Mountain Grove football crushes nearby Cabool, 54-0

After an 0-3 start against state-ranked teams, the Mountain Grove Panthers’ football team was looking to get on track for the 2024 season.
It’s been mission accomplished for the program the past two weeks after they outscored Willow Springs and Cabool by a combined 91-0.
Their most recent South Central Association (SCA) Conference victory came on the road Friday night where they handed Cabool a lopsided 54-0 defeat.
The defense held the Bulldogs to just 57 total yards of offense with 28 coming in the air and several tackles for a loss leading to just 29 yards on the ground.
Cabool opened the game with an onside kick attempt that was recovered by Panthers’ senior Jaxyn Proctor near midfield.
Mountain Grove’s offense then marched 48 yards on 10 plays with the help of Cooper Hoerning’s 17-yard run.
Destin Unger closed the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run. Brayden Haughey’s extra-point kick gave the Panthers a 7-0 lead.
After Mountain Grove’s defense forced a three-and-out, the offense once again started a drive at midfield. Unger had a big 32-yard carry followed one play later by Braydon Curtiss’ seven-yard touchdown run. A missed kick kept the score at 13-0.
A bad snap led to a four-yard loss and a sack for Eli Golden. Cabool would once again punt the ball away where Brody Emery returned the ball from the 50 to the Bulldogs’ 37.
Curtiss would pick up carries of nine yards, 15 yards and then a 13-yard touchdown to seal a five play drive. Unger’s run for a two-point conversion pushed the Panthers’ lead to 21-0 early in the second quarter.
Cabool’s offense was forced to punt four plays later as the ball was tipped, which led referees to waiving off a potential roughing the kicker penalty.
Starting the drive on Cabool’s 27, Emery scored on a 27-yard touchdown run. Haughey’s kick put the Panthers in front, 28-0.
Then just 44 seconds later, after a bad snap led to a 14-yard loss for the Bulldogs, a fumble in the end zone was recovered by Golden for a touchdown. Haughey’s kick gave Mountain Grove a 35-0 edge.
With some rainy conditions, things got sloppy for both teams before halftime. The Bulldogs had a three-yard punt be followed by Mountain Grove fumbling the ball away near the line of scrimmage.
After another Cabool punt, the Panthers fumbled the ball away again three plays later near midfield. Cabool would complete a 28-yard pass just before halftime as the Bulldogs marched inside the red zone.
Kale Gardner ended the threat with an interception, sending the game into halftime with the Panthers up by 35 points.
Mountain Grove had 147 yards rushing in the first half. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs had 28 yards passing and minus 26 yards on the ground for two total yards of offense.
The Panthers started their first drive in the second half on Cabool’s own 38 after a bad punt.
Kayden Murphy had an 18-yard gain and Brody Bevan added a carry for 18 yards. Bevan then scored from four yards out. A failed kick kept the score at 41-0.
In the fourth quarter, Dalton Shannon had a 15-yard carry in a drive that started on the Panthers’ 29. Damien LaFranchise added three carries for 25 total yards and Christopher Fry picked up a 21-yard run.
LaFranchise then sealed the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run. A failed kick kept the score at 47-0.
Two plays later, Gardner intercepted a pass and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown. Haughey’s kick pushed the edge to 54-0.
Joey Hickcox added a late fumble recovery to seal the win as the mercy clock was in effect.
Mountain Grove’s offense finished with 261 yards rushing.
Curtiss had nine carries for 63 yards and two touchdowns; Unger had two carries for 40 yards and one touchdown; Emery had his one carry for 27 yards and one touchdown; Murphy added five carries for 25 yards; LaFranchise had four carries for 36 yards and one touchdown; Fry had one carry for 21 yards; Bevan added three carries for 21 yards and one touchdown; and Shannon had two carries for 13 yards.
Up next for the Panthers is an SCA showdown at Liberty (Mountain View) at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4. The 4-1 Eagles crushed Willow Springs, 50-0, last week. They got past Ava one week earlier, 34-12. Their lone loss came against state-ranked Strafford, 34-22, in week one.