By John Goolsby, Prep Editor
IRONDALE – The Mustangs of Stanhope Elmore avenged last year’s loss with a win over the Shades Valley Mounties 42-13 in Frank Nix Stadium.
Stanhope Elmore mounted a deep drive early in the game, but it ended with a touchback with 1:55 remaining in the first period after the Mustangs fumbled into the Mountie end zone.
The first quarter ended with no score.
The two teams continued to trade punts until the Mustangs got on the board with a three-yard TD by Jacob Bryant with 7:24 remaining in the half.
With less than four minutes on the clock, the Mustangs began a 73-yard drive.
Stanhope Elmore scored on a 41-yard pass from Bryant to Jamari Coleman to push the score to 14-0 with 41 seconds remaining in the half.
The Mounties’ Ethan Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff to midfield.
On the next play, quarterback Steve Brown raced to the Mustang 12-yard line with 10 seconds to go.
Brown then hit Jayden Gilmore for a 12-yard touchdown pass. The Mounties missed the PAT and went to the locker room trailing 14-6.
Neither offense could get on track in the third period, but the Mustangs put the game away with two critical Shades Valley mistakes.
With 2:26 in the third period, Brown was sacked and fumbled. Thomas Williams raced 30 yards with the recovery, and the Mustangs took a 21-6 lead.
Valley fumbled on the next play, and the Mustangs again scored—this time from 41 yards out by KC Cunningham. The defensive touchdown extended the Stanhope Elmore lead to 28-6.
The Mountie offense was forced to punt on their next series.
The Mustangs extended their lead to 35-6 on a 12-yard Demarion “Dee” Barnes run.
Shades Valley sophomore Jacaryous Burrow returned the Mustang kickoff 85 yards for a TD to close the score to 35-13.
Stanhope Elmore put the game away on a 52-yard run by Barnes with 4:27 remaining.
With the Valley offense unable to move the ball, the Mustangs offense ran out the clock and left Irondale with a 42-13 win.
Stanhope Elmore kicker Colby Beyer was a perfect six of six on PATs for the Mustangs.
“It feels good. I’m happy for our kids, man,” said first-year head coach Hunter Adams. “We had a really physical fall camp. We’re really beat up.”
“We lost four more starters over the course of the game tonight, so that put us nine starters down,” he said.
“And when you’re playing a big, athletic team like this, against a coach that does a really good job with having his teams prepared everywhere he’s been, you know, that all that says a lot to overcome that adversity and to play that hard against a good football team.”
“I’m extremely proud of our guys. I thought our offensive line played extremely well.”
“We knew we could lean on our defensive line,” Adams said. “They played out of their minds tonight.”
Mountie head coach Rueben Nelson took responsibility for the loss. “We got beat in every facet of the game,” he said. “It is my fault, and I accept responsibility.”
“Shades Valley should have played better tonight,” he said. “Their coach should have had them ready to play, and I didn’t.”
“But I will next time,” he added.
Shades Valley hosts Fairfield next Friday.