Mt. Vernon ends FM season at substate

MT. VERNON – The 2025 Bloodhound boys' soccer squad didn’t get everything they wanted done this season, but it rarely seemed due to lack of effort.
The Hounds were drummed out of the Class 3A Substate 6 semifinal 5-1 by Mt. Vernon in Mt. Vernon Tuesday night.
Head Coach Kevin Wellman said it wasn’t due to a lack of effort on the field, but a lack of converting goals when they had the momentum.
“I think a lot of games go that way. You see it in every sport, I think at every level,” Wellman said following Tuesday’s season-ending loss.
“We had some times where things were going right and we weren't able to capitalize on some of that good play we had. We were struggling in attacking the 3rd getting that last person in on the attack.”
Wellman said he wasn’t taking anything away from the Mustangs, who had a some very strong kicks for goals and a big centerback in junior Jaxon Anderson.
“He was cleaning out a lot of stuff, and their goalkeeper, even though he's very young, is a fantastic goalkeeper and really, really smart. So some of those through balls that Connor (Horn) was almost able to get to, their goalie was good enough or smart enough to come out and just clear it away,” Wellman said.
Fort Madison took the attack first with just under four minutes gone in the match. Fort Madison got a pass across the Mustang defense to Horn who found himself just a little too far forward to corral the ball in time for a shot.
Mt. Vernon would get the next four shots and freshman Keelynd Ross gobbled them all up, except for the first shot that careened off the left post all the way across the front of the goal and was cleared.
Momentum would shift back and forth throughout the first half, but Mt. Vernon would strike first when Gavin Plathe, who would score the first three goals for the Mustangs, opened the scoring with a strike high into the net over Ross’ head for a 1-0 lead at the 8:38 mark.

He would score again just three minutes later on a breakaway down the left side of the field behind the Hound defense for a 2-0 lead that would hold up through the half.
Plathe would score again for his third of the night just four minutes into the second half on a bomb from the far left side of the offense about 30 yards out that cleared Ross’ head again.
Carter Gadberry scored 34 seconds later on a breakaway down the right side of the offense, again behind the Hounds' defense on a through ball.
Fort Madison would get their only goal of the night when Kayden Hanson took an assist across the front of the goal to the left side of the net and shot one past freshman Zion Safo for a 4-1 game. The Mustangs would add another goal with a little more than seven minutes left in the match to set the final score.
The Hounds lost the services of senior Noah Swigart in the first half when he was injured and the match trainer said he needed to be seen by a doctor and was transported to an area hospital.
Wellman said he wasn’t displeased with the way the Hounds played Tuesday or throughout the season, for that matter.
“As far as the season as a whole, I’m not displeased. We're 8-7 and finished second in the conference. We were able to name five people to the conference team and that'll be coming out soon,” he said.
“And even some of those losses, you know, we tied with Williamsburg and I thought we played well. We went up to Pella and played a really good game against Pella, but just didn't quite get it done.
“It is a little disappointing that we dropped the game to Burlington. That was the one that probably took us away from getting the (Southeast) conference championship, or Mount Pleasant. Those are games that we should have played better and we didn't. I think we left a little bit out there.”
The Hounds are losing six seniors from the final roster including Henry Graham, Jacob Shottenkirk, Hansen, Swigart, and Leon Ziegltrum.
They finished the season 8-7-1 and 6-2-0 in the conference.