[wpbvideo id=’318315′]
By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
SCA rivals Mountain Grove and MV/BT Liberty met for the second time this season. This time it was a win-or-go-home situation to open district play. Liberty came away with its second win over its rival this year in a 35-0 decision.
“I thought our offensive line played really well,” said Eagles head coach Darin Acklin, noting his team played their best in the first half. “Our quarterback threw the ball well, running backs were the two-headed monster, our fullback and our tailback played well, and all around our receivers were catching the football. Offensively we did well, and you can’t leave out the defense. Defense didn’t let them score all night long, so to pinpoint a couple of players here and there would be hard to do because it was a total team effort tonight.”
The Panthers got off to a rocky start, turning over their first possession on downs despite three carries for first down gains from Trevor Thompson.
The Eagles quickly took control of the game. Junior quarterback Jaris Acklin completed passes to Andrew Holden for 8 yards and Colten Foster for 14, and Tanner Marshall for 13, culminating in a 32-yard touchdown pass to Foster.
Holden added the extra point to go up 7-0.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
On the home team’s next possession, Foster grabbed an Acklin pass, then batted down his defender for a 27-yard gain. Acklin scored the keeper touchdown, 14-0.
In the second quarter, Thompson continued to pick up first downs for the Panthers, and a completion from quarterback Rhett Wakefield to Brody Sparks advanced the ball 9 yards. But the Eagle defense shut down Mountain Grove’s momentum and continued building their own.
For the Eagles’ next possession, Acklin connected with Foster, Holden, and Zach Stretch in the air for 48 yards. Seth Stephens gained 32 yards on four carries, and Tanner Marshall picked up 14 yards before scoring from 5 yards out, 21-0.
The Eagles would punt with 49 seconds remaining in the half, but Holden dove on Grove’s fumble to recover the ball for Liberty. Acklin’s 26-yard touchdown pass to Foster came with 8.7 seconds left on the clock , bumping the Eagles to 28-0 going into the locker room.
Liberty was once again moving down the field at the start of the second half when Mountain Grove’s freshman linebacker Jase Dowden picked off a pass. But the Panthers’ momentum ended there, as the Eagle defense quickly shut down their efforts.
The Eagles scored for the final time in start of the fourth to move to 35-0 and start the turbo clock. The possession was plagued with penalties, but Marshall and Stephens made up for it with huge gains on the field, including a 46-yard run from Stephens. Zeb Cornman tacked on the touchdown.
“We have a lot of seniors, they’re not a bunch of selfish guys,” said Coach Acklin. “They get along and work well with each other. I haven’t had a senior class like this in a long time with so many numbers, and it’s really nice to have seniors on the field. The sophomores and juniors mix in there and they get along really well, so we’ve had some close games and had to pull off some at the very end, but that’s the indication you’ve got some veterans on the field.”
Mountain Grove finished 5-5 in Brandon Rogers’ first season as head coach.
“I’m really proud of my kids,” he said. “It’s easy to let down or give up after an 0-3 start, but the kids fought all year and ended up going on a 5-1 streak, won some big ball games and got to .500. Tonight didn’t work out for us, but overall, they are a good bunch of kids and I’m proud of them.”
For the Eagles, Jaris Acklin was 14 of 25 passing for 211 yards and two touchdowns, also rushing for two yards and a touchdown. Seth Stephens gained 106 yards on 15 carries. Tanner Marshall had 12 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown, and Zeb Cornman rushed for 7 yards and a touchdown. Brodyn Kenaga had 10 tackles; Seth Stephens, 7, and Zeb Cornman, 6.
For Mountain Grove, Rhett Wakefield was 8 of 16 passing for 88 yards. Trevor Thompson picked up 47 yards on 14 carries and added 58 yards on 4 receptions.
Kole Kuster made 5 tackles on the night, and Thompson and Brody Sparks each had 4.
The 7-3 Eagles will now challenge the 9-1 Ava Bears at Ava, the top seed in the tourney. This is the teams’ second match-up of the season, and Liberty will be eager to continue their six game winning streak and hope to avenge their earlier 24-14 loss.
