Idaho Falls Mustangs
BLACKFOOT - The Idaho Falls Mustangs rode a first half rushing explosion by Mike Jensen and Rod Byrd to a 34 - 14 victory over the Blackfoot Dragons Saturday in Rocky Mountain Football League action. Mike Jensen rushed for 107 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown run and Rod Byrd rushed for 93 yards including a 25-yard first half touchdown scamper. The Mustangs defense dominated the first half lead by Alan Ritchie, Teagon Smith, Jim Mauro, Brett Lewis and Buck Chase as well as a 64-yard interception return for a touchdown by Josh Richardson. A 1-yard goal line dive by Jared Neumeier and a Neumeier to Chris Byrd two-point conversion put the Mustangs up by 26 - 0 at half.
The Mustangs defense relented slightly in the second half allowing a Mark Horrocks to Steve Robinson touchdown pass and a muffed punt return by Josh Richardson to be returned 45 yards for a touchdown by Mike Merrill; but not before Neumeier hit Clint Leonard with a 93-yard touchdown pass on a third and 13 situation midway through the third quarter to put the game out of reach 32 - 0.
Mustangs star receiver, Sean Powell was held in check throughout the game by outstanding corner play by fellow receiving all-star Brock Gunter, who was also the biggest force in the Dragons offense, catching 7 passes for over 100 yards. Powell was held to 1 reception for 14 yards after coming into the game leading the league in TD receptions (5).
The Idaho Falls Mustangs would like to thank the Dragons, and wish them well in the 1999 season.
-Mustangs Press
IDAHO FALLS - The Idaho Falls Mustangs once again tasted bitter defeat against the first year RMFL Snake River Rebels. After jumping off to a quick 8 - 0 lead on a Jared Neumeier quarterback dive and a Neumeier to Sean Powell two-point conversion, the Mustangs once again began to see it slip away against the younger, quicker Rebels, finally giving way 38 - 14.
The vaunted Mustangs defense played significantly better from the first meeting on August 20th in which they surrendered 44 points to the explosive Rebels. Saturday, the tough Mustang middle of Brett Lewis, Scott Worthington, Alan Ritchie and Teagon Smith tightened up and shut down the Rebels in their first two possessions. Taking over after the first possession, the Mustang offense struck quickly, set up by the first play from scrimmage, a 28-yard pass from Neumeier to Chris Byrd to put the Mustangs on the Rebel 5-yard line. After shutting down the Rebels on their second possession, the Mustangs miscued on the first play from scrimmage and a fumbled snap led to a turnover and set up the Rebels for their first score.
The Rebels defensive front continued to dominate the Mustangs front, shutting down the explosive rushing duo of Mike Jensen (37 yards) and Rod Byrd (20 yards) and recording 9 quarterback sacks. According to Neumeier, "that's more than I was sacked in 10 games all of last year."
The Mustangs second score came midway through the third quarter on a 32-yard Neumeier to Josh Richardson touchdown pass closing the gap at that time to 22 - 14. As the momementum seemed to shift, a Jared Neumeier errant pass intended for Clint Leonard was intercepted and returned for a touchdown, burying the Mustangs for good 30 - 14.
The Idaho Falls Mustangs would like to thank the Rebels, and wish them well in the 1999 season.
Game Scoring Summary/Statistics
IDAHO FALLS - Amidst steady winds of up to 40 mph and gust over 45 mph, the Idaho Falls Mustangs put on a rushing exhibition for the ages, rushing to a 30 - 22 triumph of the solid Mini-Cassia Bulldawgs. The win kept the Mustangs from dropping two straight games for the first time in three years of the RMFL's existence and kept them at pace with the East Division first place Snake River Rebels.
1998 RMFL Most Valuable Player, Mike Jensen had another monster game for the 'stangs, racking up 159 yards on 21 carries and 3 touchdowns, including TD runs of 50, 19 and 12 yards. Halfback, Clint Leonard, had a solid performance as well, rushing for 115 yards on 15 carries. The offensive line domination of Ryan Paul, Cody Hudson, Ryan Leonard, Doug Brasier and Elan Mondok was so complete, even back up running back, Bob Hudson chipped in 56 yards on 7 carries of his own, including a 38 yard scamper.
With winds making the timing passing game of the Mustangs difficult, quarterback Jared Neumeier only completed 3 passes (out of 5 attempts) for 20 yards. Two of those passes came on the first drive, two more on their second drive, including the first score of the game, a 12-yard scoring toss to Sean Powell. After that, all the Mustang damage came on the ground.
The Mustang defense turned in another solid performance against a very dangerous Bulldawg offense. Lead by team captain, Alan Ritchie (4-1/2 tackles) and Brett Lewis (7 tackles), the defense stopped the Bulldawgs when they had to to hold on for the win
The Idaho Falls Mustangs would like to thank the Bulldawgs, and wish them well in the 1999 season.
