The Staley Mustangs 8th Grade Football White Team opened up their season tonight against the Clark Cougars.  The Mustangs looked good, they took charge early and never looked back.  The Mustangs offense was on fire all night.  The Staley defense was quick to shut down the run.  The Mustangs put the first score on the board mid way through the first quarter, when #1 set up the touchdown with a great run to inside the five yard line.  #25 carried the ball in for the score on the next play.  A successful PAT gave the Mustangs 8 on the board.

Staley's defense held the Cougars for the next drive.  The Mustangs had a nice run by #1 called back for a penalty, and then on the next play, a 30 yard touchdown by  #27 called back for a holding penalty.  The Mustangs soon faced a third down, when #6 threw a 10 yard pass  out to #1 who took it in for the touchdown.  The PAT was blocked, but Staley had a 14-0 lead.   Clark was making progress down the field, when #90 sacked the quarterback.  However, a completed pass by the Cougars on the next play gave them first and goal on the five yard line.  The Cougars scored on the next play and cut Staley's lead to 14-8 with two minutes left in the half.  

On the first play after the kick off, the Mustangs' #27 took it 20 plus yards down the field.  Number 1 then took the handoff, cut to the far side of the field, broke a tackle at the twenty yard line and took it to the house.  PAT was a run that was stopped short of the goal line. Staley lead 20-8 at the half. 

The second half opened with Staley getting a nice run back on the kick off.  Then #27 scampered down the far sideline for 50 plus yards for the touchdown  A missed PAT put the score Mustangs 26, Cougars 8.  Clark was successful passing the ball down the field and they scored mid way through the third quarter to cut the Mustangs' lead 26-14.

Staley continued to roll with  a great run by #15 who broke tackles and ran 45 yards down the sideline for another Mustang score with a minute and half left in the third quarter.  Staley 32; Cougars 14.  However, the Cougars answered on their next series, putting the at 32-20, in the Mustangs favor. 

Staley's last score came on a fantastic 55 yard run by #4. A successful PAT was ran in, and the Mustangs were up 39-20 with less than a minute left in the game.  The Cougars gave their fans something to cheer about when they were able to score with seconds left in the game;  however, Staley took home the win 39-26.  

Overall the boys played great on both sides of the ball.  The offense was able to move the ball down the field effectively, and the defense was tough on the run.  I am sure as the season continues, they will improve upon this performance.   The Staley Mustangs 8th Grade Football White Team is off to a great start.  Way to go, Mustangs!!

Here are some images of the game: