The Tri-Valley Mustang football team had their 2022 season come to an end in the opening round of the 11B playoffs on Thursday, October 20th. The Mustangs traveled to Mt Vernon to play the Mt Vernon/Plankinton Titans, a team that they faced earlier in the season.
Tri-Valley took the early lead with about 7:00 to play in the opening quarter. Reese Smith connected on a 38-yard field goal to give the Mustangs a 3-0 lead. The Titans got a 21-yard touchdown run with 4:22 left in the opening quarter and then made the two-point conversion for an 8-3 lead. Mt Vernon/Plankinton got another score early in the second quarter on a four-yard run to make the score 14-3.
Eli McFarland pulled the Mustangs closer with a 64-yard touchdown run with about 9:30 to play in the first half. The extra point was good to cut the lead down to 14-10. The score remained 14-10 throughout the remainder of the second quarter, until the very last play. The Mustangs thought they had got a stop as time expired, but they were called for a penalty. The defensive penalty gave the Titans one more play, and they took advantage getting a 15-yard touchdown pass and then two-point conversion with no time on the clock for a 22-10 halftime lead.
The Titans pretty much sealed the game on their opening drive of the second half. They held the ball for seven minutes and scored on a three-yard run with 4:58 to play in the quarter for a 30-10 lead. They got one more score with 3:39 to play in the game on another three-yard run and two-point conversion.
The Mustangs finished the season with an overall record of 4-5.
