Worth County's senior squad was one touchdown away from an unbeaten season last year. Last Saturday, they have a whole lot farther to go after they fell to a Mount Ayr Raider squad that was loaded with 6th graders 32-8. Coach Richard Baker said that Mount Ayr's first touchdown "let the air out of our team." "We saw some good things out of everyone, but not all at one time." Baker said that the team had a lot of work to do before Saturday's home game at 1:00 to get back on the winning track. Specifically, he mentioned getting on the blocking sleds and working on their stances.
A fumbled snap led to the Tigers losing the ball on downs and Mount Ayr took over on the Tiger 35. After a ragged sequence in which both sides were moving, the Raiders were stuck at their own 38 at third and 17. But Zach Murphy took a pitchout 10 yards and then Kyle Dolecheck took an option 13 yards to the 19 for the first down. Dolecheck victimized the Tigers all day long with his running. Five plays later, Levi Jared would score Mount Ayr's first touchdown. Logan Stark caught the two-point conversion pass to make it 8-0 with 4:26 left in the first quarter.
The real backbreaker came on the next series. Aided by an offsides penalty, Brevin Ross converted third and inches with a first down run down to the Mount Ayr 34. But quarterback Ben Badell was thrown for a loss of three and a false start made it third and 18 at their own 32. Badell then threw the ball into a crowd of white shirts and Dolecheck added a pick-six to make it 14-0 with 13:54 left in the half.
Worth County was inadvertently given an extra down on its next series, but still couldn't convert thanks to a fumbled pitch that made it third and 18 on their own 22. The Tigers were forced to punt and Mount Ayr took over on their own 20. From there, Trevor Anderson ran around end for 19 yards to the 39; three plays later, Dolecheck went back to pass, found nobody open, and scrambled 39 yards for Mount Ayr's third score to make it 20-0 with 6:26 left.
The Tigers fumbled another snap to set themselves in a second and 11 hole. A pair of runs by Brevin Ross nearly got them out of that hole and set up fourth and two at their own 38, but a false start wiped out any hopes of a first down and the Tigers were forced to punt again. Anderson took off for a 27-yard sweep, but on their next play, Mount Ayr made one of their few miscues, fumbling the ball away; Montana Lykins pounced on the loose carom as time was running down in the half.
Worth County started off determined to make a game of it, but everything went out the window on the second play. Mount Ayr had a busted play, but poor tackling on Worth County's part meant Dolecheck was off to the races again, this time for a 47-yard score that made it 26-0 with 12:42 left. But Worth County was able to use a late hit after the touchdown run was over to answer as they started off on Mount Ayr's 35. Facing third and six at the Mount Ayr 31, Brevin Ross got seven down to the Mount Ayr 24. The Tigers were faced with third and 9 from the 23 but Ben Badell aired it out to Jonny Carlson for a 21-yard pass play that set up first and goal at the 2. Two plays later, Brevin Ross scored from one yard out with 6:02 left in the third quarter. Jonny Carlson's pass made it 26-8.
Mount Ayr ate a lot of time off the clock but Worth County finally got a stop. A fumbled snap set back Mount Ayr second and 14 on their own 26, but three consecutive carries by Dolecheck got them a first down on the Tiger 36. Trayton Breit shot through and forced a bad pitchout that made it second and 14 at the 40. Breit then hurried Dolecheck into an errant throw on third down. But Dolecheck was off to the races as he got a 16-yard gain down to the Tiger 24. But a clipping penalty, a false start penalty, and a bad snap were too much for even Dolecheck to overcome and Mount Ayr was forced to punt, giving the Tigers the ball on their own 20.
Worth County got another good drive going and threatened to make it a two-possession game. This time, it was Nathan Pointer who caught a long pass for a 27-yarder to the Mount Ayr 36. Brevin Ross carried for five yards on a cutback run and then Jonny Carlson took a reverse down to the 23. But the blocking was nonexistent on the next few plays as the Tigers were driven back to the 31. Pointer caught a long pass, but his 15-yarder was not enough for the first down and Mount Ayr took over on downs. Dolecheck lined up at receiver and took a reverse 55 yards for a touchdown with 1:47 left to account for the final score.
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