Iola-Scandinavia accomplished something no other football team was able to do this year against the Coleman Cougars:
Lose by only 41 points.
The Cougars handed the Thunderbirds a 48-7 loss Saturday, Oct. 22, in a Division 5 Level 1 playoff game. The 41 points is the smallest margin of victory this season for 10-0 Coleman, which has outscored its opponents 558-49.
Mitch Mergener gave Coleman a 14-0 lead with 77- and 5-yard touchdown runs in the first quarter and Mitch Champagne added a 77-yard TD run in the second quarter before Spencer Erickson connected with Bradly Hardel for a 67-yard touchdown pass that cut the deficit to 22-7.
However, the Cougars added to their lead before halftime with a blocked punt return for a touchdown and Jake Engels' TD passes of 72 yards and 1 yard.
Erickson passed for 289 yards, but the T-Birds could only muster 19 yards on the ground. Coleman rushed for 317 yards and threw for another 188, as the Cougars rolled up 505 yards of offense.
Hardel caught a team-high six passes for 200 yards as the T-Birds finished at 5-5.