No. 2 Mustangs weren’t perfect, still dominate rival Lions to advance

MONROE — Alex Wendt has played two offensive snaps this season for the PCM football team.

The second one came on a play that was drawn up at halftime and it resulted in a 74-yard touchdown.

It was just one of many big-play scores the Class 2A No. 2 Mustangs produced during a 41-19 win over Des Moines Christian in the postseason opener.

“Coach Woods saw something in the way they were lining up,” PCM head football coach Greg Bonnett said. “We did something similar against Nevada last year. It’s real deep in the playbook but drawn up on the fly.”

It was the first catch and first touchdown of Wendt’s varsity career, and it was the second of three one-play scoring drives in the win.

Adrien Robbins scored on a 58-yard TD run in the second quarter and then put the game away with a 67-yard run late in the third.

Robbins also caught two TD passes in the second, including a 53-yarder that capped a seven-play, 79-yard drive.

Robbins had a big night for the Mustangs. He finished with 233 rushing yards and two scores on 29 carries and caught four passes for 68 yards and two more TDs.

He also had eight tackles and one interception on defense.

“The momentum kept shifting back and forth,” Robbins said. “The score wasn’t as close as what it felt like. Those big plays mean a lot. It gets everyone on their feet and gets momentum shifted.”

The win pushes PCM into the second round where it hosts Heart of Iowa Athletic Conference rival Greene County (5-4) at 7 p.m. on Oct. 25 in Monroe.

The Rams are currently on a three-game win streak. They defeated Des Moines Christian, 14-13, in the regular-season finale.

The other two teams in the Mustangs’ 2A playoff pod are Mediapolis (5-4) and Mid-Prairie (6-3).

The Mustangs (9-0) led 14-0 after one quarter. Riley Graber finalized a four play, 48-yard opening drive with a 36-yard touchdown catch.

It was Gavin Van Gorp’s first pass of the game. He threw it up for grabs in one-on-one coverage and Graber out-jumped the defender and then got by him for the TD.

“We weren’t really sure how they’d line up defensively, but they pressed us at the line and put everyone in the box,” said Graber, who finished with two catches for 36 yards and one TD. “The coaches trust us to be able to beat our guys, and Gavin put it on the money.”

Robbins scored the next three touchdowns for PCM and the Mustangs led 26-10 at halftime.

It wasn’t all great for the Mustangs though as Van Gorp threw his first interception of the season in the red zone on PCM’s third possession.

The defense forced a punt, but Gavin Steenhoek lost the ball inside the 15-yard line. He was hit as the ball arrived after not calling for the fair catch.

Des Moines Christian (4-5) converted the turnover into a touchdown. The Lions drove 15 yards in four plays to trim the margin to 14-7.

PCM answered back though with a seven play, 79-yard drive that ended on a screen pass from Van Gorp to Robbins that went for 53 yards and a TD.

Steenhoek also caught a 12-yard pass on third and eight and Harlan Shannon’s 10-yard catch came on third and five. Steenhoek finished with 24 yards on two catches.

The Lions made it 20-10 with a 26-yard field goal from Grant Dunn. That drive covered 43 yards in seven plays but gave the hosts plenty of time to score again.

PCM marched 80 yards in six plays to extend its lead. Robbins gained 17 yards on four plays but Van Gorp’s 54-yard run around the right side of his offensive line got the Mustangs into the red zone.

Van Gorp was pressured on third down and goal but completed a swing pass to Robbins that resulted in a 9-yard touchdown.

“Our offensive line opened up a lot of stuff for us,” Bonnett said. “They were a really good defense. They stacked the box well, brought some pressure and then played us in man. Once we saw what they were giving us, we had to make those big plays because grinding it out was going to be tough.”

The first play of the second half was Wendt’s 74-yard touchdown. He caught the ball about 15 yards downfield, sprinted the rest of the way and dove into the end zone for his first career points.

“I was trying to run as fast as I could, and I didn’t want to fumble the ball,” Wendt said. “The big plays are really important. Our coaches were telling us this week that we average a touchdown every five plays. Our offensive line opens so many things up for (Robbins), (Graber) and whoever else gets the ball.”

Des Moines Christian accounted for more than 300 yards of offense in the game.

The Lions drove 42 yards in seven plays on their first possession of the second half but turned the ball over on downs after being stopped at the 1-yard line.