Game Scoring Summary/Statistics
GREAT FALLS - Winterlike conditions and heavy usage of the historic Charles Russell High School's "Pride Field" in Great Falls, Montana made the home of its Rocky Mountain Football League (RMFL) represenatives, the Great Falls Rangers, more of a "mud bath" than a "gridiron". The Rangers rode the home field advantage and an intelligent usage of "spare" dry balls to a 13-12 victory over the Idaho Falls Mustangs saturday.
After a scoreless sloppy, muddy battle of field position in the first quarter, Jared Neumeier hit Josh Richardson with a 93-yard touchdown pass as the Mustangs struck first 6-0. Then two critical kick blocks and a missed interception set up the scoring and the final margin, a margin won by a single extra point conversion by Great Falls kicker, Jason Peters.
Midway through the second quarter a Jared Neumeier punt blocked by a strong Great Falls special teams play, set up the Rangers on the Mustangs 12-yard line and a Jeremy Poirer touchdown run and the Peters conversion for a 7-6 halftime margin. With 2:56 remaining in the third quarter, the Mustangs Brett Lewis blocked a 35-yard Peters field goal attempt and Jason Carlyle picked up the block and returned it to the Rangers 32-yard line. On the next play, Neumeier (6-14-1, 160 yards) hit Chris Byrd with a touchdown strike putting the Mustangs up 12-7. After struggling to hold the lead through most of the 4th quarter, Ranger quarterback Shane Jurasek underthrew receiver Jorge Salas, Mustang cornerback, Jim Mauro stepped up and saw a game-clinching interception slip through his hands and onto the muddy frozen Montana tundra. The Rangers went on to take the lead for good 3 plays later 13-12.
The powerful Mustang rushing attack was kept in check as the starting backfield of Mike Jensen and Rod Byrd were held out due to injury. The Mustang defense received a particularly strong effort from Cody Hudson, Alan Ritchie and Joe Clifton
The Idaho Falls Mustangs would like to thank the Rangers, and wish them well in the 1999 season.
Game Scoring Summary/Statistics
POCATELLO - The Rocky Mountain Bulls took advantage of 7 Idaho Falls Mustangs turnovers to upset the defending RMFL champions 18-8. The Mustangs (4-4) dropped their second straight (3 or the last 4) game for the first time in two years to the underdog Bulls (4-4) and left the game with a lot of question marks.
The game started off well enough for the Mustangs with Jared Neumeier hooking up with Sean Powell for a 52-yard touchdown early in the first quarter. However, when the Mustang defense stopped the Bulls on their next drive, an outstanding punt buried the Mustangs on their own 4-yard line. One play later, Neumeier and Fullback Mike Jensen missed an exchange resulting in a critical turnover setting up the Bulls on the Mustang 2-yard line. The Bulls punched it in on quarterback sneak, making the score 8-6. The half ended on two busted wild plays ending in critical gains for the Bulls and a 12-yard touchdown pass to Matt Culbertson.
The second half was marked with more Mustang offensive inconsistency and turnovers, the most key being a Jared Neumeier pass intended for Chris Byrd intercepted and returned to the Mustang 4-yard line and setting up the final Bulls score. According to Mustang quarterback, Neumeier whose future status with the team is uncertain, "I played horribly. Poor play-calling at times, mis-reads, bad passes... missed exchanges. Unfortuneately, usually so your quarterback goes, so goes your team. A lot of guys put their heart on the line in this one, and I let them down. I couldn't get it done."
-Mustangs Press
The Idaho Falls Mustangs would like to thank the Bulls, and wish them well in the 1999 season.
-Mustangs Press
IDAHO FALLS - The Twin Falls Wildcats gave up their season this week by officially announcing the team's folding. Twin Falls, which struggled all season keeping a team together and staying competitive when they did, finally could not continue the season, giving the hungry Mustangs one more week off.
Twin Falls did announce that they would be involved and competitive in the 2000 season.
-Mustangs Press
Game Scoring Summary/Statistics
IDAHO FALLS - The Idaho Falls Mustangs took another tough defeat at the hands of the nationally ranked Treasure Valley Cowboys Saturday, 24 - 6, despite a monster game from veteran Mustangs Mike Jensen and Teagon Smith. The Mustangs committed six turnovers, all of them fumbles and 5 of them in the first half en route to finishing the regular season 4-6.
Jensen rushed for 91 of the Mustangs 176 rushing yards on 18 carries and accounted for most of the Mustangs offensive production as well as getting 2 quarterback sacks on the defensive side of the ball. Smith performed steadily at offensive center and lead the defense with 8 tackles. Despite the loss, the Mustang team seemed to pull together and will continue to be a dangerous team in the playoffs.
After getting on the board first with a field goal, Treasure Valley took over on the Mustang 10-yard line in the second quarter after a Chris Byrd fumble. Paul Doval (12-20-207) then connected with James Owens (6 reception, 110 yards) on an out route to take a 10-0 halftime lead. The score remained that way until the second play of the fourth quarter when Cowboy halfback Jim Kiminski reeled off a 50-yard touchdown run, breaking several Mustang tackles along the way. The Mustangs fought back with a 60-yard scoring drive lead by Mike Jensen accounting for 42 yards and being capped off with a Rod Byrd 8-yard touchdown run to close the gap to 16-6.
