Mustangs stay perfect with 30-7 win over Comets

But the Independence Mustangs are not the huddling type as they rode their no-huddle offense to a 30-7 victory over visiting Charles City in a Class 3A-District 3 matchup on Friday.

For the Class 3A No. 6-ranked Mustangs, the win improved their undefeated record to 7-0 and district record to 3-0.

The Comets fell to 2-5 and 0-3.

Senior quarterback Logan Schmitt led the ‘Stangs while going 8 of 15 through the air for 160 yards and three touchdowns, and rushing for 100 yards on 27 carries and scoring twice from the ground.

Though Independence scored 30 points off them, for the undersized and undermanned Comets the game was one of their best defensive efforts of the season. Friday’s game yielded the least amount of points the Mustangs have scored this year.

Trever Heitz, who had 69 yards rushing on the other side of the ball for the Comets, led the team with five solo tackles including two for a loss.

Alec Staudt picked off QB counterpart Schmitt twice in his role as a defensive back.

Senior Mitz Concepcion was credited with two solo sacks, and sophomores Chase Crooks and Tino Tamayo each were credited with one.

And Comet sophomore Colton Crooks — all 5-foot-6, 145-pounds of him — led the team with seven assisted tackles.

Going into Friday’s game, the Mustangs outscored the opposition 267 to 35. And though they probably have taken advantage of blown coverages here and missed tackles there while rolling over the competition, sometimes you’ve got to give credit to their ability for making big plays.

Noted examples of this were when Schmitt and receiver Blake Bartz hooked up for a pair of spectacular touchdowns.

The first was a 71-yarder when Bartz made a leaping catch just over a Comet defender before hitting the ground running to help put the Mustangs up 22-0 midway through the third quarter.

The second score came in the fourth quarter on a 30-yard pass play.

Comet sophomore Mario Hoefer was the defender on the play and had Bartz covered like a blanket many fans that night wrapped themselves in, but Schmitt made the perfect throw and Bartz made the perfect catch.

Early in the fourth quarter, sophomore Cael Bohlen scored from 3 yards out for his first varsity touchdown. That, with Kaleb Byers’s subsequent PAT kick, was the only score of the game for Charles City.

Twice the Comets were able to breach into Independence’s 10-yard line only to turn the ball over.

Next Friday (Oct. 18), the Comets will host West Delaware (3-4, 1-2), which is coming off a 26-20 win over Decorah.

INDEPENDENCE 30, CHARLES CITY 7
Scoring By Quarters
CHARLES CITY 0 0 0 7 — 7
INDEPENDENCE 7 7 8 8 — 30
Scoring Summary
IND — Cole Davis 8-yard pass from Logan Schmitt (Brady Webb kick) 7-0, 2:39 1st
IND — Schmitt 2-yard run (Webb kick) 14-0, 1:31 2nd
IND — Blake Bartz 71-yard pass from Schmitt (Marcus Beatty run) 22-0, 5:57 3rd
CC — Cael Bohlen 3-yard run (Kaleb Byers kick) 22-7, 10:42 4th
IND — Bartz 30-yard pass from Schmitt (Davis run) 30-7, 8:56 4th