SOUTH WESTERN MUSTANGS GRIDIRON 2009-7

By Bill Engelhardt
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Last Friday evening, October 9, the Mustangs of South Western visited the Rockets of Spring Grove at the beautiful Papermaker Stadium and came away with a convincing 21-0 victory, using a well-balanced attack of equal parts rushing and passing. Levi Sager accounted for 20 of the 21 points scored with a 65 yard punt return for a touchdown, a 10-yard touchdown run, a 5-yard touchdown pass reception, and a 2-point conversion run.

Jeb Shipley started the game by returning the Rockets kickoff 38-yards to the Rockets 49-yard line. The drive ended with a turnover on downs at the Rockets 34-yard line. The Rockets went three and out and punted. The Mustangs then launched a 56-yard drive, featuring a 15-yard pass from Ian Smith to Mike Felton and an 18-yard run by Shipley. Sager’s 10-yard touchdown jaunt and Ian Smith’s extra point kick put the Mustangs up 7-0 at the 5:04 point in the first quarter.

Felton intercepted a Rockets pass for the Mustangs and Keith Stambaugh returned the favor with the first of his three interceptions for the Rockets. The Rockets punted and Sager returned the punt for a 65-yard touchdown, putting the Mustangs up 13-0 with 27 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Rockets punted again on their next possession and Andrew Small recovered a Mustangs fumble. Soon thereafter Jake Myers intercepted a Rockets pass and returned it for 15-yards. The teams exchanged punts, including a 73-yard punt by Keith Stambaugh for the Rockets. A Mustangs drive, featuring a 51-yard pass from Smith to Felton, ended with Stambaugh’s second interception (his third interception in the end zone ended a Mustangs drive in the third quarter). A 25-yard pass from Neal Grudi to Dillon Durst went for naught when Sager intercepted a Rockets pass for the Mustangs. Ben Reigart intercepted a Mustangs pass in the end zone to thwart a drive and the first half ended with the Mustangs up 13-0.

Kyle King intercepted a Rockets pass on the first play from scrimmage in the second half and returned it 11-yards to the Rockets 32-yard line for the Mustangs. Seven plays later Smith lofted a 5-yard touchdown pass to Sager, who put the icing on the cake with his 2-point conversion run. That closed out the scoring with the Mustangs on top 21-0.

Billy Utz led the Mustangs defense with 13 tackles, followed by Jake Myers with 12, Kyle Mahorney with 10, Colby Fuhrman with 7, Cody Fricke and Dan Laird with 6 tackles each, Leonard Sturgis with 5, Aaron Bosley and Ryan Sexton with 4 tackles each, Kyle King and Tyrell McCleary with 3 tackles each, Mike Felton and Levi Sager with 2 tackles each, and Jeff Hacker, Jimmy Nicklas and Ian Smith with 1 tackle each. Mahorney recorded 4 sacks and Bosley and Laird each recorded a sack for the Mustangs. Mahorney was credited with 4 pass hurries, Sexton was credited with 2 pass hurries, and Fricke and Myers were each credited with 1 pass hurry, and Fricke was credited with a pass defense, for the Mustangs. Kyle Conaboy and Jeff Hacker each recovered a fumble and Felton, King, Myers and Sager each intercepted a pass for the Mustangs.

Jeb Shipley returned 1 kickoff for 38-yards, and returned 1 punt for 6-yards for the Mustangs. Levi Sager returned 2 punts for 77-yards, with the longest going for 65-yards and a touchdown, and Tyrell McCleary fair caught 1 punt, for the Mustangs. Norton Redding kicked off 4 times for 206-yards, with the longest going for 52-yards for the Mustangs. Mike Felton punted 2 times for 72-yards, with the longest going for 56-yards, for the Mustangs.

