Mustangs too fast for short-handed Hounds

FORT MADISON – The Fort Madison Bloodhounds usually play a little bend don’t break defense, but on Friday against Class 3A’s No. 9 Mt. Vernon, the Hounds defense and special teams snapped a few times enroute to a 55-21 loss at Richmond Stadium.
At one point in the first half the Mustangs scored three touchdowns on single touches including a punt return for a touchdown, a kick return for a touchdown and single-play 46-yard touchdown pass from Noah Oleson to Graham Yanda down the left side of the Hound defense.
Fort Madison was playing without Aurelio Jaciunde a key cog in the speed game. Jacuinde was on the sideline in street clothes and a knee brace after an injury suffered last Friday in the win over Central Lee.
That loss became evident quick as Mt. Vernon took a punt off the Hounds' opening possession all the way back for an opening score. The Mustangs would get behind the Hound secondary three more times for touchdowns, one to Holden Hlavacek on 80-yard go route and the other two to Maddox Curren and Graham Yanda.
After a one-yard plunge by Oleson to make it 48-7 and set a running clock in the 2nd half, sophomore Jayden Cratton took the ensuing kickoff 73 yards weaving his way through the Mt. Vernon coverage team and escaping down the north sideline to make it 48-14 and put some life into the crimson and black.
The Mustangs would put the clock in  motion on their very next play when Hlavacek got behind everyone and hauled in an arcing pass over the top and raced into the endzone to make it 55-14.
The Hounds would go right back to work on a 15-play, 58-yard drive that culminated with Thacher bulling in on his third attempt inside the 10-yard line for the Hounds' final score. Thacher had the other touchdown for Fort Madison on a 19-yard run through the right side of the Mustang defense down the Hounds sideline in the first half.
“Just a lot of self-inflicted wounds which, you know, against a good team like that there's no way you can do that,” said Head Coach Derek Doherty.

Fort Madison committed a couple turnovers, but then were able to recover an onside kick to start the second half. Doherty said the ups and downs are things the Hounds have to learn to take advantage of, especially against solid football teams.
“They're a good team and we knew that, but we felt like we could compete with them, and you know, really, we did at times. But there's no moral victories in that.”
Doherty said the Hounds are starting to figure out what consistency is and how to move players with their hands
“It's a lack of consistency that I think our guys are starting to figure out and trying to fix,” he said.
“Their response at halftime was good and we're proud of that growth. We put the ball on the ground a couple of times and our special teams came out real tentative. We’re starting a lot lot of young guys on special teams. On their first score we had nothing but red around that guy and he gets away. It was like that Spiderman meme where there all pointing at each other. Somebody’s gotta want to be the man.”
Thacher finished with 172 yards and two scores on 24 carries.  The junior is closing in on 700 yards on the season. Huffman had a hard time in the air under the pressure of the Mustangs defense, and went just 5-18 for 15 yards. Liam Prier was  a menace for the Hounds on defense recording nine tackles, seven of them solo.  Fort Madison didn't manage to record a tackle for loss.
The Hounds fall to 2-2 on the year with the loss and will host Keokuk for the County Seat next week at Richmond Stadium.