NEW MADRID, Mo. — The "Mush Offense" may not be the most aesthetically pleasing thing to watch, but it's an incredibly effective strategy.

Just ask East Prairie coach Ian Penrod, who turned to the simple, yet powerful attack that’s been a staple of his playbook to secure a dramatic 30-27 comeback victory at New Madrid County Central on Friday, September 6.

“We want EP to stand for effort and physicality, and that was on display tonight,” Penrod said. “All the credit goes to these kids. I have challenged them every minute of every turn. None of them backed down. They are willing to do whatever it takes.”

From the opening kickoff, it was clear that this would be a hard-fought contest as both squads fought to capture their first win of the season. NMCC (0-2) started the game with a strong drive, marching down the field with purpose deep into the red zone.

It appeared that back-to-back holding penalties would stall the drive, but on fourth-and-goal from the 25-yard line, Nolan Mungle connected with Erik Tilmon for a touchdown. Tilmon’s stutter-step move at the line of scrimmage left his defender in the dusk, giving NMCC a 7-0 advantage with six minutes and 12 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Late in the first quarter, NNCC elected to go for it on fourth down at its 21-yard line but was stopped short and turned the ball over on downs.

A few plays later, East Prairie capitalized when Ty Wallace found Connor Marcum for a touchdown pass. Marcum, who had come into motion presnap, took the touch pass around the edge and scored from about 9 yards out to tie the game at 7-7 with 50.1 seconds left in the first quarter.

However, Tilmon’s kickoff return of 84 yards immediately shifted back the momentum and gave NMCC a 13-7 advantage heading into the second quarter.

Special teams continued to be a big factor in the game as East Prairie’s Cooper McKinley blocked a punt, and Seth Fiebig returned the recovery inside the 10-yard line, where Wallace and Marcum connected on another touchdown pass, replicating the earlier scoring play.

Penalties continued to plague NMCC and Fiebig added to the struggles with a sack, forcing a turnover on downs.

But NMCC had one chance just before halftime after taking possession at its own 39-yard line with 50.3 seconds remaining. Running back Charlie Resonno burst through the line for a 20-yard run, and Mungle followed with a 17-yard completion to Malakhi Hughes.

With just 4.6 seconds left, NMCC spiked the ball to stop the clock on the 16-yard line.

On the final play of the half, Mungle connected with Hughes once again. Hughes left it all on the field but came up one yard short of the endzone.

Despite the disappointment, NMCC emerged from the locker room with renewed determination, ready to bounce back. NMCC forced a fumble that was recovered by Jack Pipkin on the opening drive of the third quarter. Capitalizing on the turnover, Resonno burst through the line for a 29-yard touchdown run to regain the lead.

NMCC led 19-14 with 11:00 left in the third quarter after East Prairie stripped and recovered the ball on the conversion attempt.

East Prairie’s offensive woes continued on the next drive, as a fumble on a handoff led to another turnover. The fumble was forced by Slade Courtois and recovered by Aveon Treadwell.

Following the turnover, New Madrid County Central had a prime opportunity to extend their lead. However, they were unable to capitalize and turned it over on downs.

This is when East Prairie turned to its secret weapon, a staple of Penrod’s playbook for years, an offense where the running back takes the direct snap and the 10 other players serve as blockers. It’s a sledgehammer-like approach that can wear down defenses and turn the tides of the game.

Running back Tavion Ware successfully converted a fourth-and-short with a tough 4-yard run, but the offense stalled on the next play after a fumbled snap that was recovered by NMCC's Wyatt Fitzwater, marking the third consecutive possession where East Prairie had lost a fumble.

Despite another takeaway, NMCC again failed to capitalize and gave the ball right back to East Prairie after McKinley recovered a fumble.

“We needed to clean up a lot,” said NMCC coach Tyler Fullhart. “We were our own worst enemy. But East Prairie brought it. They were physical. They ran hard and tackled well. They got us tonight.

“But we have to learn from that,” he continued. “We have a lot of new faces and unfortunately that is a tough way to learn, but we have to capitalize on those opportunities and make it count.”

East Prairie moved the ball downfield but faced a crucial fourth-and-13 situation. In a surprising twist, Marcum caught the defense napping, hauling in a 28-yard pass from Wallace to extend the drive.

“He was a drop away from being a 150-pound offensive guard,” Penrod joked.

The "Mush Offense" took over from there, with Ware powering through the line for a 1-yard touchdown run. East Prairie took the lead, 22-19, with 9:24 left in the game after Ware also ran in the conversion.

“I’m proud of the way we handled the adversity with those fumbles,” Penrod said. “We’re always living for the next play, and these kids embodied that tonight. I couldn’t be proud of them.”

East Prairie’s defense forced another turnover on downs and took possession with just over five minutes remaining in the game. 
On fourth-and-2, Ware broke free down the left sideline for a 38-yard touchdown run. Another successful conversion made extended the lead to 30-19 with 5:09 left in the game.

Ware had a dominant performance, rushing for 173 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries.

“I challenged him to be as great in every phase of the game,” Penrod said. “That kid is answering the bell.”

But NMCC refused to go down quietly. On the first play of the next drive, Mungle connected with Jaden Guest for a deep pass, resulting in a 65-yard touchdown. The quick strike narrowed East Prairie's lead to 30-27 with 4:47 remaining in the game.

“That’s a bright spot for our future right there because that was a sophomore to a freshman there,” Fullhart said. “But there is no quit in these guys and I expected us to bounce back. Some things didn’t go our way, but they kept battling and that’s a positive sign for a young team. They kept their heads up and I am proud of them for that.”

The game reached a thrilling climax in the final minute. East Prairie drove deep into its opponent’s territory, facing a fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line. But with 36.1 seconds remaining, NMCC made a crucial defensive stop and completed a couple of quick passes.

With time running out, NMCC took a desperate gamble on a deep pass but Wallace outjumped the receiver to intercept the ball and secure the victory.

“That was the second time he’s done that in the past two weeks,” Penrod said. “I was thrilled. He’s been a stud for us.

“I am so thankful for this coaching staff,” he continued. “Those guys absolutely killed it for us.”

The win snapped a three-game losing streak in the rivalry for East Prairie, whose performance was a clear indication of its growth and development as a team.

“The kids did a great job of understanding situational awareness,” Penrod said. “There were a lot of times tonight where I felt like our kids’ IQs looked a lot higher than they did last week. That was something I challenged them on and they responded.”

Next Friday, East Prairie hosts Chaffee (0-2), while NMCC is on the road at Dexter (2-0).