders began their first drive of the second half at their own 31.  Matt Jones, Matt Sobotka and Cade Lambson carried the ball across the 50 into Clarke territory for a first down.  Chad Starlin snared a Showalter pass for another first down at the Clarke 35, but the Raiders could get only to the 31 and the home team took over on downs. 

A big pass play from Joe Lampe to Valentin Torres keyed the next scoring drive for the Indians.  Ryan Harmsen also had two big runs resulting in first downs inside the Raider 20.  Caleb Coale got outside the Raider defense and out ran the defenders for a 17-yard touchdown with 2:46 left in the quarter doubling the Clarke lead to 12-0.

Matt Sobotka returned the ensuing kickoff to near midfield setting up the only scoring drive of the night for Mount Ayr.  A pass to Matt Jones and runs by Cade Lambson got the ball to the 20- yard line, but the Raiders had to settle for Korey Beaman’s school record 43-yard field goal to get on the board at the 11:48 mark in the final quarter.

Joe Lampe rambled 63 yards for what appeared to be the Indians third touchdown only to have a penalty bring the ball back to the Raider 33.  Clarke fumbled a fourth and one play that  allowed the Raiders to get the ball back without  falling farther behind in the contest.  

Mount Ayr Community did not get any more first downs the rest of the night and their last possession ended in another interception and their fate was sealed.

Matt Jones was the leading rusher for the Raiders with 74 yards on 11 carries while senior Ryan Harmsen lugged the ball 27 times for Clarke,  good for team leading 117 yards. John Jones had 75 yards rushing and scored a TD for the Indians.  

David Showalter was 5-17 passing good for 53 yards.  Matt Jones caught three passes and Chad Starlin and Matt Sobotka one each for the Raiders.  

Dylan Lame was in on 11 tackles, four for losses, to have one of the top performances on the defense.  Cade Lambson was a part of 13 tackles, Matt Jones eight, Dustin Pritchett seven and Malcom Mercer six for the Raiders.  Brad Love recorded the only sack for Mount Ayr on Friday.  

Korey Beaman had a great night kicking as he averaged 55 yards on kickoffs, 64 yards on punts and made a 43-yard field goal to account for all the Raider scoring against Clarke.

                MAC Clarke

First Downs   13     18

Yards Rushing 131   288

Rush Yds. Lost 25     38                                 

Net Yds. Rushing  106 250

Passes Attempted   17       6                                                           

Passes Completed     5       2                                                                  

Passes Intercepted 2 0

Net Passing Yards   53     29                                                                        

Total Net Offense 159 279

Punts/ Average 1/64.0 5/28.2

Fumbles/ Lost  4/3 4/1

Penalties/ Yards 4/36 7/ 58

                1 2 3 4 Tot

Mount Ayr 0 0 0 3 3

Clarke       0 6 6 0 12