The Mustangs begin their defense of the RMFL championship next week on the road against the Mini-Cassia Bulldawgs. Although the team is against the ropes, Mustang players expect to play with the "pride of champions" all the way to the 1999 championship.
-Mustangs Press
Game Scoring Summary/Statistics
MINIDOKA COUNTY - The Mini-Cassia Bulldawgs captured their first ever RMFL playoff win, knocking off the Idaho Falls Mustangs 7-6 Saturday in RMFL action. The Mustangs could only muster 74 net yards of offense as the Bulldawgs stuffed the Mustangs rushing attack which reeled off over 300 yards rushing in the regular season meeting between the two teams in Idaho Falls in October. It is the first time since the inception of the RMFL that the Idaho Falls Mustangs will not be in the championship game.
The Mustangs received a stand-out performance from defensive back Josh Richardson who "hit for the cycle" Saturday recording the initial score of the game, a 52-yard punt return for touchdown. He also intercepted a pass, had the lone Mustang pass reception and rushed for a 14-yard run on a reverse play late in the game.
The Mustang defense rose large throughout the game, limiting the Bulldawgs to only 141 yards of net offense as well as recording 1 sack and forcing 3 turnovers including a pick off of a screen by defensive lineman, Scott Worthington and a 25-yard merry romp before finally being pulled down by Bulldawg players. It was definitely "flag day" at Minico High School as the Mustangs were flagged for 80 yards in penalties, while Bulldawgs recovered from 112 penalty yards. The Bulldawgs scored midway through the second quarter on a 7-yard Mike Manning to Fernando Vale touchdown pass. The Dan Labra point after turned out to be the difference in the game. In the third quarter, a potentially game winning 30-yard Mike Jensen field goal sailed wide right and turned out to be a critical miss in the game.
The Mustang offense played without what had become the most prolific scoring combination in the RMFL over the past two years, quarterback Jared Neumeier (26 TD passes) and wide receiver, Sean Powell (16 TD receptions). Neumeier, who was active and available was kept out of the game by head coach and offensive coordinator, Alan Ritchie while Powell was serving a one-game league imposed suspension after being ejected from the Mustangs previous game with the Treasure Valley Cowboys.
-Mustangs Press
Game Scoring Summary/Statistics
MINIDOKA COUNTY - The Idaho Falls Mustangs sent 8 representatives to the 29-man RMFL-East All-Star squad as the East rolled up a comfortable 21-6 victory over the West behind strong play from it's Mustang representatives. The Mustangs were represented by Doug Brasier, Teagon Smith, Scott Worthington, Mike Jensen, Sean Powell, Rod Byrd, Jared Neumeier and Justin Weaver.
After a very conservatively played, scoreless first quarter, starting quarterback, Mustang Jared Neumeier requested from Great Falls Head Coach, Mike Knutsen, that he be allowed to "open it up" and run a series of "Mustang" offense. "I had only attempted one pass in that first quarter and Jensen (Mustang 1998 MVP running back, Mike Jensen) hadn't carried the ball at all. That is not 'Mustang Offense'!" Four plays, one pass and two Mike Jensen runs later, including a 28-yard scamper on a counter play left the East Stars on the West one-yard line. Neumeier took it into the end zone on the next play over Doug Brasier. "If I had a nickel for every touchdown or first down I made over Brasier in the last three years....I'd have A LOT of nickels!"
Jensen and Brasier continued to shine throughout the game, as Brasier teamed up on the right side of the offensive line with stand out offensive tackle, Shawn Marlow (Snake River) to continue to open holes for RMFL-East running backs. Jensen ended up leading the East squad with 65 yards rushing on 11 carries and lead all rushers. Jensen's touchdown came early in the third quarter with the East's lead still only at 7-0. The touchdown was set up by a 26-yard scamper by Snake River Rebel quarterback, Jeff Dalley that took the ball inside the West 5-yard line. Two plays later, Jensen took it into the end zone from 6 yards out behind the left side line blocking of Mustang, Scott Worthington and Great Falls Ranger, Mike Campbell.
The most exciting play of the game came late in the third quarter with the game still only 14-0 and the West team driving down inside the East 10-yard line to potentially get within a touchdown. West quarterback, Paul Doval (Treasure Valley) was intercepted just inside the end zone by Great Falls strong safety, Joe Hirst, who scampered 101 yards for the game-clinching touchdown. Said Hirst, "I was sitting in my zone and watching the quarterback's eyes follow the receiver all the way across the field. I knew he didn't see me. I was thinking pick the whole way. I was even able to get a running start on it, if I didn't get that running start and a 20-yard head start, they'd have caught me for sure!" Only a late touchdown pass from Treasure Valley's Paul Dovel to Mini-Cassia's Casey Nielson spoiled the upset for the RMFL-East.
Overall, the game was hugely enjoyable for all the players, as camaraudery and friendships were built were there is usually only competitive fires. The players enjoyed themselves and were truly caught up in the spirit of what the RMFL as a football league, is all about.
-Mustangs Press