After spotting host East Knox a 6-0 lead in the first quarter, Mount Gilead controlled the rest of the contest in picking up a 22-6 win and improving to 4-2, 2-1 in KMAC play.
The Bulldogs scored on a long touchdown pass in the first quarter, but the Indians responded with a seven-yard interception return by Matthew Bland. Bland added a two-point conversion run to give his team the lead at 8-6.
MG would get eight more points in the second quarter when Bland hit Owen High for a 27-yard touchdown pass and added his second two-point run. The score remained 16-6 until the fourth quarter, when Garrett George added a four-yard touchdown run for his team’s final six points.
“I am very pleased with our heart and our fight,” said head coach Mike Reid. “We put ourselves in some bad spots, but the boys always moved onto the next play and made some huge plays. It’s a good night when you record eight sacks, have three takeaways and have a defensive score.”
Bland ran for 62 yards and completed 4-of-9 passes for 160 more. High had two catches for 95, while Carson Trainer added one reception for 64 yards. George picked up a team-high 87 rushing yards.
Highland Scots
A huge second half by junior running back Dane Nauman paced Highland to a 42-28 win at Marion Harding Friday.
Nauman ran for touchdowns of 73, 60 and 52 yards in the second half to help the Scots (4-2, 3-0 in the MOAC) pass and hold off the Presidents in the high-scoring game. With the team trailing 8-0 going into the second quarter, he also had a three-yard touchdown run to get the team on the board at 8-7.
Highland would take a 14-8 lead when Chandler Stevens scored on a blocked punt, but Harding would score twice in the final 63 seconds of the half to lead by a 21-14 count.
Kolton Stover opened the second-half scoring with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Layton Shaffer and Nauman would follow with his first touchdown of the second half to put Highland up 28-21. His next touchdown, early in the fourth quarter, made it a two-touchdown lead. While Harding quickly responded, Nauman’s final touchdown of the game was able to put Highland back on top by 14, which is how the game ended.
Nauman finished with 336 yards on 30 carries. Stover hit on 6-of-9 passes for 59 yards, with Zach Schmidt catching three for 27. Caleb Hunter was perfect on six extra-point tries.
Cardington Pirates
Host Centerburg pulled away from Cardington in the second half to claim a 47-14 victory.
The game was close at the half. After trailing 14-0 after the opening quarter, the Pirates got on the board early in the second period on a two-yard run by quarterback Kaiden Beach. With Cardington trailing 21-7, Beach struck through the air, hitting Ashton Plowman for a three-yard touchdown to bring his team within a 21-14 count.
Unfortunately, the second half would be a different story. Centerburg got 13 points in both the third and fourth periods, while keeping the Pirates off the board, to widen their advantage and pick up the KMAC win.
Cardington (1-5, 0-3 in league play) got 141 yards rushing and 104 passing from Beach. Wyatt Denney had a 75-yard catch, while Austin Vails added three receptions for 30 yards.
