Mountain Grove football drops 60 on Salem

The Mountain Grove Panthers’ football team simply dominated a one win Salem squad last Friday night after amassing 506 total rushing yards in a 60-6 victory as three different players had at least 100 yards on the ground.
On the second play from scrimmage, Braydon Curtiss had a 72-yard run followed one play later by a 12-yard touchdown scramble. The failed kick kept the score at 6-0.
On their next possession, the Panthers’ Cooper Hoerning had a 54-yard run followed three plays later by Aiden Estep’s one-yard touchdown run. Hoerning’s two-point run pushed Mountain Grove in front, 14-0.
Another Salem punt set the Panthers with the ball near midfield. Curtiss exploded for a 61-yard touchdown run. His two-point conversion gave Mountain Grove a 22-0 edge at the end of the first quarter.
Mountain Grove’s offense kept pouring it on in the second quarter as they started a drive with a Destin Unger 32-yard carry. Two plays later, Estep scored from five yards out. Hoerning’s two-point conversion run pushed the lead to 30-0.
This time another Salem three-and-out was followed two plays later by Hoerning’s 48-yard touchdown run. A failed kick kept the score at 37-0.
Late in the second quarter, Eli Golden had a 16-yard carry. Estep closed the drive with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Kale Gardner. A blocked kick gave the Panthers a 43-0 lead at halftime.
Mountain Grove had 33 yards passing and 373 yards on the ground for 406 total yards of offense in the first half.
Salem’s offense had just 75 total yards on the ground. With the mercy clock in effect in the third quarter, the JV offense entered the game. This came at the same time senior Josiah Schott, who had ACL surgery earlier in the day, made an appearance to see his teammates on the sideline.
Brody Bevan picked up an 11-yard carry and Golden finished off the drive himself with one carry for 19 yards and another from two yards out for the touchdown. Brayden Haughey’s extra-point kick pushed the lead to 50-0.
Early in the fourth quarter, Bevan had a 13-yard run that eventually set up Haughey’s 27-yard field goal attempt, that he nailed through the uprights. He told his senior teammate, Josiah Schott, that was for him as the Panthers led 53-0.
Salem did find the end zone with a 28-yard touchdown run.
Golden responded with a 62-yard touchdown run in the final minute. Haughey’s extra-point kick put Mountain Grove in front, 60-6.
Curtiss finished the game with five carries for 163 yards and one touchdown.
Estep completed one pass for 33 yards and one touchdown. He also had four carries for 33 yards and two scores.
Hoerning added three carries for 113 yards and one touchdown.
Golden had five carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a pass for 33 yards and another score. Bevan tallied seven carries for 51 yards while Unger had 33 yards rushing on two carries. Damien LaFranchise had six carries for 17 yards while Christopher Fry added two carries for eight yards.
Up next for the Panthers is a Friday, Oct. 18 Senior Night match-up against 5-2 Houston. The Tigers crushed Willow Springs last week, 49-6, to end a two game losing streak that saw them fall to Thayer, 25-13, and Ava, 43-7.