March 29, 2024

PCM football claims first state title, cruises past BHRV

PERFECTION

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CEDAR FALLS — Prairie City-Monroe’s football team left no doubt who the best team in Class 2A was this year.

The top-ranked Mustangs wrapped up a perfect 13-0 season and claimed the program’s first state championship with a 28-7 victory over second-ranked Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley Friday afternoon at the UNI-Dome.

PCM’s top-ranked defense intercepted BHRV quarterback JT Van’t Hul four times, forced five turnovers and recorded four sacks in another dominating effort.

“If a good coach can watch 26 hours of film, he might be able to turn himself into a great coach. That’s what I did. I watched 20 hours of film just on their offense alone,” PCM head coach and defensive coordinator Greg Bonnett said. “We had a good plan. We have good players, too, and that’s what it comes down to the most.”

That time spent in the film room allowed him to put his defense into the right spots all night, and the Mustangs responded with one of their best defensive efforts of the season.

The offense was pretty good, too. PCM piled up 386 rushing yards, led by quarterback Reed Worth’s 271 through the air and senior Wes Cummings’ 130 on the ground.

The Mustangs were 13-0 for the first time in school history. No team came within 20 points of PCM this season.

Bonnett pleaded to his team after the win to be the first person to touch the state championship trophy. It meant just as much to him as it did to his players.

“It absolutely means a lot to me, too,” said Bonnett, a PCM alum. “I had won a national championship as a player and a state championship as an assistant coach before, but I had never won one as a head coach. It’s one of those times in life when you have to just enjoy the moment.”

Worth tossed three touchdown passes to three different receivers and Cummings tied the single-season mark for rushing TDs when he hit paydirt to put the Mustangs up two scores in the third quarter.

Cummings surpassed Hutch Burns as the school’s record holder in rushing yards for a season. Cummings capped 2018 with 1,713 yards on the ground. His rushing TD tied Burns for most rushing TDs in a season with 24.

“The records are cool, but holding up that trophy is the coolest thing I will ever do in my entire life,” Cummings said. “The line made it possible. The blockers on the outside, too. Those guys work their tails off. They are my best friends, and I love them to death.”

It was a tough sledding overall for the Mustangs on the ground as BHRV (11-1) sold out to stop Cummings most of the game.

That did open things up in the passing game. PCM used a flea flicker on its first play from scrimmage and Worth connected with senior Preston Van Wyk for a 55-yard touchdown.

The scoring play came directly following an interception by senior Olin Meinders. Meinders’ only two picks of his career came inside the dome.

Van Wyk finished with a team-high 129 receiving yards on four catches.

“We saw how aggressive they were in the running game, so we just tried to take advantage of our speed on the outside,” Van Wyk said. “All four of us were involved. It was a fun night.”

PCM forced a three and out on BHRV’s next possession.

BHRV was held to 77 total yards and three first downs in the first half. The Nighthawks got one of those first downs on their next possession, but junior Jace Smith ended the drive with a sack.

PCM moved the ball into BHRV territory on its next offensive series. It got first downs on passes of 19 yards to senior Jarron Trausch and 28 yards to senior Brayton Van Dyke.

The drive ended in no points though when Worth missed a 34-yard field goal attempt.

Senior Andrew Van Ryswyk got a sack to help PCM force another three and out on defense.

The Mustangs took advantage this time. They marched 55 yards in eight plays and went up 13-0 on a 12-yard TD pass from Worth to Van Dyke. Worth also hit senior Isaac Telfer for 17 yards and Van Wyk for 19 yards on the drive.

Van Dyke finished with three catches for 61 yards.

“They were playing tight man-to-man coverage with a safety over the top. But with us having Wes, they brought the safety down a lot of times,” Worth said. “When they did that, we had guys on the outside in one-on-one situations.”

BHRV got first downs on two big pass plays on its next series, but the drive ended when Van’t Hul fumbled. Smith jumped on the loose ball for the recovery.

Van’t Hul played at less than 100 percent because of an ankle injury. He finished with 44 rushing yards and 142 passing yards. He had one TD but turned it over five times.

