Mustangs ram T-Birds with running game

KINGDOM CITY - Ryan Kliethermes made a mad dash toward the end zone with time slipping away, the last symbol of North Callaway's inability to restrict the Eldon Mustangs' running game.

Eldon's senior quarterback scored off a bootleg from 10 yards out with 2 seconds to play Friday night, closing out a fourth-quarter comeback as the Mustangs jolted the Thunderbirds 36-28 in the season opener for both teams.

"We told (the defense) the boot was coming and our end was right there, and he (Kliethermes) just stopped and cut back, and found a scrambling lane," North Callaway head coach Mike Emmons said. "It's just one of those things."

Kliethermes' climactic touchdown topped off a 16-point rally over the final 12 minutes by the Mustangs, who trailed 22-6 in the second quarter. Eldon tied the game at 28-all on junior running back Logan Shinn's 3-yard touchdown run with 7:53 to play.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.