By Mike McGraw
Executive Director
VEEDERSBURG – NEWS FLASH! Superman is alive and well and living in Veedersburg, Indiana. He has assumed the identity of mild-mannered senior Fountain Central football player Zach Robertson.
The secret was revealed to about 3,000 people Nov. 6 in the Class A third-ranked Mustangs’ 39-0 Sectional 39 championship victory over No. 10 Rockville.
If you think I am exaggerating, consider the following statistics. Robertson caught seven passes for 202 yards and a touchdown. He rushed twice for 68 yards and a touchdown. He had an interception on defense.
Oh, by the way, he also returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown – only to have it called back due to penalty. I don’t know about you, but I would call that a fairly superhuman effort. We will discuss his exploits in detail in a moment.
It is seldom that one can say a 39-0 game came down to one play, but in many ways that is true of this contest. Fountain Central (12-0) was leading 7-0 in the final minute of the first half and driving deep in Rockville territory.
Mustang quarterback Scott Moore launched a pass toward the end zone that was apparently intercepted by the Rox. Defensive back Cody Jeffries had out-jumped Fountain Central’s Ty Lawson for the ball at the goal line.
The players hit the ground and, after a significant delay, the referee signaled touchdown. Apparently, he ruled simultaneous possession and gave it to the receiver. The call set off a storm of protest by Rockville players and coaches.
After lengthy conversation, however, the call stood, and the intermission lead for the Mustangs was 14-0. Rockville (8-4) never recovered its composure for the remainder of the game.
After a scoreless first quarter, Fountain Central dented the scoreboard on an 81-yard pass and run from Moore to Robertson on the first play of a Mustangs’ possession. The play came immediately following the erased punt return.
That means Robertson ran for 159 yards on two consecutive plays. That was only the first of several big plays Fountain Central would use to blow the game open.
On Fountain Central’s first possession of the third quarter, junior running back Tanner Pierce turned a four-yard pass from Moore into an 84-yard touchdown gallop that made the tally 21-0. A few minutes later, the Mustang defense downed Rockville in the end zone for a safety, and the rout was on.
Robertson then ended any doubt with a 48-yard touchdown run to make the score 30-0. Fountain Central would end the scoring on a one-yard plunge midway through the fourth quarter.
I will give the pollsters the benefit of the doubt and say Fountain Central is ignored despite its unblemished record because of its very rural location. Whatever the reason, the Mustangs are quietly one of the best 1A teams in Indiana.
One reason for that is they are not your mother’s version of Fountain Central. The good Mustangs teams of the past have always relied on a bruising running game. This edition is built on speed and can score on the ground and through the air.
Against Rockville, they chose the areal route. Moore was 15 of 23 for 368 yards and three touchdowns.
Fountain Central will now travel to No. 12 Linton (9-3), a 24-21 Sectional 40 upset winner over No. 4 North Daviess, for regional competition. Historically, the Miners have had problems with Wabash River Conference squads.
Unless they bring a supply of kryptonite, I think they may have some more.
Sectional 29
First round
#10 Rockville 46, Turkey Run 0
North Vermillion 41, North Central (Farmersburg) 14
#3 Fountain Central 55, Attica 6
Riverton Parke 26, Covington 0
Semifinals
#10 Rockville 41, North Vermillion 0
#3 Fountain Central 52, Riverton Parke 7
Championship
#3 Fountain Central 39, #10 Rockville 0
The box score:
Rockville 0 0 0 0 – 0
Fountain Central 0 14 16 9 – 39
FC – Zach Robertson 81 pass from Scott Moore (A.J. Stockdale kick), 6:28
FC – Robertson 19 pass from Moore (Stockdale kick), 1:04
FC – Tanner Pierce 83 pass from Moore (Stockdale kick), 9:06
FC – Safety, Rockville recovered own fumble in end zone, 5:26
FC – Robertson 48 run (Stockdale kick), 2:51
FC – Trent Spear 1 run (Stockdale kick), 6:58
FC – Safety, Rockville recovered own fumble in end zone, 2:41
R FC
First Downs 9 20
Rushes-Yards 30-[-35] 40-147
Passing Yards 86 368
Comp-Att-Int 6-28-2 15-24-1
Fumbles-Lost 5-1 7-3
Penalties-Yards 11-80 9-60
Rushing
Rockville: Tyler Bradburn 16-64, Kris Dennison 3-6, Brad Suiters 1-1, Cody Jeffries 1-[-2], Clint White 3-[-15], Jordan McFall 3-[-26], team 3-[-63]
Fountain Central: Robertson 2-60, Spear 11-51, Sam Shoaf 7-15, Brent Nelson 1-13, Michael Duane 1-2, Scott Moore 13-[-1], Eli Moore 1-[-1], Cameron Seymour 4-[-6]
Passing
Rockville: White 4-16-1 53, McFall 2-11-1 33, Bradburn 0-1-0 0
Fountain Central: Moore 15-23-0 368; Spear 0-1-1 0
Receiving
Rockville: Jeffries 3-42, Drew Kelley 2-33, Bradburn 1-11
Fountain Central: Robertson 7-207, Pierce 1-83, Spear 5-42, Tyler Lawson 2-36
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