GIRARD — Despite their 1-4 record, Friday’s contest against the winless Osawatomie Trojans has playoff implications for the Iola Mustangs, especially after their 41-7 loss to the Girard Trojans last Friday.
A step away from Pioneer League play was not so kind to the Mustangs, as mistakes piled up early. The Mustangs faced a 0-20 deficit before the end of the first quarter.
“It was a rough one, and a little disappointing,” Iola coach David Daugharthy said. “We have a lot of work to do. There are still positives from tonight. I’m always going to see a silver lining to things.”
In the fourth quarter, Iola got on the board after Reed Clift, sophomore quarterback, found junior receiver Jase Herrmann on a 85-yard bomb. Along with tossing Iola’s only touchdown, Reed also had a team-leading 75 yards.
“It’s frustrating because we took a step forward last week, and I feel like we took a step back here. We’re going to have to take two steps forward next week,” Daugharthy said.
With the loss, the Mustangs fall to 1-4 overall and even their district record to 1-1 after defeating Anderson County during Homecoming for their first victory of the season.
The Mustangs jump back into Pioneer League play Friday when they host another district team in the Osawatomie Trojans (0-5, 0-3).
After not fielding a team last season, the 2025 Trojans are still wet behind the ears, but Daugharthy has no plans to underestimate any opponent.
“Tonight was rough, and we’ve had some rough games this year. We find ways to bounce back,” Daugharthy said. “The group of kids we have, they’re coachable and eager to learn. We’re going to have to learn from tonight because we’re going to face an offense that looks exactly like this the last week of districts. It’s just a matter of continuing to grow.”
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
