SOLON — The Solon Spartans remain undefeated after they overcame an early deficit to secure a 26-7 victory over the Grinnell Tigers in their district opener during homecoming at Spartan Stadium on Friday night.
In back-to-back weeks, the Solon Spartans have faced a top-ten opponent rolling into town, and this time against Number 7-ranked Grinnell.
More than securing a win was required. Spartan players and coaches kept straight faces and shook their heads with a little bit of frustration. They knew they had left a lot on the table.
“We still got a lot to clean up… that’s not who we are,” was Spartans head coach Lucas Stanton’s message after the game. Stanton mentioned it goes both ways; the coaching and the execution need to improve. Stanton was proud of his guys for winning but knew you couldn’t make many mistakes and win with the upcoming schedule.
Solon got out of the gate slowly as Grinnell drew first blood after an interception set up the Tigers on Solon’s 17-yard line. Quarterback Brady Coffman converted a fourth and goal by taking it himself on an eight-yard scamper with 6:33 to go in the first frame.
The Spartans were not phased. They proved it by going on a ten-play, 80-yard drive that ended when Ty Bell hit Owen Einwalter for a ten-yard touchdown pass. An unsportsmanlike penalty and errant snap led to a missed PAT attempt keeping the score at 7-6 with 3:49 remaining in the first.
Senior Eddie Johnson then got a chance to have his name echoed by PA announcer Scott Seagren. When his teammate Colby Myers stripped the ball loose from the Tigers’ quarterback in the end zone, the ball wobbled right in front of Johnson, where he pounced on it. Two plays later, he ended the offensive series by powering his way between the tackles for a three-yard rushing touchdown.
Johnson finished with 22 carries, 115 yards, and a touchdown.
“I didn’t play my best, I’m just happy we got the win.” Johnson stated. A teamfirst performance from the Homecoming King.
The Spartans kept their foot on Grinnell’s throat as Bell found Maddox Kelley in the end zone on a fiveyard slant pass to extend their lead to 19-7 at the end of the first half.
After both teams discussed their adjustments at halftime, the game became a chess match. Both teams knew what was coming at them. Both defenses thrived and controlled the tempo of the third quarter as the frame went scoreless.
Solon put the dagger in when Senior running back Cole Carney lowered his shoulder and steamrolled his way in from four yards out. The extra point made it 26-7 with just 8:05 to go in the game. Carney would end up over the century mark as well. He totaled 127 rushing yards on 16 carries to go on top of his touchdown.
Coach Stanton finished by saying, “We need everyone to step up. We gotta play better team football, or we’ll get bit over these next two weeks.”
The Spartans will now have to travel for the next two games. They have Benton Community (3-2, won 29-14 over Fairfield) this week and Williamsburg (4-1, won 54-14 over S. Tama) the following week.