by Tyler Foster

Last Friday, the PCM Mustangs’ football team took on the Albia Blue Demons in a week eight district matchup. It was Senior Night for the Mustangs, and after being defeated each of the last two seasons by the Blue Demons, PCM felt they had something to prove. A slow start and costly turnovers ended up being the deciding factor in the 48-14 Albia victory.
Blackout Cancer was the theme of the night, and PCM showed their support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Blackout shirts were sold via senior Faith Martin. The players put on their pink attire for the upcoming game.
The Mustangs elected to receive, and on the very first drive gave the Blue Demons a gift. A first play interception returned for a touchdown gave Albia a lot of momentum. The very next drive, PCM turned it over on downs and gave it right back to Albia with good field position. Junior running back for the Blue Demons, Carter Isley, had himself a big night, tallying 216 yards on 27 carries. The Mustang defense had trouble bringing down the back.
“All factors of the offense lead to turnovers — it wasn’t just one guy. It was a team effort. We can’t turn the ball over that much and expect to win,” sophomore Luke Greiner said.
Albia kept the momentum and would create a 21-0 lead before the Mustangs were able to get on the board. The Mustangs fought hard, but they were unable to create a spark. Two interceptions returned for touchdowns as well as two more interceptions to go along with them. The Mustangs coughed up the ball another two times, giving Albia a plethora of opportunities, where they capitalized on in the 48-14 victory.
Junior Logan Gilman threw for 267 yards, and senior Ron Marshall ran for 131 yards on 26 attempts. Fellow senior Luke Pendroy led the team in tackles, tallying ten for the Mustang defense.