Aaron Bosley, Mason Brady, Cody Fricke, Colby Fuhrman, Dan Laird, Kyle Mahorney, Jake Myers, Ryan Sexton, Billy Utz, and Anthony Wildasin manned the offensive and defensive line and linebacker positions, with help from Brady Conroy and Leonard Sturgis. Kyle King, Tyrell McCleary, Jimmy Nicklas, and Levi Sager patrolled the secondary for the Mustangs.

The Mustangs gained 163-yards rushing and 139-yards passing for a total of 302- yards of offense. Jeb Shipley led the Mustang rushing attack with 11 carries for 75-yards, followed by J. R, Mummert with 15 for 60, Levi Sager with 8 for 34 (including a 10-yard touchdown), Kyle King with 2 for 2-yards, and Ian Smith with 2 for minus 8-yards. Quarterback Smith completed 8 of 15 passes for 139-yards and a touchdown, 5 for 110-yards to Mike Felton, 1 for 24-yards to Jimmy Nicklas, 1 for 5-yards and a touchdown to Levi Sager, and 1 for no yards to Shipley, for the Mustangs. Ian Smith kicked an extra point and Levi Sager had a 2-point conversion run (he accounted for 20 of the 21 points scored by the Mustangs).

The Rockets gained only 16-yards rushing and 104-yards passing for a total offense of 120-yards. Joshua Slate led the Rockets rushing attack with 5 carries for 10-yards, followed by Bobby Bailey with 9 for 9, Andrew Walker with 1 for 6, Patrick Thomas with 3 for 3-yards, and Neal Grudi with 11 for minus 26-yards. Quarterback Grudi completed 7 of 19 passes for 104-yards, 2 for 44-yards to Slate, 3 for 29-yards to Ben Reigart, 1 for 25-yards to Dillon Durst, and 1 for 6-yards to Cortlin Dell, for the Rockets.

Cortlin Dell led the Rockets defense with 17 tackles, followed by Jesse Meckley with 13, Matt Shearer with 11, Dillon Yost with 10, Drew Tiehel with 7, Patrick Bradenbaugh and Josh Nell with 5 tackles each, Max Ruby and Andrew Small with 4 tackles each, Neal Grudi with 3, Trey Duncan, Ben Reigart, and Alec Piety with 2 tackles each, and Jean-pierre Graham, Kevin Linsey, and Keith Stambaugh with 1 tackle each. Stambaugh intercepted 3 passes, Duncan and Reigart each intercepted a pass, and Small recovered a fumble for the Rockets.



The 83 member 9-time Cavalcade of Bands Champions, Tournament of Bands Group IV Champion and US Scholastic Band Champion South Western Mustangs Marching Band put on a stirring half time performance. The field production of the 2009 edition of the Band, under the guidance of second year Director Ethan Clark, is titled “Horsing Around in the Mustang Corral” and is a 50th anniversary musical celebration featuring the school “Alma Mater,” “Magnificent 7,” a lullaby of “All The Pretty Little Horses,” and “The Red Pony.” The 72 member Spring Grove Rockets Marching Band put on a sparkling pregame presentation of their show entitled “Asia: Power, Beauty and Balance,” featuring “Marimba Spiritual,” “Arirang,” and “Year of the Dragon.” The band will travel to Hawaii in January. The 24 member strong Mustangs Cheer Leading squad, and the 22 Rockets Cheer Leaders were fantastic in rousing their fandom.

The Mustangs of South Western are 6-0-0 overall and 3-0-0 in York Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association (YAIAA) Division I league play.

Don Seidenstricker has a 179-77-1 (.699) record as coach of the Mustangs, who have a career record of 320-195-8. The results of the 523 games played in the history of the South Western Mustangs are a career .621 winning percentage and a .627 non-losing percentage.

Next week the Mustangs continue league play and host the Lions of Red Lion. The Lions are coming off of a 55-13 victory over the winless Eagles of Dover. From here it looks like the Mustangs are ready to continue galloping along the winning track. GO MUSTANGS GO.