“We’re as back to normal as can be,” Mustangs football head coach Lance Pedersen said of the still-new season.
Pedersen, now in his eighth season as the head of the Mount Vernon football program, navigated the choppy waters of the pandemic last season along with everyone else, but he doesn’t think too much about the past — or the future. At least not as far as his team is concerned.
“The most important game on our schedule is the next one,” said Pedersen.
For now, before the first game has been played, Pedersen concedes, “It’s nice to see the emotions and smiles on the guys’ faces. It’s nice to be able to do some team-bonding activities. That’s kind of what makes our football program special.”
Activities that are back on the table after the strange past season include buying the squad ice cream, and practicing alongside the freshman and junior varsity teams.
“So that’s exciting,” Pedersen said.
“This group of kids, they’re hard workers. They do a great job preparing day-in-day-out. They’re a great group of kids, and they’re really coming along. We’re starting to make some huge progress, and I’m excited about that,” said Pedersen.
“We only have 10 seniors on the football roster, but all 10 will make a huge contribution,” Pedersen said, as they’re a “very good group of leaders.”
A question mark for the team, Pedersen said, would be the quarterback position. Quarterback Brady Ketchum graduated in the spring, and it is a void that needs to be filled. The center would also be a tough spot to fill, with the previous snapper, Keean Kamerling, also graduated and committed to play with UNI.
While Pedersen predicts a return to normal, one definite change will be the leap the team is making in designation from Class 2A to Class 3A.
The change will bring with it stiffer competition. Pedersen, whose team finished with a 7-2 record last year, has an overall record with the school of 122-55. He seemed unfazed.
“The most important game is the next one,” he reiterated, “and it’s always been that way, that no one game is any more important than the other. That’s the way we’ve always been since I’ve been here, and that’s the way we’ll always continue to be.”
The team had a scrimmage against Independence last week before officially kicking off their season Friday night, when the Mustangs face off against Anamosa.
And when they do, Pedersen knows the community’s support will be behind them. Every year, the team holds two fundraisers, which Pedersen said were key to the program.
“We have a need every year to upgrade our football equipment and supplies to make sure our kids have the best equipment money can buy,” said Pedersen.
“And every year, the generous people of our community come through, and it happened again this year,” he said.
“We want the people of Mount Vernon to know how appreciative we are of all their support.”