Sutton scores all 24 points in the 1st quarter
Friday night’s final regular season road trip to Tri County High School to face the 2-5 Trojans proved to be a little more than the Sutton Mustangs thought that they’d have to deal with as Sutton, after taking a 24-8 first-quarter lead, had to hold on for dear life in the second half, especially in the third quarter.
Tri County posted 14 points in the third quarter to trim the Mustangs lead down to just two points in the final 12-minute quarter, and the Trojans threatened the Mustangs’ then 5-2 record with a couple of scoring threats, before a pass break up near the Trojans’ end zone by the Mustangs sealed the two point win and Sutton’s second straight trip into the Class D-1 state playoffs.
Griffin Bergen carried the offensive load on his shoulders against Tri County, as the junior rushed for 152 total yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns in the first quarter.
Fellow junior Creighton Jones rushed for 90 yards on 14 carries, while senior quarterback Keith Kliewer posted one touchdown on the ground while carrying the ball nine times for 29 yards.
Junior DJ Hanjy posted 25 yards on one big carry, while senior Jacob Huxoll rushed one time for eight yards in the win.
Kliewer completed five of seven passes in the win for 40 yards.
On the receiving end of Kliewers’ five completions was Jacob Huxoll, who made three catches for 22 yards. Jones was in on one catch for 10 yards, while Hajny made one catch for eight yards.
Jacob Huxoll led the team’s tackle charts with nine stops, including three solo stops. Huxoll’s younger brother, Max, made six total stops and had a team-high four solo tackles.
Four players, including Bergen, Kliewer, Aydin Banta, and Rexx Meyer gained four stops in the game.
Kliewer and Jones both had key interceptions in the win to help hold off the Trojans in the end.
Sutton drew a first-round home game in the Class D-1 state playoffs Thursday afternoon, beginning at 5 p.m. Sutton will host the Bloomfield Bees, as both teams have identical 6-2 records. Sutton is the 16th seed in the 32-team playoff bracket, while the Bees gained the 17th seed.
Score by Quarters
Sutton....................................24 0 0 0 -24 Tri County...............................8 0 14 0 -22 Sutton TC
Rush Att-Yds.................. 51-304 N/A Pass Comp-Att-Yds........ 5-7-40 N/A Total Offense....................344 N/A
