No. 4 Morningside stays perfect in GPAC play

HASTINGS, Neb. — On Saturday, special teams delivered the decisive play in a 41-31 Morningside victory over Hastings for GPAC win No. 3.

Brecken Schossow returned a blocked punt for a third-quarter touchdown that gave the fourth-ranked Mustangs (3-1, 3-0 GPAC) the cushion they needed to hold off the Broncos on the road.

"His job is to secure the punt, and he just went for it and blocked it," said Mustangs head coach Steve Ryan on the KMNS-AM postgame show. "I'm proud of what he did and how he approached that. He did his job, and the opportunity presented itself."

The fourth quarter, however, was a scoreless one. Morningside didn't allow Hastings to score, after both teams scored 21 each during the third quarter.

"The defense made stops in the fourth quarter when they needed to, and the offense, when they were in 'go mode,' they looked just fine," Ryan said. "Hopefully this game helps us understand that we need to win every day, and that's how life is and that's the way football is."

Zack Chevalier threw for 381 yards and four touchdowns in Saturday's win. Chevalier went 33-for-45 passing, connecting with Lennx Brown for 10 catches, 116 yards and two scores. Jakob Nelson added eight receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown, while Drew Sellon caught six passes for 98 yards and a score.

On the ground, Max Hough led the Mustangs with 72 yards on 18 carries, and Juven Hudson added 58 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Jack Kratz paced Morningside with 13 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry. Blake Bellamy followed with 10 tackles and three stops behind the line, while Cade Harriman, Landry Phipps and Laytin Koch each chipped in tackles for loss. Cale Pittenger and Jason Bowker also made key plays up front, as the Mustangs totaled 10 tackles for loss and two sacks.

The Mustangs will play their Homecoming game next Saturday against Waldorf, with kickoff at 1:30 p.m. at Elwood Olsen Stadium.