Sep. 11—BLOOMFIELD — The Davis County Mustangs took an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter on Friday, securing their first win of the season in the third week of high school football against Cardinal.

Junior Landon Fetcho of Davis County kicked a 47-yard field goal, and junior Carter Will threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to junior Jackson Grim, giving Davis County an early lead in the first quarter.

Although the Cardinal Comets fought back to within four points, the Mustangs held them off to secure a 23-12 victory and their first win of the season.

The Comets got on the board with 5:43 left in the first half when senior Alec Rachford threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to junior Chase Johnson.

Five minutes later, the Mustangs answered with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Will to Cason Young. However, the point-after kick was wide right, resulting in a score of 16-6.

Following a scoreless third quarter, Davis County's Rachford scored on a 14-yard touchdown run with 5:16 remaining in regulation. A two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, leaving Davis County with a four-point lead.

The Comets regained possession with about 90 seconds remaining after Davis County turned the ball over on downs. Rachford attempted to force a pass for a significant gain, but it was intercepted by Will and returned 24 yards for a touchdown. The point-after kick extended Davis County's lead to 23-12.

For Davis County, Will completed 7-of-14 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns. His top target was Young, who caught four passes for 67 yards, while Jackson Grim caught two for 47 yards.

Leading the Mustangs' 175 rushing yards was Brett Prevo, with 13 carries for 93 yards.

Cardinal's Rachford completed 6-of-17 passes for 37 yards while rushing 14 times for 82 yards and a touchdown. His top target was Chase Johnson, who caught two passes for 11 yards and a touchdown.

Cardinal falls to 0-3 on the year and will host Sigourney-Keota (2-1) on Friday. Davis County improved to 1-2 on the year and will travel to Central Lee (3-0) on Friday.

Kyle Ocker is the editor of the Ottumwa Courier and the Oskaloosa Herald. He can be reached at kocker@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kyle_Ocker.