OSAWATOMIE — Friday’s 20-14 victory in Osawatomie represents another key development in the maturation of the Mustangs, according to their leader.
“We have to learn how to win,” Iola coach Doug Kerr said. “We have been relearning how to win since 2013. We’ve had these type of games the last two years and we have come up short every time, and tonight we tried every way to come up short, but the kids just reared back and played their tails off in the second half. They threw a shutout in the second half.”
The Mustangs seem snake-bitten by turnovers and penalties, but when it mattered most the Mustangs stood tall and were able to escape Osawatomie’s Homecoming atmosphere with a much needed win to improve their record to 2-4 with next Friday’s first district game with Burlington looming.
“This means a lot, because we should have beaten them by a lot more,” senior quarterback Ben Cooper said. “But preseason is over now, and we are ready to start the real season.”
A pair of unlikely heroes stepped up on Friday; or at least unlikely on the side of the ball that they performed best against Osawatomie.
Junior Isaac Vink — known for his talents as Iola’s top cornerback — made a big impact early in the game as a receiver.
“They really overplayed Joey (Zimmerman) and Ethan (Holloway) tonight and they weren’t going to let them beat them,” Kerr said. “We said in game planning that somebody else has to step up and Isaac did.”
With Iola trailing 8-7, senior quarterback Ben Cooper found Vink – who had only one reception before this week – for 19 yards to get the Mustangs down to the Trojan 11.
“That got my confidence up,” Vink said. “I think it got Ben’s confidence up and the whole team’s confidence up to know that we can run and pass against (Osawatomie).”
Iola sophomore running back Tayton Driskel paid that drive off with a 4-yard touchdown drive and Iola took a 14-8 lead early in the second quarter.
Driskel finished the game with 150 yards on 23 carries.
After Osawatomie tied the game at 14 on a long passing play, Vink made the biggest catch of the season for Iola.
On a fourth-and-6 from the Trojan 40, Cooper and Vink connected on a 39-yard completion to put Iola on the doorstep of the end zone.
The best part of the play, according to Kerr, was the football intelligence that Vink showed to even be in position to make the play.
“He broke off his route and came back for the ball,” Kerr said. “He made an amazing play, because we had two guys in the same spot and Ben overthrew Joey, but Vink made a great play.”
