Monday, Oct. 4, 2021
ALTOONA-MIDWAY/YATES CENTER MIDDLE SCHOOL FOOTBALL
YATES CENTER – Whenever the Yates Center/Altoona-Midway cooperative football team squares off against Marmaton Valley Middle School on the gridiron, spectators just need to sit back, enjoy their favorite concessions, and get out calculators.
It’s going to be a close, high-scoring affair.
Meeting for the second time this season, MVMS and the YC-AM coop again lit up the scoreboard, with the Wildcats pulling out a 64-58 road victory here Thursday night.
The two squads provided a similar offensive explosion earlier this season at Moran, with YC-AM prevailing 62-60 in that contest.
“The second time around playing Marmaton Valley did not go as well for us,” said YC-AM head coach Ryan Panko. “We got off to a big lead to open the game, and then we started getting sloppy in regards to execution and alignment. This allowed Marmaton Valley to get back into the game and we were in a dogfight for the remainder of the contest.”
Quarterback Mason Collins enjoyed a great night through the air for YC-AM, completing 8-of-12 passing attempts, five of which went for touchdowns.
Evan McVey was on the receiving end of five those aerials, good for 50 yards and two scores; Julian Griffith collected 31 on two receptions, both for touchdowns; and Colby Derrick hauled in a 40-yard TD pass.
Derrick was the leading rusher for YC-AM, adding another two touchdowns while grinding out 103 yards on 11 carries. Kage Beck picked up 56 yards on eight carries and a TD. Collins finished with 16 yards on two carries, and Colton Burkholder ran three times for eight yards.
Derrick paced the defense with 12 tackles, while Collins added nine, Blake Morrison eight, and Jeremiah Jones seven. Rounding out the defensive stats were Jayda Rice with six tackles, Jordan Bishop and Alex Ballin with four apiece, and Beck and Griffith with two each.
“We are just going to have to regroup and get a solid week of practice in so that we can give Oswego all that they can handle when we play them this Thursday,” Panko said.
When YC-AM (2-3) hosts the Indians Thursday, Oct. 7, at Yates Center, they will be hoping the home field advantage holds true for the first time all season. Thus far this fall, YC-AM has dropped all three of its home games while winning both road contests.