Keith High went toe-to-toe with Isabella High at J.V. Caldwell Memorial Stadium Friday night on a field covered in mist and mud.

The Bears fell to the 10th ranked Mustangs 42-21.

The Mustangs opted to receive and methodically inched their way across the gridiron in three runs and one pass from quarterback Travis Atchison.

The Mustangs scored with just under 10 minutes left in the first quarter off a short run from Nickolas Simmons to lead 6-0.

The Bears struggled to come alive during their first possession and eventually turned the ball back over to the Mustangs on downs.

The Mustangs couldn’t get anything going and handed the ball back to the Bears on downs.

A 35-yard run by La’Quinton Johnson put the Bears within striking distance, setting up a touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Edwards, tying the game at 6-6.

Simmons scored again sparking outrage from Keith Coach Anthony Lumpkin. The Mustangs’ two-point attempt was good and led 14-6.

Keith was moving the ball until Isabella’s Randall Johnson intercepted a pass, setting up Travis Atchison’s touchdown, extending the Mustangs’ lead to 21-6 at halftime.

Isabella struck first in the second half. Atchison netted an eight-yard touchdown and then kicked the extra point, giving the Mustangs a 28-6 lead over the Bears with under eight minutes left in the third quarter.

The Bears responded with a 60-yard run from Decarlos Moore and a near-touchdown run from Laquinton Johnson that was called back over a penalty.

The Bears ended the drive with an interception by Atchison. The turnover led to another Mustangs touchdown ad 34-6 lead.

But the Bears responded before the quarter could end off of a 60-yard kickoff return from Kendarius Parker. A trick play netted another two points for the Bears, making it 34-14 going into the fourth quarter.

The Bears recovered a fumble at the Mustangs’ 40-yard line, but it ended up handing it back via another interception set the Mustangs up for another touchdown and two-point conversion, bringing the score to 42-14 with just under two minutes left.

A deep pass to Anthony Lumpkin put the Bears within range and a 20-yard pass to Moore sealed the deal – an extra point by Jeffery Callens brought the final to 42-21.

In the huddle after the game, Anthony Lumpkin rallied his squad.

“You’ve got to know your worth,” Lumpkin said to his players. “You’ve got to know what you’re capable of and what you’re not capable of.”

Lumpkin noted that the Bears gave away four turnovers, three of which resulted in touchdowns, the margin of victory.

“We’ve got to dig deep,” Lumpkin said. “We’re just not executing the plays like we need to. In space, they couldn’t match us.”

Lumpkin said Keith High has an open date next week.