Washington, IA- “Thank God it worked, right?” Mt. Pleasant head coach John Bowlin had a decision to make in front of a raucous Friday night crowd at Case Field. A crowd celebrating a Homecoming and a crowd agitated provoked by the rain and by another iteration of a Mt. Pleasant/Washington rivalry game. An edition that needed an overtime period and a trick play to decide the 29-28 final to keep the Panthers perfect for the season.
It was the fourth consecutive year that one of these two teams made the other their Homecoming opponent with Mt. Pleasant ending a 14-game losing streak against the Demons in the process of a 44-20 victory at Evans Field to exercise more than just the physical Demons.
Yet, this year’s game had a sense of extra tension. Mt. Pleasant was 4-0 for the first time since 2008, but needed a 13-point fourth quarter to best Central DeWitt, 16-14, the week before. On the other side of the field, Washington was 3-1 coming off an ostensible bye week after Oskaloosa forfeited the week four showdown due to misconduct.
The Panthers were beaten physically, mentally, and emotionally, while the Demons were fresh and eager to not only reestablish the status quo but also upset a ranked Mt. Pleasant team in the first district matchup of the 2026 season. Coach Bowlin did not need a crystal ball to present his premonition a week before,
“… Expect another dogfight just like tonight.”
The first drive set the tone for most of the game. Washington managed a first down with their quick passing scheme and pointed running from the duo of Liam Roberts and dual-threat quarterback Nic Stone. Then, a negative paly put the Demons behind the chains and the team was forced to punt it away. The script was now on full display, except the Panthers would not get their first down until the second quarter.
After a three-and-out, Brandon Veloz, who had punted just four times through the first four weeks, trotted on the field for his first of five punts on the night. Washington’s offense looks to lull a defense to sleep with wide receiver screens, jet sweeps, and quarterback options to open up Stone to heave a deep shot. On his first uppercut of the night, Stone found Kipton Brown for a 54-yard touchdown pass–all being his first as a Demon–to open up the scoring with 3:30 left in the first quarter. Washington up, 7 to 0.
It wasn’t until mid-way through the second quarter when the next score of the game would occur. Washington, who was pinned back at their own 10-yard line, had a miscommunication on the handoff between Stone and Roberts, resulting in a fumble and recovery by Mt. Pleasant, which was their 16th takeaway of the season. Ryan Helling would respond with a short plunge to snare the game at 7.
Immediately, Roberts would take the ensuing kickoff and return it inside the Mt. Pleasant 30-yard line. Yet, the Panther defense would stand strong, as Caleb Shepherd was unphased by a Washington trick play on a 4th down halfback pass, intercepting the ball in the endzone for a touchback. The two teams would go to the break locked at 7. Coach Bowlin did not mince words after the game,
“We obviously didn’t have a lot going on. Couldn’t run the ball in the first half. Couldn’t throw the ball in the first half, really.”
The second half did not start any better for the Mt. Pleasant offense, as Greyson Hartman, Blaine Rees, Junior Valdez, and Clayton Evans constantly crashed the line of scrimmage, closing up holes and making life difficult for Grayson Walker. Even with seven tackles for loss, the Mt. Pleasant defense was starting to lose their footing, while Stone was starting to take over the game.
The Demons chewed most of the third quarter clock, as they meticulously drove down the field until it was fourth-and-goal from the Panther one-yard line. The fourth down play went from calamity to euphoria for Washington, as a waterlogged ball rolled back to Stone who was immediately surrounded by maroon and white jerseys; yet, the Upper Iowa basketball commit had enough awareness to spot Bryer Sobaski in the back of the endzone for a one-yard touchdown pass. Washington regained the lead, 14 to 7.
The Demon defense would aid the offense, as Rees, a 1st Team All-District linebacker from 2025, stepped in front of a Walker pass for an interception and returned it to the Mt. Pleasant 10-yard line. Stone would eventually capitalize with a 14-yard touchdown scramble early in the fourth quarter to make the lead, 21 to 7.
For the second week in a row, Mt. Pleasant would have to voyage the treacherous waters of a double-digit fourth quarter deficit. The Panther offense seemed most comfortable in these positions.
“I mean, second half we found a few answers in the run game and you know, we’re able to slip a couple short things but their defense was just swarming all over us tonight,” said Coach Bowlin. “It just talks about the grit that our guys have. I mean, you know, get your backs behind the wall and they just fight like crazy. Never give up on anything. So, you know, both teams just battled like crazy. It was just a great competition tonight. So, really proud of our guys and you know, just two high school football teams getting after it…”
A laborious Mt. Pleasant drive eventually led to an 8-yard touchdown pass from Walker to Isaiah Lange to cut the lead to 21 to 14. The Panther defense would do their job as Lange and company managed a quick three-and-out and a Washington punt. The Panther defense was a big reason why the offense had a shot late in the game,
“They make things difficult for opposing offenses,” explained Bowlin. “Yeah, I mean, they’re tough to block and if you can get them behind the chains then we got a chance to really make some big plays there and they just keep coming. I mean, you look at those guys. It was a battle out there and you look at our DBs. They keep staying with depth, making big plays when needed and, you know, I don’t know if we ever found an answer on defense. Just kept fighting like crazy and reading our keys. I thought our backers and D-line did a good job most of the night. A couple times they slip big on us but, you know, just got to keep trusting that your teammates are gonna do their job and, you know, just fight like crazy.”
