Mascoutah posts 28 in first half,
rolls over Jersey in 42-13 win
BY AARON OTTIS
SPORTS EDITOR
MASCOUTAH – Mascoutah’s Austin Givens rushed for three touchdowns and 86 yards during the first quarter, setting up the Indians for a 42-13 Mississippi Valley Conference win over Jerseyville Friday.

“We didn’t stop them, and that’s the biggest issue,” Jersey head coach Gary Carter said. “We had to keep them from putting points on the board by controlling the clock. We were shortening the game as much as we could, taking a lot of time between snaps.”

Jersey’s defense showed signs of improvement during the second half, but still allowed big plays that resulted in touchdowns for the Indians. The Panthers’ offense stalled out repeatedly during the first half.

“When we have the ball, we have to be able to score,” Carter said. “Our first drive, and a couple other drives later when we got down there inside the 5-yard line...we shot ourselves in the foot multiple times. If we make one mistakes down there, we can overcome it. But you can’t overcome two or three mistakes against a good team.”

Jersey’s offense amassed 233 yards rushing, and quarterback Sam Ficker helped the air attack accumulate 92 yards on six completions.

Carter said he wants to see his guys play hard in the final two weeks of the season and have something to build upon during the offseason.

“We have to come out and do what we are capable of doing,” Carter said. “We aren’t going t change the system or do anything drastically different. We wanna have some fun and have a good taste in our mouths going into next season. It is important that we come out and play well in these final two game.

Bryan Weiner and Mitch Scoggins tackle Mascoutah quarterback Austin Givens after a big run up the middle.
Aaron Ottis/thejcstar.com