PONDER — Steven Flusche rushed for two touchdowns as Muenster defeated Ponder 24-13 in the season opener Friday night for both teams.
After a failed first drive, Ponder regained possession when Dylan Nichelson recovered a fumble. Brennan Sooter capped off the impressive drive with a 2-yard run for the touchdown. Coleman James converted the extra point to give the Lions an early 7-0 lead.
Muenster would receive its first points on a Lions error. A high snap on the punt bounced into the end zone for a safety, cutting Ponder’s lead to 7-2.
The Hornets found their offensive flow early in the second quarter. Steven Flusche took a delayed handoff and dashed 22 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was missed, but Muenster led 8-7.
Moments later, Muenster’s Mason Binder kicked a 28-yard field goal, making the score 11-7 at the half.
Penalties gave Muenster an easy trip to the red zone to start the second half. Binder would take it himself from 2 yards out for the score. After a failed conversion, Muenster held a 17-7 lead.
Ponder showed promise on the following drive, but an interception killed the momentum. The Hornets would make them pay.
Trevor Hess got behind the coverage, snagging a pass from Hunter Klement for a 62-yard gain. Two plays later, Flusche scored his second touchdown of the night. After the kick, Muenster was pulling away with a 24-7 lead.
The Lions did answer with a strong drive, making easy passes to get down the field. Brennan Sooter would hit paydirt on a 27-yard sweep play to cut the lead to 24-13.
Trey Dunlap came up big with a sack to kill a Muenster possession and give Ponder a chance to cut into the lead even more.
Sanders found Tanner Yeager for a 26-yard completion and a facemask penalty added on to the play, giving the Lions a trip inside the Muenster 20. However, four straight plays of no yardage destroyed the Ponder drive and a chance to cut it to one possession.
Ponder would attempt a final drive, but turned it over on downs, and Muenster was able to run out the clock.
Muenster 24, Ponder 13
Muenster | 2 | 9 | 13 | 0 | — | 24 |
Ponder | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | — | 13 |
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
P — Brennan Sooter 2 run (Coleman James kick), 6:54
M — Safety, 1:57
Second Quarter
M — Steven Flusche 22 run (Mason Binder no good), 8:55
M — Binder 28 field goal, 3:18
Third Quarter
M — Binder 2 run (conversion no good), 10:41
M — S. Flusche 1 run (Hunter Klement kick), 5:25
P —- Brennan Sooter 27 run (conversion no good), 1:01
TEAM STATISTICS
| M | P |
First Downs | 15 | 7 |
Rushing | 160 | 116 |
Passing | 8-11-0 | 20-34-1 |
Passing Yards | 106 | 194 |
Total Yards | 266 | 310 |
Fumbles-Lost | 2-2 | 1-1 |
Punts-Avg. | 3-38 | 1-42 |
Penalties | 7-75 | 5-41 |
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing — M: Steven Flusche 10-62, Mason Binder 8-57, Trevor Hess 4-19, Andy Flusche 3-20, Clint Sidwell 3-4, Hunter Klement 3-(-10), Trevor Hess 2-8. P: Brennan Sooter 21-88, Reid Sanders 3-24, Austin Leveridge 1-3,Tanner Yeager 1-1.
Passing — M: Mason Binder 5-6-31, Hunter Klement 3-5-75. P: Reid Sanders 20-34-194-1
Receiving — M: Trevor Hess 4-82, Cole Walterscheid 2-10. Andy Flusche 2-4. P: Christian Worthington 6-62, Tanner Yeager 5-64, Austin Leveridge 5-37, Nick King 2-22, Brennan Sooter 2-9.
