Area Football: Stanton aerial game too much for East Union

AFTON — Stanton’s offense has put plenty of work into its passing attack.

East Union saw just how strong the Vikings’ aerial game can be.

The Vikings used a number of big pass plays to power past the Eagles 42-6 Friday in Eight-player District 6.

Stanton showcased its passing prowess from the opening drive. Faced with fourth and long near midfield, the Vikings were able to complete a long pitch and catch for a score. The failed two-point conversion left the Vikings on top 6-0.

The Vikings’ passes exploited holes in the Eagles defense.

“We just couldn’t cover it,” said East Union co-coach James Hard. “That’s what it comes down too.

Stanton’s passes weren’t exactly zipped in to a receiver, but rather to a spot on the field. The Viking receivers were there on time for the catch.

“They threw nice passes,” Hardy said. “They threw to a spot and completed the passes. That was a huge part of the game.”

Stanton threw more than what East Union has seen this season.

“Most teams don’t throw that much in eight-man football,” Hardy said. “Their quarterback did a nice job throwing it. They threw to a spot. You could certainly tell they had practiced that. They did a nice job with that.”

East Union’s defense struggled to slow Stanton’s pass game down.

“Coverage-wise, it was tough to cover,” Hardy said.

The Eagles stalled on their first drive. Stanton tried to go for it on fourth and short in its own end, but fumbled and East Union recovered it.

The Eagles drove inside the Viking 5-yard line. But on fourth and goal, the Eagles were stymied.

Later in the quarter, Stanton used a big pass play for a touchdown. After another missed two-point try, the Vikings led 12-0.

“That was a momentum switcher right there,” Hardy said. “They scored. We couldn’t had an answer and we didn’t.”

Early in the second, the Vikings struck on a 39-yard touchdown pass. This time, the two-point conversion was good, giving the Vikings a 20-0 lead.

East Union sustained its longest drive of the half, moving to the Stanton 20 before the drive stalled.

Later in the quarter, the Vikings offense struck again for a 28-0 lead, the margin at halftime.

Stanton had 231 yards at halftime.

Even down that much, the Eagles still had hope.

“Being down 28-0 in Eight-man is not too much to overcome,” Hardy said.k “But it was a pretty tough night. We struggled to overcome it.”

The Vikings wasted little time striking in the second half, using a 71-yard touchdown pass and two-point conversion to go up 36-0 and start the running clock.

Stanton added a touchdown pass later in the second half for its final points.

Gabe Nixon took the ensuing kickoff back for a score for East Union’s only points.

Vikings quarterback Connor Hultman was 20-of-31 passing for 305 yards with six touchdowns. Drake Johnson had seven catches for 219 yards and four touchdowns. Stanton finished with 402 yards of offense.

East Union was held to 173 yards.

The Eagles face their first serious crisis of the season.

“We need to have a really good practice, good film study and refocus our attention on some of the details we have been before that we didn’t have,” Hardy said. “We need to find that fight again and get back after it.”

UP NEXT — East Union (5-1, 3-1) faces another stiff test Friday when it travels to Eight-player No. 4 Bedford. The Bulldogs (6-0, 4-0) routed Murray 64-20 Friday.

“It’s a tough district no matter who you play,” Hardy said.k “You have to come prepared. They’re a very good physical team. They showed in 11-man they can compete. In Eight-man, they bring a lot of the same things to the table. We’ll look at them on film, focus on one game at a time.”

Powerful Bulldogs overwhem Mustangs

MURRAY — Bedford has steadily climbed up the rankings this season in Eight-player football, moving up to the fourth position this week.

The Bulldogs, a perennial power in 11-man, showed Murray they’ve certainly made the adjustment to the Eight-player game quite well.

Bedford jumped out to a 50-14 halftime lead and cruised to a 64-20 win.

The Bulldogs were a traditional power in 11-man before shifting down to Eight-player this season.

“They’ve got a great coaching staff with dual head coaches that have got their boys to really buy into weight room,” said Murray coach Taylor Fulton. “They’re dedicated in the offseason, summer workouts. They get to some camps. They have a large number of participants. That’s a big benefit. Having 35-40 kids out for the eight-man game, you’re going to be successful. They’re going to do some things other teams can’t do. Winning games brings success. They’re going to keep that tradition going.”

Even in a lopsided loss, Fulton was pleased with how his team competed.

“We were able to match up with the number four team in the state for quite awhile,” Fulton said. “That’s encouraging as we finish up the year in district play.”

Fulton saw glimpses of what his team could do.

Sustaining the good plays throughout a series was a bit of challenge.

“We were able to do a lot of the things we wanted to do, but we couldn’t do it consistently,” Fulton said. “We’d match them with two great plays on offense or defense and on the third play we’d take a step back and put ourselves in a tough position. Consistency’s got to be the key moving forward.”

Bedford’s ground attack led by senior Sam McMillin did what they wanted at times.

“Number four is a great running back,” Fulton said. “He sees the field well. He has tremendous athleticism. We would have him wrapped up for a couple yard loss and he’d make us miss, then hit a cutback lane.”

The Bulldogs offensive line often bulldozed the Mustangs defensive line.

“We struggled up front trying to control the line of scrimmage,” Fulton said. “They played pretty well in the first half. They did a lot of things they wanted to do.”

Murray’s retooled offense, which was without the services of running back Jack Jones, moved the ball well at times, just not enough to keep up with Bedford.

“Reece Held did an excellent job at quarterback running the offense,” Fulton said.k “He stepped up in the pocket executing the game plan.”

UP NEXT — Murray (2-4, 0-4) is on the road Friday at Lamoni. The Demons (3-3, 1-3) fell to Wayne 20-14.

“We’re really looking forward to playing them,” Fulton said. “We’re looking forward to renewing the rivalry with them. They have a well-balanced team. They’re fairly young. They bring a lot of talent to the field. They run a lot of dive option. They have a healthy passing attack. They’re similar to us athletically.

“We’re looking forward to it being a very good game.”

Pleasantville races past Mount Ayr

PLEASANTVILLE — Pleasantville’s team speed gives it an advantage over most other teams it plays.

The Trojans quickness was a weapon Mount Ayr could not stop as Pleasantville rolled to a 40-0 win Friday in Class 1A District 5.

“They’re fast,” said Mount Ayr coach Delwyn Showalter.

Pleasantville’s skill players are more than just fast. They’re equally elusive.

“They’re very shifty,” Showalter said.k “A number of times we felt we were zeroed in on a tackle and they were able to make a cut and get away from us.”

The Trojans speed led to both a kickoff return and a punt return for a touchdown.

“I thought we had them hemmed in,” Showalter said.k “They got to a corner and we couldn’t catch them.”

Mount Ayr didn’t have enough speed to match Pleasantville.

“It’s frustrating,” Showalter said. “You can’t do much against it.”

The Raiders struggled to keep much in the way of forward offensive momentum going,

“We weren’t able to sustain anything,” Showalter said.

Turnovers cost the Raiders dearly.

“We had a nice pass over the middle. It looked like we were going to get a first down and all of the sudden they had popped the ball right out of our hands, there was a scrum going, they got it and were going the other way,” Showalter said.

Turnovers continue to be an issue for the Raiders.

“That’s been a difficult situation for us all year,” Showalter said. “ We’ve had issues with turnovers.”

Pleasantville’s offense took advantage of the short field created by its defense.

“We did a pretty decent job of stopping them or not allowing them to get any big runs,” Showalter said. “They had short fields a number of times. We hurt ourselves in a lot of cases.

“We couldn’t keep them contained for very long. It was only a matter of time.”

Led by its defensive line, Pleasantville’s defense effectively stymied Mount Ayr’s offense.

“Their defensive line is very good,” Showalter said. “They have a lot of quickness up front. It was hard for us to get a block. Even when we’d get a block at the point of attack. They were that quick. It was really hard to find good success.”

UP NEXT — Mount Ayr (3-3, 1-2) hosts Woodward-Granger Friday on Homecoming night in Mount Ayr. The Hawks (3-3, 3-1) defeated Des Moines Christian 27-21 Friday.

“Woodward-Granger’s a very physical team. They’re going to line up, go right at you and run it down our throat. We’re going to have to do a good job up front. We have to be able to stop their run and force them to do something else.”

A more consistent offense effort is needed after the Raiders have scored only 14 points in the past two weeks.

“Offensively, we’re going to have to be able to move the football,” Showalter said. “We have to find out a way to move the ball and keep the defense off the field.”