Mustangs Fall In Playoff
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Kosciusko County Mustangs coach Steve Richardson knew what his football team had to do to beat the Darke County Warriors Saturday.
Knowing what to do and doing it were two different things.
Unable to stop Darke County's running game, the host Mustangs fell 27-12 in the semifinal round of the Interstate Football League playoffs at Fisher Field.
At practice Thursday, Richardson said his team had to stop the Warriors' running game. He was right; his team just couldn't get it done.
Darke County ran 55 offensive plays Saturday, 53 of them were rushing attempts.
"We couldn't stop their running game," Richardson said Saturday after the Mustangs ended their inaugural season with a 6-3 record. "They have strong, physical running backs. We couldn't stop the run, and we couldn't establish our passing attack, which is what we do best, because of the wind."
On a cold, windy afternoon Saturday, the Mustangs used the powerful legs of running backs Vetty Mabry and Aaron Strable to control the clock and ultimately the game.
Mabry led the Warriors with 124 rushing yards on 20 carries, while Strable carried 24 times for 119 yards and three touchdowns.
While the Mustangs ended their inaugural season with a 6-3 record, the Warriors improved to 7-3 and advanced to the IFL championship game Sunday at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis following the Colts' game with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Warriors will battle the Mercer County Cougars, who upended the Hendricks County Generals Saturday.
Ironically, both teams that lost Saturday, the Mustangs and Generals, had earned a playoff bye and homefield advantage.
"The bye week killed us," said Richardson. "We weren't able to click and get things going."
The Mustangs did take a 6-0 lead with 1:33 remaining in the first quarter when Billy West ran in from 26 yards out, as well as a 12-7 advantage as time expired in the first half when West charged in from a yard out.
With kicker Tom Martinez out with an injury, the Mustangs tried for a two-point conversion after each of their first-half touchdowns, but were denied.
Darke County took a 14-12 lead with 4:06 remaining in the third quarter when Strable pounded his way in from two yards out and Jaysen Knick added the extra-point kick.
Quarterback Mike Whitaker was sacked for big losses in each of the Mustangs' next two possessions.
In between those possessions, the Warriors put seven more points on the board when quarterback Justin Miller squeezed in from a yard out. Knick's kick made it 21-12 with 8:03 remaining in the game.
The Mustangs forced Darke County to punt on its next drive, but Matt Ashworth picked off a Whitaker pass two plays into their drive.
Six plays later, with 1:55 left to play in the game, Strable worked his way into the endzone from four yards out. The extra-point attempt failed, and the Warriors led 27-12, the final score.
With the wind and cold, the Mustangs' passing game wasn't as strong as normal.
Whitaker, a Warsaw Community High School graduate, completed his first five passes for 67 yards, but finished the game 6 of 13 for 87 yards with two interceptions.
Nick Bolesky, also a former Tiger, caught two passes for 53 yards. Billy West, an All-State receiver as a prep player at Warsaw, caught three passes for 32 yards and led the team in rushing with 52 yards on seven carries.
Ron Rodriguez had seven carries for 31 yards for the Mustangs, while Jon Hill carried six times for 28 yards. [[In-content Ad]]
Kosciusko County Mustangs coach Steve Richardson knew what his football team had to do to beat the Darke County Warriors Saturday.
Knowing what to do and doing it were two different things.
Unable to stop Darke County's running game, the host Mustangs fell 27-12 in the semifinal round of the Interstate Football League playoffs at Fisher Field.
At practice Thursday, Richardson said his team had to stop the Warriors' running game. He was right; his team just couldn't get it done.
Darke County ran 55 offensive plays Saturday, 53 of them were rushing attempts.
"We couldn't stop their running game," Richardson said Saturday after the Mustangs ended their inaugural season with a 6-3 record. "They have strong, physical running backs. We couldn't stop the run, and we couldn't establish our passing attack, which is what we do best, because of the wind."
On a cold, windy afternoon Saturday, the Mustangs used the powerful legs of running backs Vetty Mabry and Aaron Strable to control the clock and ultimately the game.
Mabry led the Warriors with 124 rushing yards on 20 carries, while Strable carried 24 times for 119 yards and three touchdowns.
While the Mustangs ended their inaugural season with a 6-3 record, the Warriors improved to 7-3 and advanced to the IFL championship game Sunday at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis following the Colts' game with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Warriors will battle the Mercer County Cougars, who upended the Hendricks County Generals Saturday.
Ironically, both teams that lost Saturday, the Mustangs and Generals, had earned a playoff bye and homefield advantage.
"The bye week killed us," said Richardson. "We weren't able to click and get things going."
The Mustangs did take a 6-0 lead with 1:33 remaining in the first quarter when Billy West ran in from 26 yards out, as well as a 12-7 advantage as time expired in the first half when West charged in from a yard out.
With kicker Tom Martinez out with an injury, the Mustangs tried for a two-point conversion after each of their first-half touchdowns, but were denied.
Darke County took a 14-12 lead with 4:06 remaining in the third quarter when Strable pounded his way in from two yards out and Jaysen Knick added the extra-point kick.
Quarterback Mike Whitaker was sacked for big losses in each of the Mustangs' next two possessions.
In between those possessions, the Warriors put seven more points on the board when quarterback Justin Miller squeezed in from a yard out. Knick's kick made it 21-12 with 8:03 remaining in the game.
The Mustangs forced Darke County to punt on its next drive, but Matt Ashworth picked off a Whitaker pass two plays into their drive.
Six plays later, with 1:55 left to play in the game, Strable worked his way into the endzone from four yards out. The extra-point attempt failed, and the Warriors led 27-12, the final score.
With the wind and cold, the Mustangs' passing game wasn't as strong as normal.
Whitaker, a Warsaw Community High School graduate, completed his first five passes for 67 yards, but finished the game 6 of 13 for 87 yards with two interceptions.
Nick Bolesky, also a former Tiger, caught two passes for 53 yards. Billy West, an All-State receiver as a prep player at Warsaw, caught three passes for 32 yards and led the team in rushing with 52 yards on seven carries.
Ron Rodriguez had seven carries for 31 yards for the Mustangs, while Jon Hill carried six times for 28 yards. [[In-content Ad]]