Spartans defeat top ranked Mustangs in Highway 1 showdown

SOLON — It’s been a point of emphasis for Solon in recent weeks.

The Spartans wanted to run the ball — effectively.

Friday night, that mission was accomplished.

The Class 3A fourth-ranked Spartans (3-0), powered by a much-improved rushing attack, downed top-ranked Mount Vernon (2-1), 35-20, at Spartan Stadium.

Solon entered the contest with 133 rushing yards through two games.

The Spartans ran for 128 yards in the first quarter Friday — 240 total.

“We've been trying to get more consistent in the run game all year, something we've been working on,” Solon head coach Lucas Stanton said. “We know if we're going to go as far as we want, we're going to have to run the ball at some point.

“You just don't know in Iowa what kind of weather you're going to get, so we just really challenged our staff the last couple of weeks. Our offensive staff deserves a lot of credit, but our players deserve even more credit.”

Senior quarterback Eli Kampman led the Spartans with 121 rushing yards on 19 carries. He also threw for 192 yards and three touchdowns, completing 11 of 18 passes.

“It's just complete grit by our linemen,” Kampman said. “They made the decision that they were going to step it up this week, and they showed it on the field.

“We knew they wanted to take away our pass, so we were just going to beat them on smashmouth football.”

It was the third straight victory in the Highway 1 rivalry for Solon.

“It's a great win for the program and the community,” Stanton said. “People really rally around the Highway 1 rivalry. It means a lot. I think the kids get jacked up for it.”

Solon got on the board early as Maddox Kelley capped four-play, 43-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown run 8:15 remaining in the first quarter.

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The Mustangs immediately responded as Holden Hlavacek took the ensuing kickoff 94 yards to the house.

Late in the first, Kampman gave the Spartans the lead back, connecting with Kaden Hoeper for a 31-yard TD.

Kampman then found Kelley open for an 8-yard score with 9:24 left in the first half.

“We always just start with who are our players, let's get them the ball, and find different ways to do it,” Stanton said. “We've got a lot of guys that can do that.”

Early in the fourth, Kelley added his third TD of the game, a 4-yard run capping an 18-play 80-yard drive.

Kelley carried the rock 13 times for 110 yards.

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“His (Kelley’s) elusiveness, body control … I think things that just kind of get overlooked sometimes,” Stanton said. “He's a great athlete. He's got great football IQ and obviously he played a lot of football last year as a sophomore.”

Mount Vernon threw a punch late as Kellen Haverback threw a beautiful deep ball to Toby Neal for a 47-yard score with 8:43 remaining.

With 4:40 left, Solon closed the door as Kampman found Owen Beck for a 77-yard touchdown.

Haverback added a 1-yard score late to round of the scoring.

Mount Vernon will host Fort Madison next Friday. Solon travels to play Benton Community.