The Isabella football team traveled more than three hours to Mobile for their first-round, Class 2A state playoff game against St. Luke’s.

Once they arrived, the Mustangs remained on the move.

Isabella amassed 404 yards of offense on only 39 snaps (an average of 10.36 yard per play) to break open a close game and pull away for a 44-17 win.

Isabella led only 14-10 late in the first half before scoring the next 30 points and establishing a 44-10 lead after three quarters. St. Luke’s added a fourth-quarter touchdown to account for the final score.

“I was proud of our guys,” said Isabella coach Tate Leonard. “We had to come a long way, but we handled that well. We just didn’t have the ball much in the first half. But once we got it, we moved the ball well.”

Senior quarterback Elijah Kendrick, a capable passer, did almost all of his damage in this game on the ground. Kendrick ran the ball 12 times for 141 yards, including touchdown runs of 61, 18 and 6 yards. He also scored on a 2-point run. Kendrick completed both of his passes for another 29 yards.

The Mustangs also got a big night from Jediah Works, who rushed 10 times for 73 yards with touchdowns of 9 and 16 yards.

Receiver Dre’von Lee ran the ball five times on reverses, gaining 109 yards.

St. Luke’s, which has relied on many young players in key positions this season, got a strong performance from sophomore quarterback Jeremy Menhennett, who completed 10-of-16 passes for 167 yards and a 20-yard touchdown pass to Brody Hall. Menhennett also rushed eight times for 27 yards to lead the Wildcats.

By The Numbers: St. Luke’s had 68 yards rushing and 167 passing for 235 total yard compared to the 404 for Isabella.

Coachspeak: “Our kids played their hearts out tonight,” said St. Luke’s coach Ronn Lee. “We just got overpowered by a very good team. But our kids have got nothing to be ashamed of.”

They said it: “We’re getting healthier and playing really good ball at the end of the season,” Leonard said of the Mustangs. “We’re really starting to click, and this is the time of year when you want to start clicking.”

Game Ball: Lee was used more as a runner than receiver on this night. But in addition to his 109 rushing yards, he also caught both of Kendrick’s passes for 39 yards. “We won in the trenches with old-school football,” Kendrick said. “We didn’t get a chance to spread the ball out like we can, but it was a good win. Our destiny is in our hands going forward.”

Next week: St. Luke’s season comes to an end with a 6-5 record. Isabella advances to a second-round game next week that will either be at home against Cottonwood (8-1) or on the road at Luverne (7-3).