The Student News Site of PCM High School

The PCM Outlook

The Student News Site of PCM High School

The PCM Outlook

The Student News Site of PCM High School

The PCM Outlook

Great One Eight goes down in Mustang history

by Dylan Sanders

The Mustangs entered the UNI-Dome with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on the line. All they had to do was go and play the game they loved to the best of their ability. They did and defeated Boyden-Hull/Rock-Valley 28-7 to claim the Mustangs’ first-ever 2A state title. In a matchup between two powerhouse offenses, it’s fair to say that the Mustang offense came out on top. The Mustangs’ offense really regained its form against the Nighthawks, amassing 420 yards of offense compared to the relatively 271 they gained the week before.

The player that brought the change from this week’s Mustang offense to last weeks was senior quarterback Reed Worth. When he’s locked in, there’s no one better at the quarterback position in the class of 2A. Worth was definitely locked in against the Nighthawks, as he threw for 271 yards and 3 touchdowns. His first touchdown went to senior Preston Van Wyk on a 55-yard flea-flicker on the second play of the Mustangs’ first offensive possession. The second went to senior Brayton Van Dyke, and the third went to senior Isaac Telfer in the fourth quarter. Senior Wes Cummings had his usual dominant performance as he amassed 130 yards on the ground and one rushing touchdown. That touchdown came in the third quarter, and it put the Mustangs’ lead out of reach for the eager Nighthawks to help sway the momentum back to the Mustangs.IMG_1775.JPG

The high-powered Mustang offense definitely deserves a lot of credit, but much of the credit should go towards a dominant defense that completely shut down an explosive Nighthawk offense. After scoring 48 points in the semifinal, the Nighthawks were held to just 7 by the Mustangs commanding defense. Seniors Cole Dustin and Payton Strovers led the Mustangs in tackles, each having five. Dustin also had a team-high two sacks on the night. Seniors Nick Buswell and Brycen Rodgers added to their tackling totals as each had four in the game. The Mustangs stingy defense managed to force five turnovers on the night. Strovers caused two with his two interceptions. Seniors Nick Dredge and Olin Meinders each picked off the quarterback while junior Jace Smith recovered a fumble. The Nighthawks were barely able to muster up anything against the defense.

The Mustangs had their most successful season ever, as they went undefeated and won a state title. Both have never been accomplished by any other team at PCM. What made this team different from all those past PCM teams? Well, it’s been a mix of things. One being the absolutely spectacular coaching staff led by Head Coach Greg Bonnet, Offensive Coordinator Colin Harrison, and Offensive Line Coach Jeff Shannon. They are some of the best at their respective positions in the state, and they mix very well together. The other thing that sets these Mustangs apart has to be their stellar senior class. Many of them have been playing significant varsity time since they were sophomores. That amount of playing time allowed them to have experience that most seniors don’t normally have. They had already experienced heartbreak in each of the last two seasons, and they were determined not to let it happen again. Underclassman and fellow seniors that played on the scout team couldn’t have meshed any better with the already established starters. These were the main ingredients that brought PCM football it’s first state championship.