The Meridian Mustangs had four turnovers and lost 34-8 in their home opener on Friday night against defending State runner-up Kettle Run.

It’s been a promising summer for the football team at Meridian High School, and the Mustangs opened their season with a dominant 55-0 victory last Thursday on the road against Justice. But the Northwestern District rival Cougars would be a much tougher challenge for PJ Anderson’s squad.

Kettle Run marched down the field on their opening possession and led 14-0 after a quarter. They would score the game’s first three touchdowns before a Meridian drive finally found the end zone, by virtue of an Abe Ellis run. Sebastian Roncoroni caught the two-point conversion from Cruz Ruoff, but the Mustangs trailed 28-8 at halftime after a late interception led to another Cougars score.

The second half was less eventful, as Meridian struggled to mount a comeback while Kettle Run played conservatively to kill time. The Mustangs were able to move the ball on a few quality drives, but ultimately they were no match for their opponent’s size and athleticism.

Anderson took accountability postgame for what he claimed were some missed opportunities, most notably at the end of the first half when, had Meridian scored, it could have been 15-21 with the Mustangs receiving the second half opening kickoff. But he also stressed he was proud of the effort from his group.

“We competed from start to finish,” the coach said. “(Kettle Run) was in the State Finals last year and returned a lot of players… we know we can compete with anyone.”

The Mustangs drop to 1-1 with the loss. Next week, they’ll stay in Falls Church to take on Annandale on Friday as they seek their first home win of the season.