(Greenfield) Mount Ayr connected on some big plays early and posted their 10th straight win over Nodaway Valley. The Raiders improve to 2-0 with a 41-13 win.
The visitors raced out to a 21-0 first quarter advantage and led 35-0 at the half. Nodaway Valley began the game in promising fashion by quickly moving the ball through the air, but Erik Trujillo intercepted a bobbled ball to set up the Raider’s first score.
Payton Weehler, filling in for Jaixen Frost, completed a 40 yard pass to Adler Shay to put Mount Ayr in the Red Zone. They quickly punched it into the end zone with a one yard sneak from Weehler. Payton Stull knocked in the PAT for a 7-0 advantage with 8:27 left in the first.
They needed just one play to score on their next possession. After the defense forced a turnover on downs, Trae Ehlen caught a short slant and raced 62 yards to pay dirt. Stull’s point after extended the lead to 14-0 with 5:05 remaining in the opening quarter.
Mount Ayr put the clamps down on Nodaway Valley’s passing game as the game progressed and opened up a three score lead with :47 to go in the first. Jaydon Knight scored on a five yard run.
Mount Ayr’s next score came with 11:22 left in the half and was thanks in large part to Trae Ehlen’s 60+ yard punt return. Ehlen set them up on the doorstep and Weehler cashed in with another one yard sneak into the end zone.
Weehler added a 15 yard passing touchdown to Dawson Swank midway through the 2nd to push the lead to 35-0.
With the running clock rolling, neither team scored in the third quarter. Nathan Russell found Adam Ayase a pair of times for TD’s in the fourth quarter as Nodaway Valley showed some fight. The Wolverines got as close as 35-13 thanks to Ayase’s 16 and 7 yard TD catches. Ayase’s second TD grab was set up by a nice defensive play by Avery Phillippi. The sophomore defensive end forced and recovered a fumble on a Nodaway Valley pitch an sprinted upfield to the Raider ten yard line. Russell threw for 163 yards on the night, unofficially completing 18/43 throws. He hit on eight of his first nine in the game before Mount Ayr got some pressure and tightened things up.
An Austin Cole 22 yard touchdown prance right up the middle with 4:11 to play made the final score 41-13.
Caelen DeVault was catching passes left and right from Russell in the game’s first six minutes and finished with seven grabs for 64 yards. Boston DeVault had 34 receiving yards on six catches,
Tony Ayase caught three passes for 33 yards and Adam Ayase two catches for 17 yards. The running game never got on track against a strong Mount Ayr defense.
Swank led the Raider ground game with 70 yards on 11 rushes. Four different ball carriers toted the ball at least six times.
1-2 Nodaway Valley takes on Madrid next. 2-0 Mount Ayr will oppose Pleasantville next week.
