VEEDERSBURG — Fountain Central’s football team had a good first half, and a better second half, in a 26-12 non-conference win over Frontier.
Two touchdowns in each half was the needed offense for the Mustangs to win their second game in a row, and move to 2-1 on the season.
They gave up a pair of scores in the first half, but nothing in the second, as Frontier drops to 0-3 overall.
“These guys just wouldn’t give up,” FC coach Ryan Hall said. “We made some offensive adjustments at halftime, the defense really stepped up, and a lot of guys made great plays. It’s a great feeling for these guys to win two in a row.”
Leading 14-12 at the half, the Mustangs got the chalk board out and made some changes.
“First, the coaching staff did a phenomenal job,” Hall said, “but it was the O-line that pushed for the biggest change. We came into the game thinking we couldn’t run inside on their big guys, and our line came in and said we needed to pound the ball - that they could move their big guys. They called it, and we did it. It’s just shows how much these guys are growing and learning the game. That doesn’t happen a couple years ago. We had Imanol Barradas start his first game at center and he did a great job.”
The line opened holes for 191 rush yards, and Owen Acton was the biggest beneficiary, as the sophomore topped the 100-yard mark for the first time in his young career with 114 yards. He got into the end zone three times, including once on a 60-yard run.
“Our O-line was awesome,” Acton said. They opened holes all over, and Austin (Pickett) and Dawson (Blue) did a great job as lead runners. I know there weren’t a lot of wins the last couple years, and we are working to get more.”
Blue finished with 69 rush yards and one score.
The Falcons scored first, capping their opening drive, and scored in the second quarter, taking advantage of a fumbled punt by FC.
The rest of the night they were held at arms length, never reaching the red zone again. While rushing for 151 yards and passing for 61, they were only 3-of-12 on third down.
“Their quarterback was good, and ran hard,” Hall said of Frontier QB Kaleb Wagner, who ran for 86 yards and one TD. “We knew that we needed to get more pressure on him at the half, and we blitzed some more.”
Ely Thompson picked up a pair of sacks in the blitz package. “He’s a good young, vocal player,” Hall said of the sophomore. “We told him to go out and make plays. He and the defense did that.”
A.J. Hall threw for 133 yards, going 12-of-18. While the junior had no TDs, he also had no INTs.
He’s gone three weeks without a turnover,” Hall said of his quarterback. “He’s doing okay so far for his first Friday nights.”
With the two-game win streak, the Mustangs head back to WRC action next Friday against Covington, a game circled on both calendars every season.
