Stanton edged at Lutheran High Northeast

The Stanton Mustangs dropped their first game of the season on Friday, falling 26-25 at Lutheran High Northeast.

Hunter Stallbaum was 5-9 passing for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Myles Nickolite hauled in 2 passes for 123 yards, both going for touchdowns.

Stanton had 214 yards of total offense, 199 coming through the air.

It's great the Mustangs were able to throw the ball with such high efficiency, but I thought Stanton's inability to run the football was the difference in the game.

The Mustangs (4-1) are at Crofton (4-1) Friday night.

The Warriors won 28-6 at Ponca last time out, and appear to be a pretty salty team.

This is a huge game for both teams, but especially Stanton, as far as the district is concerned.

The Mustangs aren't necessarily out of the race with two losses, but Stanton would need some help to win the district title.

So with that said, I would pretty much say this is a must win for the Mustangs.

Stanton's back is against the wall. The Mustangs are 0-1 in district play, and are on the road against a really difficult opponent.

Stanton has to dig deep and find some will and strength from within to rise above the tough loss last week, and find a way to get the job done this week.

Win and you're right back in the thick of the district race if you are the Mustangs.

There's a long way to go and a lot of season left so Stanton has to keep their heads up and remain positive.

One loss is nothing to get all discombobulated about, but the Mustangs don't want to lose two games in a row, especially considering it's now district play.

Stanton has to run the ball against Crofton if they want to win. That's going to be key, in my opinion.

The Mustangs have to be balanced on both sides of the ball, and be disciplined on offense and defense.

Stanton can't commit silly penalties and make life easy for the Warriors. The Mustangs have to win the turnover battle, and force Crofton into making mistakes.

This is a really big game with a lot on the line. These are the types of games you play and live for if you are a high school football player.