Mustangs Freshmen/Sophomore football team drops 9-6 game to Poplar in OT

The Poplar Indians football team came to town on Tuesday for the home opener for the Malta Mustangs Freshman and Sophomore squad. The two teams slugged it out to a 6-6 stalemate in regulation, sending the game into overtime. Poplar stopped the Mustangs and four down in the first frame of OT and booted a 20-yard field goal on fourth down to win the contest.

Poplar doesn't field a varsity football team this season so their rosters featured 11 upperclassmen (seven seniors) but the young Mustang squad was up for the challenge. Captains for the Mustangs during the coin toss were Caleb Salveson, Trace Simonson and Konner Kuehn. Though this reporter isn't sure who won the toss, Malta elected to receive the opening kick-off, doing so out of the west end zone.

Malta's first drive of the game gave the Indians a healthy dose of sophomore running back Kolbe Murray who punished Poplar defenders on five consecutive runs in which he gained nearly 30 yards. The opening drive hit a snag, however, and a false start and quarterback sack forced the Mustangs to punt.

On Poplars' first set of downs, Mustang Cru Darrah made a tackle of the Indians halfback, holding him to no gain and forcing a third and five. On the next play, Darrah dragged down the quarterback for a sack to force fourth down. The Indian's punt sailed into the end zone setting the Mustangs at their own 20.

On the next play, Simonson dropped back to pass, heaved the ball deep down the left sideline and the pass banged off a Poplar defensive back and into the outstretched arms of Salveson. Salveson took the ball, in stride, and galloped 80-yards for the touchdown. The two point conversion failed giving the Mustangs an early 6-0 lead.

From that point on, Malta had a tough time moving the ball deep into Poplar territory in the first half. Their next drive stalled on the Poplar 21 yard line after Trey Simonton gave the team primo field position with a 25-yard punt return. The next time the Mustangs had the ball on offense; Keenan Schipman ripped a 24-yard run, but that drive stalled at midfield.

While the Mustangs battled on offense, the defense also stood tall. Tel Jensen made a shoestring tackle to drop an Indian runner for a nine yard loss on one drive, Peyton Meeks and Darrah combined for a tackle on a third and short on the following drive to force Poplar to punt again.

The Indians had two drives later in the half in which they looked poised to take the lead, but Mustang DB Trey Simonton had one of his two interceptions to end the first drive and Derek Peigneux broke up a deep pass on another drive as time was winding down in the second quarter.

After 24 minutes of play, Malta clung to the 6-0 lead.

It was much of the same for the two teams in the second half. The Mustangs would have a small burst on offense but were often forced to punt the ball away while the Indians continued to pound the ball with their run game only to see the Malta defense bend but not break. Trey Simonton's second interception denied the Indians a scoring chance as Poplar moved the ball deep into Malta territory.

Poplar finally found the end zone early in the fourth quarter capping a 16-play, 73-yard drive with a touchdown run from one-yard out. On the two-point conversion, Malta's Murray and Schipman blew-up the Indian running back for a loss to keep the game knotted at six.

Following the Indian's touchdown, Malta moved the ball deftly down the field after Salveson returned the kickoff 24 yards to set the Mustangs up near mid-field. Trace Simonson connected with Salvenson on a nine-yard slant before Murray gave the team a first down following a six-yard scamper. The Mustangs pushed the ball all the way to the Poplar 30 yard line – Trey Simonton chipping in with a six-yard run – but were turned away when a fourth down pass fell short of its mark.

The two teams traded punts on the next two drives sending the game into overtime. For the overtime coin toss, Poplar won the toss but elected to give Malta the ball to open the extra play. Starting at the 10-yard line, following a yard gain on first down by Trey Simonton, the Mustangs threw the ball three consecutive times and nearly found the end zone on each attempt. Following the third incompletion, Poplar was awarded the ball at the 10-yard line.

A four-yard run was followed by a three-yard run before the Mustang defenders gang-tackled the Indians running back for no gain on third down, setting up fourth and goal. Poplar took a timeout, decided it would only take a successful field goal to go home with the victory and then proceeded to boot the winning three-pointer through the east end zone goal post for the victory.

The Mustangs Freshman and Sophomore Squad will give it another go next Monday at 5 p.m. when they host Havre.