NEW MARKET — Southmont had a 7-6 lead at halftime of its sectional opener against Monrovia but could not hang on and saw its season come to an end with a 13-10 loss Friday.
The Mounties took advantage of the Bulldogs’ (4-6) decision early in the game to go for it on fourth down deep in its own territory. When the Mounties’ defense came up with the stop, it resulted in a short scoring drive of 19 yards and the host had a 7-0 lead with 1:48 to play in the first quarter.
Little did the Mounties know that would be the final time they would reach the end zone in the 2026 season.
The defensive battle continued until Monrovia used a 57-yard pass play from Mikey Terrill to Gannon Prosser to set up a 7-yard touchdown run from Coewin Stinson with just 1:10 to play in the half. The extra point was no good and the Mounties still maintained its 7-6 lead.
Southmont had one of its best quick offensive sequences of the season, and thanks to a pass interference call, junior kicker Creed Gardner was able to hit a 31-yard field goal on the final play of the half, giving the Mounties ties a 10-6 lead.
At the half the Mounties had rushed for 91 yards, including 77 from sophomore Kasen Bushong. In addition, the Mounties had thrown for 65 yards and had 156 yards in offense.
The second half was a different story. The Mounties had 23 offensive plays which netted just 66 yards.
“Monrovia made some adjustments with their linebackers and we just couldn’t get the ground game going in the second half,” Southmont coach Desson Hannum said. “Couple that with the fact we kept shooting ourselves in the foot and kept getting behind the chains due to mistakes and penalties.”
Southmont had five possessions in the second half but could not score any points. The best chance came after the defense held on fourth down again. Southmont moved from midfield to the Monrovia 16 but then on a second-and-13 they lost a fumble.
The Mounties had one more possession when the defense came up with its fourth stop on fourth down, but could not get past midfield on its final possession before losing the ball on a fumble again with about a minute to play.
The winning score in the game came on Monrovia’s first possession of the second half when Terrill hit Gavin Wilsiffer on a 62-yard touchdown pass ending the two-play scoring drive. Neither team scored the last 20 minutes of the game.
The loss ended the Mounties’ season at 4-6.
“You hate to see your season end,” Hannum said. “I feel really bad for the seniors. This senior class has left its mark on this program. They have been part of the only two sectionals, the only regional title and they played in a semistate. More importantly they have put in the time and work and have been great leaders. The younger guys have learned from them. They have definitely left their mark.”