“He gave everything he had,” BHRV coach Cory Brandt said. “Our timing was off a little bit. We had some guys open, and we missed them. If we hit them, we score and it changes the game. The difference was, they made those plays and we missed them.”

The Mustangs converted a third and 30 when Worth threw a dart to Van Wyk for 60 yards on their next possession. The drive ended in another missed field goal though, and PCM led 13-0 at halftime.

PCM punted on its first two drives in the second half. The second one came from its own end zone, and BHRV started with the ball on the Mustang 28-yard line.

The Nighthawks scored two plays later when Van’t Hul hit Cody Post for a 28-yard touchdown.

PCM answered though, driving 65 yards in seven plays. Cummings gained 12 yards on first down and then got another first down with 15 more yards. That’s when he went past Burns for the rushing yards record.

The drive was aided by a 15-yard personal foul penalty, but Worth also hit Van Dyke for 21 yards before Cummings capped the drive with a 7-yard TD run. Worth then found senior Nick Dredge in the back of the end zone for the two-point conversion to put PCM up 21-7.

“It’s a dang good team. Our coordinator puts our kids in the right spots, but sometimes they just out ran us,” Brandt said. “Their speed is incredible, and that made things difficult.”

PCM scored its final TD in the fourth quarter but not before senior Payton Strovers snagged an interception, and the Mustang defense forced another three and out.

“It’s an unreal experience. I can’t even find words to explain it,” Strovers said. “I played the best I could, and we came out with the win.”

The final scoring drive covered 48 yards in eight plays. Cummings carried it five times for 16 yards. Worth connected with Telfer for a 15-yard completion and went to his tight end again for an 8-yard TD.

“When we had to make plays, we made some big ones,” Bonnett said.

Telfer hauled in five catches for 46 yards.

The defense made sure 28 points was enough. Strovers got another pick on BHRV’s next possession.

After two plays netted 39 yards for the Nighthawks on their following possession, Van’t Hul threw three consecutive incompletions and then senior Cole Dustin recorded a sack to turn the ball over on downs.

PCM had to punt after going three and out on the ensuing possession, but Dustin got another sack and Dredge claimed his sixth pick of the season on the Nighthawks’ final possession.

“We put in the work, and this is what happens. We worked hard for this. We played our best game at the right time,” senior Brycen Rogers said.

“We work together, we know our jobs and it just all came together for us.”

Dustin led the defense with six tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks. Strovers and senior Nick Buswell each had five tackles, senior Jarron Trausch added 4 1/2 tackles and Telfer and Rogers each had four tackles.

Smith had a sack and a fumble recovery, and Van Ryswyk also had a sack and three tackles.

The Nighthawks finished with 236 yards in 52 plays but only rushed for 55 yards.

“Our defense is so good,” Cummings said. “There is literally someone who is great at every single position. That’s what makes this team what it is. I know most people like to talk about me and Reed and the other offensive guys, but this defense makes the team run. I can’t say enough about their effort.”

Worth was 16-for-27 through the air. He also averaged 36.4 yards on his six punts and booted two extra points.

PCM’s offense accounted for 386 yards in 70 plays. The Mustangs recorded 19 first downs, committed only two penalties and scored on three of their five chances in the red zone. They also were 3-of-4 on fourth down.

“No matter how well we played, I felt like we had to prove ourselves every week,” Worth said. “We just stayed the course, and now we’re state champs.”

BHRV 0-0-7-0 — 7

PCM 7-6-8-7 — 28

PCM — Preston Van Wyk 55 pass from Reed Worth (Worth kick)

PCM — Brayton Van Dyke 12 pass from Worth (Worth kick)

BHRV — Cody Post 28 pass from JT Van’t Hul (Beau De Jongh kick)

PCM — Wes Cummings 7 run (Worth pass to Nick Dredge)

PCM — Isaac Telfer 8 pass from Worth (Worth kick)

Contact Troy Hyde at 641-792-3121 ext. 6536 or thyde@newtondailynews.com