Mustangs fall to Huntley Project, 30-6, to conclude '18 season

The final score of Malta vs. Huntley Project first round playoff, a game in Malta last Saturday afternoon, 30-6, doesn't really tell the tale of how close this gridiron match really was.

Timely touchdowns in the contest by the visiting Red Devils made the score seem more lopsided than the final outcome would make it seem and as anyone in attendance will attest to, the Mustangs played with grit, passion, and dedication to one another and to their coaches. The timely touchdowns by Huntly Project - one at the very end of the first half and another to start the fourth quarter, put the game out of reach for the Mustangs who ran into a mammoth defensive squad in the Red Devils.

With the loss, the Mustangs conclude their 2018 season and finish up with an overall record of 5-4.

On a warm, autumn day with the wind whipping across the field, from end zone to end zone, out of the west, from the Malta Elementary School toward the Malta Cemetery. Captains for the Mustangs on the day were Tanner Smith, Kevin Henry, Kolter Schipman, and Andres Lopez who won the opening coin toss and elected to receive.

Unfortunately for the Mustangs, moving the ball on offense with much success was tough sledding on the day and when it was said and done, the team managed 11-yards rushing on 29 carries, and 95-yards of passing on 6-of-23 completions. The first drive of the game saw the Mustang's punt after three plays of offense.

On defense, the Mustangs shined all day. The Red Devils ground-and-pound running game - spearheaded by workhorse running back Asher Croy who posted over 2,000 yards of rushing in the regular season - was kept out of the end zone on all three of their first opening drives to leave the game knotted at 0 going into the second quarter.

The first Huntley Project drive ended on a turnover when Mustang DB Kooper Oxarart forced a fumble that was recovered by Lopez. The Red Devil's second drive of the first frame ended on a turnover on downs when Mustang Cormac Benn broke up a long fourth-down pass attempt by Huntley. The final of the opening three drives for the Red Devils was stymied on the Malta 5-yard line with the Mustang's defense standing tall and pushing the opponents off the field after a failed fourth down attempt.

It was the next time Huntley got the ball that they strung together a 4-play, 30-yard drive which ended in a 4-yard touchdown run to give the visitors an 8-0 lead with 9:14 to play in the first half. Two of the next three drives for the Red Devils would result in touchdowns to give them a 22-0 lead, including a 23-yard touchdown pass as time expired in the first half.

Malta's defense again stopped the Red Devils to open the second quarter and though Huntley Project would dominate the time of possession in the game (keeping the ball for nearly 31 of the total 42 minutes of game time), the Mustangs got things rolling on offense and brought the score to 22-6 after a 7-play, 65 yard drive - highlighted by a 45-yard pass from Oxarart, who missed part of the second quarter due to a leg injury, but toughed it out to return in the third - was punctuated with a 13-yard toss to Cormac who ran past a defender to score the Mustangs lone TD of the day.

Huntley Project would post one more score in the contest to win the first-round playoff game.

Though Huntley Project would amass 351-yards of total offense (255-yards rushing on 59 attempts and 96-yards on 13-of-19 passing) the Mustangs held the Red Devils running backs to gains of 1-yard or less a total of 19-times, six of those times for negative yards.

For the Mustangs, Lopez had 14-yards 10-carries; Messerly had 1-tote for 14-yards; Cash Salsbery had -2-yards on 3-touches; Benn had 1-yard on -11-carries, and Oxarart had 3-attempts for -9-yards (QB sacks accounting for the negative numbers.) Oxarart completed 4-of-16 passing for 73-yards and the touchdown, and Benn (who replaced Oxarart at QB when the sophomore was injured) completed 2-of-7 for 22-yards. Smith led the Mustangs in receiving yards with 67 on 3-catches and the touchdown, and Benn had 3-catches for 28 yards. (All stats compiled by the PCN and are not official.)