West Liberty traveled to Mount Vernon to face off against the Mustangs this past Thursday in the first district game of the year. The Stangs were coming off a loss in week 4 to Maquoketa, looking to get back on track this week. Both Mount Vernon and West Liberty defenses came to play, keeping it a low scoring affair for much of the first quarter until cornerback Leo Appleton intercepted a pass from the West Liberty quarterback and returning it to the 25 yard line. On the very next play, running back Tyler Panos took it 75 yards for a touchdown making it 7-0 Mustangs. 

The Comet defense came up with a big interception, giving them the ball down 7-0 in the second quarter. West Liberty answered with touchdowns on consecutive drives and shutting down the Mustang offense, giving them the 14-7 lead going into halftime. 

Since the game was moved to Thursday due to weather, there was a time crunch, putting the game and parade on the same night and making the second half of the JV game a 16 minute running clock. 

The Mustang defense came up with a big stop on the first possession, giving the ball back to the Mustang offense. They went down the field and scored making it 14-13 Comets after missing the extra point to tie it. Both offenses stalled for the remainder of the game and the final score was 14-13 Comets. 

“It was a tough way to end it but I thought our guys did a good job competing all game,” said freshman quarterback and cornerback Henry Ryan. The Stangs hope to bounce back this week when they travel to Tipton to battle the Tigers.