As if the barn could not burn brighter, Mt. Pleasant found themselves at the Washington 22-yard line facing a fourth down with less than three minutes remaining in the game. Walker managed to avoid pressure and float a pass over the middle of the field and off the hands off Lange into the awaiting arms of Brody Clark for a 21-yard reception and a first down. Helling would slam into the endzone and Veloz would even the game at 21, a 14-point deficit erased.
Still, 2:19 remained in the fourth quarter and Stone had been dealing in the second half, outgaining Mt. Pleasant by himself. On third-and-long, Stone uncorked a pass down the right-sideline where a sprinting Easton Rugg was wide open for a possible touchdown and at least a first down, but the pass was overthrown by a yard. It was time to punt. Or that was the original plan, but a high snap slipped through the hands of Braedon Tappan and a desperation scurry from the punter left him short of the line to gain and Mt. Pleasant in Washington territory.
The Panthers had one timeout and less than thirty second to play with. However, it was Washington’s turn to stand tall on defense, stalling the Mt. Pleasant offense, resulting in Veloz coming out for a 38-yard field goal with six-seconds remaining.
The kick was left short, but Washington was flagged for running into the kicker giving Veloz another shot five yards closer for the final play of regulation. This time the Demon special teams broke through on time and blocked the field goal. It was time for overtime at Case Field with the two Southeast Conference rivals tied at 21.
Overtime rules stipulate that both teams will get the ball at the 10-yard line and duel until one team is left standing. Washington got the ball first and went backwards immediately due to penalties and a Panther defense that had the momentum on their side. In a blink-of-an-eye, Washington faced 4th and goal from the Panther 30-yard line. With no other choice, Stone dropped back and let the ball fly to the endzone where it landed incomplete.
Nevertheless, a Mt. Pleasant roughing-the-passer penalty reignited the Washington offense, giving them a fresh set of downs at the 15-yard line. It took two plays, as Roberts took a counter run 10-yards for a touchdown and Tappan tapped in the extra point to give Washington a 28 to 21 lead.
It was now Mt. Pleasant’s turn and for the third time that night Helling burrowed his way into the endzone from five yards out and a pending extra point away from tying the game. Coach Bowlin opted to use his only timeout of the overtime period.
Over the last four years, Mt. Pleasant was 7-0 in one-possession games, while Washington was 6-0 over the past three years in one-possession games. Additionally, three of the Panther’s last six wins entering the night had the team trailing at one point in the fourth quarter.
A year ago, Mt. Pleasant had run their own version of the halfback pass with Griffen Jones connecting for a 27-yard completion. To coach Bowlin, it seemed like the perfect time to bring out the play once again,
“They executed it and it was awesome to see them out there fighting at the end.”
A toss to Jones saw the junior rolling out to his right where he untucked the football and lofted a pass to Clark in the corner of the endzone and the senior was able to hold on to the football with two feet down to secure the narrow 29-28 victory in overtime.
For the first time since September 21st, 2012, Mt. Pleasant had both won consecutive games despite rushing for less than 100 yards and exited victorious despite failing to gain 100 yards through the air or on the ground.
Improbably, Mt. Pleasant is 5-0 entering their Homecoming bout with Fort Madison on Friday, October 2nd, at 7:30 pm. A Bloodhound squad that ended a 19-game losing streak back in week one and enters the game with a 3-2 record on the season. Coach Bowlin knows it will take another fight to keep an unblemished record for another week,
“Yeah, I think you look at the last two weeks we’ve played some some battles and we we got to keep getting better and finding answers ourselves during the week and, you know, every game we play is gonna be a dogfight. We knew tonight was gonna come down to the wire and then next week’s gonna be the same way. Fort Madison’s a really well coached team. I’ve seen them putting up great numbers. They play physical.”
KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 7:15 pm.
Mt. Pleasant Stat Leaders
Passing:
Grayson Walker: 6 for 16, 68 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions
Rushing:
Ryan Helling: 23 carries, 70 yards, 3 touchdowns
Receiving:
Isiah Lange: 3 receptions, 29 yards, 1 touchdown
Defense:
Lange: 8 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 fumble recovery
Caleb Shepherd: 6 tackles, 1 interception