Isabella tramples Thorsby
Published 9:21 pm Friday, October 17, 2008
Isabella dominated Thorsby in every phase of the game en route to a 49-7 win.
It didn’t take the Mustangs (6-2, 4-2) long to get on the board. After Thorsby earned a first down, Matthew Shaw intercepted a Rebel pass and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown, making it 7-0 at the 9:23 mark of the first quarter.
Thorsby held Isabella on a 4th-and-3 play later in the period, but the Rebels couldn’t hold the Mustangs out of the end zone for the rest of the quarter. Del Green had a 48-yard touchdown negated by a penalty, but Brian Donovan took it in on the next play with a 16-yard touchdown run, giving Isabella a 14-0.
The second quarter would prove to be the difference in the game. A 6-yard punt by Thorsby allowed Isabella to score on a 4-yard Donovan score making it 21-0.
Kelsey Gardner got in on the action with a 40-yard scoring run. Donovan decided to outdo him with a 53-yard run two minutes later.
Gardner the added another score 83 seconds before the half on a 3-yard run. That made the halftime score 42-0.
In the second half, both coaches agreed to play shortened quarters because the lead was so large.
Thorsby, however, didn’t give up. They drove it down the field scoring on Andrew Farris’ pass to Drake Hayes, the extra point made it 42-7 in the third quarter.
On 3rd-and-35, Thorsby’s Dillian Simmons appeared to have an 87-yard touchdown run, but it was called all the way back for a block-in-the-back penalty.
Austin Haigler recovered his second of two fumbles late in the game setting up the Mustangs’ final score. Hunter Cleckley took a toss sweep for a 30-yard touchdown with eight seconds left, making the final score 49-7.
Isabella was led by Brian Donovan with 145 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries. Gardner also had 42 yards on three carries with two scores, and Cleckley finished with 32 yards on four carries.
Blake Lawley led the ‘Stangs with eight tackles while Allen Edwards and Haigler had seven. Matt Snell also made all seven extra points for Isabella.