PCM kept the momentum only for a few minutes though. It was forced to punt on its next possession but a high snap went over Van Gorp’s head and he kicked the ball out of the end zone to avoid further damage.

The Lions added to their momentum with their best drive of the game. They needed just one play to go 52 yards as Jake Kistenmacher hauled in the pass from Jett Each.

PCM scored touchdowns on four of its six drives in the first half but struggled in the second two quarters.

The Mustangs were forced to punt again and a blocked punt by the Lions gave them another short field.

This time, the drive ended with a Carson Hansen interception.

And like he’s done all season, Robbins put the game away with a big run on the first play from scrimmage.

“He’s a game breaker. I told him when he made that run that that’s what he was going to have to do,” Bonnett said. “We are dinged up a bit, and we needed him to take the game over. And he was able to break off another long run.”

It was the final score of the game as the PCM defense ended the contest with four straight turnovers.

Robbins picked off Each on the Lions’ first possession of the game, but DMC also lost a fumble and turned it over four times in the second half.

The Lions’ final two possessions ended in interceptions. The first one was snagged by Finn Wilson in the red zone. Then, Shay Burns picked off Each on the first play of the Lions’ next drive to finalize the postseason victory.

“As a defense, we haven’t been tested like this yet,” said Graber, who also picked off a pass that was wiped away because of a penalty. “Most teams would rather take sacks than throw the ball it seems. We knew we’d get tested tonight. They aren’t afraid to throw it, and we need to fix the ones we got beat on. But we also made some plays, too. The linebackers made some nice picks.”

Aside from a few big plays given up by the PCM defense, the only other issues for the Mustangs came on special teams.

Those units were responsible for a muffed punt, multiple bad snaps and both a blocked punt and a blocked extra point.

“It’s something we have to work on,” Bonnett said. “(Burns) is our long snapper. He knew he was having an off night but stuff like that is going to happen. Just like (Steenhoek) muffing the punt. Stuff like that happens. We’ll have to clean up special teams though because a lot of it wasn’t good.”

Des Moines Christian, which came into the game on a three-game losing streak, has three return touchdowns this season. The Lions often were given short fields as the Mustangs opted for squib kicks on kickoffs.

Graber said the team doesn’t practice squib kicking a lot. He also has experience with long snapping.

“(Burns) has been money on our snaps all year. That stuff happens,” Graber said. “I have snapped before. It’s not easy to be consistent with those. We were backed up too much, too.

“We had some issues in the past with some kickoff returns when we don’t get the ball to the end zone. So that’s something we need to clean up. I’m sure we’ll do some reps with that.”

Van Gorp came into the game with zero thrown interceptions. He finished 10-of-15 through the air for 212 yards, four touchdowns and two picks. He also rushed for 60 yards on eight carries.

“The first interception he threw, he was probably trying to do too much,” Bonnett said. “He probably had the shorter route there. I don’t know any quarterback who goes an entire season without throwing a pick when you have over 100 attempts.”

Wilson led the Mustangs with 10.5 tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery. Burns finished with 7.5 tackles and one pick, Hansen had five tackles and one interception and Brevin DeRaad collected 6.5 tackles.

Tad Wilson contributed four tackles, Wendt chipped in 3.5 tackles and two tackles for loss, Trenner Van Dyke added three tackles and two tackles for loss and Kaden Clark registered three tackles.

Each threw for 202 yards, one TD and three picks and Fadden gained 60 yards on 15 carries.

The Lions came into the game averaging 7.7 yards per carry but were held to 106 yards on 31 carries.

“They were doing a lot of jet sweeps and stretch plays,” Wendt said. “It was important to read my guy, play the reach block and not get caught up in the other action.”

Notes: PCM was flagged for eight penalties for 80 yards. The Lions were called for two penalties. … Dominic Witt booted four touchbacks on his eight kickoffs. … The Mustangs are one of two undefeated teams left in 2A. The 22-point win over the Lions is the closest margin of victory this season. The previous closest was the 23-point win over 3A Nevada in Week 2. … Bonnett said the Lions’ offensive scheme reminded him of what Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley did against the Mustangs in the 2018 championship game. “They came out with a really good scheme. They had a four receiver unbalanced look,” Bonnett said. “We went to a coverage we did against (Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley) in the 2018 championship game, but we haven’t repped it at all. There was an opportunity for us to get turnovers, and I was happy to see us take advantage of those.”