In a game shortened because of an injury to Kingsbury safety Daivious Hewlett, the MUS varsity football team advanced one step closer to a playoff berth last Friday night as they defeated the Kingsbury Falcons, 34-6, in front of a Homecoming crowd.
Although the Owls (4-5, 1-3) would trail early, the win was never really in doubt as the Falcons (1-8) had no answer for the Owl rushing attack, which accumulated 231 yards on the ground, the second highest rushing total of the year.
After having blocked a Kingsbury field goal early in the first quarter following an MUS turnover deep in their own territory, the Owls put together an impressive 7-play, 73-yard to move the ball into Kingsbury territory. From there, Zach Scott nailed a 38-yard field goal to give the Owls the 3-0 lead with 7:22 remaining in the quarter.
Folowing a series of punts, the Falcons would respond early in the second quarter after having forced an MUS fumble on the 50-yard line.
A 30-yard Greg-Powell completion to Gabriel Hunter moved the Falcons into Owl territory. From there, Powell would scramble 9 yards for the score to complete the 8-play drive. The two-point conversion was no good, and the score stood at 6-3 with 6:36 remaining in the half.
The Owls would respond and take back the lead for good as they continued to run the ball effectively on the Falcon frontline late in the half.
Walt Wepfer and Michael Park would move the ball a combined 66 yards, all on the ground, to the Falcon goal line. From there, Park would sneak in from 1-yard out to give the Owls the lead once again and culminate the 11-play, 67-yard drive. Scott’s PAT was good as the Owls regained the lead, 10-6, with 1:41 remaining.
But MUS wanted more, and they got an opportunity following a defensive stand and a good use of times-out by the coaches.
Taking over at the Falcon 32 with just 27 seconds remaining, the Owls got close following a 28-yard run by Wepfer, who finished the night with 160 rushing yards and added 28 receiving yards on 3 receptions. To end the half, Scott booted through a 25-yard field goal to extend the lead to 7 at the break.
Having regained the lead, the Owls would dominate for the remainder of the game.
MUS would add on to the lead on their first possession of the half with a 7-yard scoring run from Wepfer. Then they would tack on a deep 67-yard touchdown pass from Park to Stephen Bowie on the second play of the fourth quarter to give them a 27-6 lead.
The Owls would continue to add to the lead following another Kingsbury punt, the fourth of the evening.
Taking over at their own 14, MUS amassed large chunks of yardage against a worn-out Falcon defense, including a 20-yard run by Chase Moore. Then from the Kingsbury 39, Park hit Taylor Reed for the score to extend the lead.
However, the fun would end after the Scott PAT had given the Owls a 34-6 lead because of an injury to Hewlett, who was trying to block the extra-point. The game was called with 6:04 remaining in the game.
The Owls now need one more regular-season win to advance to the playoffs. They will look for that win next week as they take on the cross-town rival Briarcrest this Friday night at Hull-Dobbs. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.