Ringing the bell after each Mustang victory is one of Huntingdon’s oldest football traditions. The team has rung it 708 times since 1930, and Saturday night’s pealing at Paul Ward Stadium marked the second time in school history that it celebrated a state title and the first since 2003.
The Mustangs defeated Marion County, the defending state champion, 20-7 in the same fashion that got the Mustangs to the title game.
Battle tested from their first four playoff match-ups, the Mustangs beat the Warriors with their running game, a pass that caught the Warriors off guard, and with a defense that created a turnover and held a potent Warrior offense to seven points.
A state championship was not on lists of predictions to begin the season, and some publications had the Mustangs finishing fifth in their region. However, the team overcame the odds and a few injuries along the way to become a state champion for the second time.
The Mustangs finished 9-1 during the regular season and ran a gauntlet of some of the best teams in the state in the playoffs.
They took down a Memphis Business team 22-12 and their division 1 prospect at tailback. Then the Mustangs defeated an 11-1 Lewis County team 49-22, an undefeated East Robertson squad 42-20 before avenging their only loss of the season with a 35-34 win over Milan.
In the title game the Mustangs faced a Marion County team that was 13-1 and won the state title last year with a win over Milan.
First Half
The Mustangs, who for the season had created 28 turnovers by their opponents while only losing the ball seven times, created a fumble on the Warriors first drive of the game.
Marion County’s Mason Mays caught a pass but was stripped of the ball and Huntingdon’s Lucas Smith recovered it at the Warrior 36.
The Mustang offense then leaned on two of their top runners to take it to the end zone.
Kenton Smith gained five and four yards on the first two plays, a penalty moved the ball to the 22.
Braylin Dearmon ran seven yards to the 15, Smith eight yards to the seven, Dearmon six yards to the one, and Dearmon then bullied his way into the end zone.
After missing the extra point, the Mustangs led 6-0 with 6:54 left in the first.
After holding the Warriors on downs, the Mustangs took over at their own 21.
Behind Dearmon and Smith the Mustangs moved to the Warrior 41.
With a first down from that spot, the Mustangs caught the Warriors off guard as Smith rolled to his left and found Zayden Connelly behind the secondary for a 41-yard scoring strike through the air.
Greyson Anderson added the point after, and the Mustang led 13-0.
The Mustangs narrowly missed scoring again when a last-play pass from Smith slipped through Connelly’s hands, and they went into the break ahead 13-0.
Second Half
The Mustangs started the second half with possession. They began at their 29 and drove the length of the field to score in 11 plays.
The Mustangs kept the ball on the ground and the big play of the drive came from Smith, who was named MVP, as he scampered 22 yards when attempting to pass to give the Mustangs a first down at the Warrior 29. Smith scored the touchdown on a four-yard run with 7:03 left in the third and Anderson gave the Mustangs a 20-0 lead with the conversion of the PAT.
The Warriors scored with 8:12 left in the game on a fourth down 12-yard pass from Zaiden Humphrey to Mays and the kick for the point after was good and the score stood at 20-7.
The Warriors tried an on-side kick but for the second week in a row, Smith covered the kick. Dearmon also intercepted a pass on the last possession for Marion County, and the Mustangs ran out the clock for the win.
The Mustangs ended the season at 14-1 and Kenton Smith was named MVP as he ran for 111 yards on 21 carries and a TD. He also was 1 of 3 passing for 41 yards and a TD. Dearmon ran 16 times for 76 yards as the Mustangs ran for 217 yards in the game. Marion County ran for 139 and passed for 102 in the game.
