There was an added sense of excitement before last Friday’s football game against Lindbergh.

The Mustangs, clad in their polished navy jerseys, walked through the locker room hallway, the same hallway they trudged through after their devastating losses to Ritenour and Jackson.

They each sat shoulder to shoulder along the walls of the wrestling room with minutes until game time, just like they had countless times before.

They listened to pregame speeches and pump-ups from their coaches just like they had prior to their shattering 8-point loss to Jackson and before their impressive 46-point win over Northwest.

But this week was different. It was homecoming week.

Head coach Matt Klein had two goals before Friday’s game against Lindbergh: Limit turnovers and execute on special teams.

After trading punts and four-and-outs, the Mustangs finally got a drive going with a couple of scrambles and deep completions by junior quarterback Jason Powers. The drive quickly extinguished after senior kicker Charlie Kreh’s 37-yard field goal try fell a few feet short.

The two teams went back to trading punts and at the end of the first quarter, it was all tied up at zero.

Starting from their own 10-yard line, the Mustangs passed their way into Lindbergh territory after a huge 30-yard completion from Powers to sophomore receiver Nick Bulanda.

Junior running back Demarco Johnson eventually drove the Mustangs to within the Flyers’ 26-yard line. Another completion from Powers, this time to junior receiver Eric Abbenhaus, let senior running back Jack Whitworth cap off the 90-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown run.

With 6:57 left in the second quarter, the Mustangs led the Lindbergh Flyers 7-0.

After receiving another Flyer punt, another Mustang drive was capped off with another rushing touchdown, this time by Johnson.

After leading Lindbergh 14-0 at the half, Klein reiterated to his team in the wrestling room that limiting turnovers was their biggest goal.

With a few minutes left to go before the second half, defensive coordinator Scott Cleer gathered the team together.

He spoke to the team’s mantra of “being the hammer, not the nail,” but more importantly, he talked about continuing the team’s first half success into the second half.

Since 2004 the Mustangs were only 3-8 against Lindbergh.

“We’ve got a job to do and we’re going to get it done,” Cleer said to the huddle of navy jerseys. “Let’s do it.”

Sophomore linebacker Tyler Pauley squelched the Flyers’ first impressive drive with an over-the-shoulder interception to put the Mustangs at their own 22-yard line. MHS’s drive amounted to nothing and the Mustangs sent out their punt team at the 11-yard line.

The snap sailed over junior punter Kellan Murray’s head into the back of the end zone for a safety. With 9:00 left in the third quarter, MHS led Lindbergh 14-2.

The Flyers scored two more unanswered touchdowns until the Mustangs came back with a safety of their own. With 7:49 left in the fourth quarter, MHS and Lindbergh were all tied up at 16.

A quick pass from Powers to junior receiver Cairon Wesley set the Mustangs up at the 50-yard line.

Johnson took it from there.

He stutter-stepped one Flyer defender and took it all the way for the 50-yard score, his second of the night.

“I knew me running as hard as I can would make my brothers happy,” Johnson, who rushed for 116 yards on 16 attempts, explained.

Lindbergh had one more shot at the fifty yard line but junior quarterback Sam Neumeier’s pass fell incomplete on 4^th and 20.

The Mustangs took over and held onto their 22-16 lead over the Flyers for the rest of the game.

Chants of “hammer” from the band could be heard throughout the packed MHS stadium as the Mustangs held a sledgehammer high above their heads in the team huddle.

“Sometimes you become the hammer, and that is today,” senior lineman Kevin Tippit exclaimed.

Klein added that the team executed their goal of limiting turnovers but that special teams during the second half is what made the game such a battle.

“We know that, our kids know that, we have to work on it, we have to focus on it, we have to get better, because in big games, those things will come and get you,” he said.

Klein, after winning his first MHS homecoming game, explained that playing in front of a big crowd was beneficial to his players.

“Hopefully the seniors and everyone else can keep this with them in the future,” he said.

Next Thursday the Mustangs host the Eureka Wildcats, ranked sixth in the area and second in Class six District one.

“There’s no doubt we have an outstanding football team coming in here,” he said. “We’re going to try to keep our normal routine and prepare and go out and compete like we always would.”