Friday’s matchup between two of the top teams in Division VI looked good on paper, but in the end it was completely dominated by the Joseph City Wildcats. Mogollon came into town last season and left for home with a 12-point win. This time Remington Baldwin and his teammates made sure that didn’t happen.
Baldwin had scoring runs of 70, 27, and 60 yards, all in the first period, giving the Wildcats an 18-0 cushion. He added a fourth touchdown in the second on a 39-yard scamper. Dallas Elmer then scored on a 30-yard run, giving the hometown Cats a 30-0 lead. Mogollon, which came into the game unbeaten, scored its first points of the night on a 47-yard run by Smiley Beecroft.
The ensuing kickoff was returned 80 yards by Baldwin, who went on to add two more scores in the quarter, one on a 26-yard run and another on a 21-yard pass to Daniel Bushman. Elmer completed the two-point conversion run, giving the Wildcats a commanding 50-12 halftime lead.
Remington Baldwin scored his eighth touchdown of the game early in the third period on a 26-yard run. The Mustangs’ Boone Baker, also a fine running back, scored on a 27-yard run, and Tyler Willis connected on a 90-yard pass play to Jaden Willis for the Mustangs’ final points. Elmer scored on a 61-yard run and Bushman closed the scoring by picking off a Mustang pass and returning it 81 yards, keeping the Wildcats undefeated with a 72-26 romp.
Baldwin finished the night with 268 yards on 14 carries with six rushing touchdowns. Elmer gained 181 yards on 17 attempts with two scores. Josh Burt rushed three times for 13 yards and Wyatt Bain gained 10 on three runs.
Bain completed two of four passes for 65 yards and threw two picks. Baldwin completed one of two passes for 21 yards and one score. He also caught two passes for 65 yards. Bushman had one catch for 21 yards.
Baker led the Mustangs with 147 yards on 18 carries. Tyler Willis picked up another 113 yards on 18 attempts.
Overall, both offenses had big nights. The Wildcats finished with 558 yards of offense while the Mustangs totaled 513 yards of offense.
Elmer led the Wildcat defense with 7.5 tackles and one interception. Baldwin had 5.5 tackles, as did Brandon Massey. Chance Rush helped with five tackles.
Baldwin’s eight touchdown night drew high praise from his head coach.
“His performance was phenomenal. To perform like this in a big game against an elite team is why he is the best running back in the state. He didn’t even play in the fourth quarter,” said Coach John Bryant.
“This puts us right on track of where we want to be. I was pleased with our run defense and we are getting better at reading the plays on defense. The addition of Jacob DeJesus coming back from injury really strengthened us. Everyone seems to be settling in their roles and we should just get better. I felt our line, both offensively and defensively, dominated the game. Robert Larsen, Austin Gardner, Brandon Massey, Daniel Bushman and Jacob DeJesus played a huge role in the game. I also thought Dallas Elmer came up big on offense running the ball and on defense at the corner.
“I’m really excited for these young men. I think they have a good shot at a three peat if they continue getting better,” concluded the coach.
Mogollon 0 12 8 6 26
Joseph City 18 34 8 12 72
The Wildcats, now 4-0, will have a long road trip on Saturday, Sept. 24, to take on Fredonia.
