INDEPENDENCE – The No. 9-ranked Independence Mustangs made sure Senior Night was one to remember, dominating Charles City 49-13 on Friday night under the lights at Lyle Leinbaugh Field to secure their spot in the Class 3A state playoffs with a balanced attack, highlighted by their senior class who were recognized before the game, making their last home game of the season one to remember with the Mustangs seniors highlighting the night’s game.

“I thought we did a good job of starting fast like we wanted and playing clean,” Head Coach Justin Putz said. “We forced a few turnovers on defense and that helped as well. We need to tackle better, and it will be important this week to get their backs on the ground at first contact. I was glad to see our seniors come out and play well on senior night. They are a great group and have made such a positive impact on the program.”

Playing their final regular season home game, the Mustangs (6-3) came out firing behind senior quarterback Christopher Meyer and an experienced senior group that controlled the game from the opening drive. The offense scored on its first three possessions while the defense smothered the Comets (3-6), forcing punts and turnovers in a near-flawless first half.

Meyer was sharp early, connecting with Dawson Fueling for a 35-yard touchdown strike midway through the first quarter to put Independence up 6-0. On their next drive, after holding the Comets to a three-and-out, the Mustangs powered down the field again with hard running from Cael Troutman, who capped the march with a 1-yard touchdown plunge. After a missed two-point attempt, Independence led 12-0.

Moments later, after another defensive stand that was capped off by a Comet fumble on their own 32 due to a high snap, Ezekiel Symonds hauled in a short pass and broke a tackle for an 8-yard touchdown, stretching the lead to 19-0 with 1:55 left in the opening quarter.

The Mustangs’ defense kept the pressure on, with sophomore Jarron Rupprecht and senior Masin Hummel recording back-to-back tackles for loss that pinned Charles City deep in their own red zone, setting up a safety early in the second quarter to make it 21-0 due to another high snap. Independence kept its foot on the gas, as Meyer engineered another quick scoring drive capped by a 3-yard keeper for a 28-0 advantage with under four minutes left in the half.

Nicholas Mostek added a 12-yard touchdown later in the quarter after a long drive aided by a pair of Comet penalties, and Ethan Schmitt came up with an interception to give the Mustangs yet another short field. Independence carried a commanding 35-0 halftime lead into the locker room.

After sophomore Benton Enright forced a fumble that was recovered by junior Blayne Mergen to open the second half, Meyer sprinted up the middle for a 35-yard gain, setting up Mostek’s second touchdown of the night from eight yards out to make it 42-0 midway through the third. With reserves rotating in late, Ethan Schmitt caught a 5-yard touchdown pass to close out Independence’s scoring at the end of the third quarter with :50 seconds left on the clock.

Charles City managed a long touchdown on a trick play in the third and another late score against the Mustang backups, but it was far too little, far too late.

“It was a great night for our seniors,” head coach Justin Putz said. “They’ve given so much to this program, and to finish at home like this—with a playoff berth on the line—was special.”

With the win, the Mustangs punched their ticket to the 2025 3A playoffs. They will play at Winterset (5-3) from District 5 on October 31st with a game time start of 7pm. The winner will advance to face the winner between Benton and Solon in the quarterfinals on November 7th.

Game stats: passing: Christopher Meyer 18-20-204, 3 TDs, Benton Enright 3-4-29; rushing: Nicholas Mostek 8-76 2 TDS, Christopher Meyer 9-63 1 TD, Ezekiel Symonds 1-16, Jackson Beatty 3-16, Moses Toe 3-14, Benton Enright 2-2, Cael Troutman 1-1 1 TD; receiving: Dawson Fueling 7-101 1 TD, Ezekiel Symonds 8-76 1 TD, Cael Troutman 2-22, Emarion Grover 1-13, Carver Wieland 1-11, Ethan Schmitt 1-5 1 TD, Blayne Mergen 1-5; tackles: Braylen Bieber 5, Carver Wieland 4.5, Nicholas Mostek 4, Cael Troutman 3.5, Jacob Bonefas, Jarron Rupprecht, Benton Enright 2.5, Christopher Meyer, Moses Toe, Seth Johnson, Colton McDowell, Tristan Gall, Isaac Lange, Tyler Brown 1; PAT: Tyler Brown 5/6; interceptions: Ethan Schmitt 1.