The Mount Vernon varsity football season kicked off last Friday, with a 47-18 triumph over their hosts, the Anamosa Blue Raiders.
The win included a huge third quarter for the visiting Mustangs, who scored 26 points in that period alone.
“After a rough first half, filled full of penalties, we were able to bounce back in the second half, said Mustangs head coach Lance Pedersen.
The 26 points scored in the third quarter, Pedersen reasoned, “put the game out of hand.”
He credited the performance to “some great adjustments by my coaches at halftime.”
The team was able “to just put everything together, and did a great job executing for the victory,” said Pedersen.
With 11 penalties being called against the Mustangs, the coach said, “it’s hard to get a flow going on the offensive side of the ball.”
Other than the Blue Raiders scoring on their first drive, Pedersen said, “we really did a great job of making some plays on the defensive side of the football.”
“I also think a huge, huge factor of the football game was the fact that our kids are in outstanding physical condition,” he said, noting that none of his players were plagued by cramps, while the Blue Raiders had more than five such incidents.
He credited this to his players hydrating and getting a solid eight hours of rest.
“It’s a critical part of being an athlete,” said Pedersen.
Anamosa put themselves on the board early in the contest, scoring on a 13 yard pass. Mount Vernon blocked the extra point attempt.
With 5:45 left in the first quarter, Trenton Pitlik ran three yards for a touchdown, tying the game at six.
In the second quarter, with 3:24 to play, Owen Brase ran 74 yards for a touchdown, and went on to complete a pass to Tyler Panos for a two-point conversion and 14-6 lead to take into the half.
With 7:52 remaining in the third, the Mustangs scored the first of four touchdowns in the quarter, starting with Brase running for 27 yards to the end zone. A point after kick was no good, and Mount Vernon was now up 20-6.
Just over a minute later, the Mustangs struck again when Brase completed a pass to Brody Ulch for 32 yards. A two-point conversion failed, but the Mustangs now led 26-6.
Under a minute later, Mount Vernon put another six points on the board with 5:38 to play in the period.
Anamosa’s Grahm Humpal intended to pass to Max Geitzenauer with just over two minutes of the third left, but was picked off by Pitlik, who returned it for a touchdown. The point after kick was good, and the Mustangs were now up 33-6.
Next, Humpal ran to the Mustangs’ 14 yard line with 2:08 to go, but fumbled, which was recovered by Jack Drahos for another six points. The point after was good, and Mount Vernon now enjoyed a 40-6 lead.
The Blue Raiders scored early in the fourth quarter with an eight yard pass from Humpal to Devin Brophy. The Mustangs blocked the point after kick, keeping them on top by a score of 40-12.
Mount Vernon scored their last touchdown of the game with 8:15 to play when Henry Ryan ran for 14 yards. The point after kick by Ben Crock was good, and the team now led 47-12.
Following the touchdown, Anamosa’s Jay Gatto recovered a kickoff at the 12 yard line and ran it for an 88-yard touchdown. The team’s point after kick was blocked, and the score stalled for the remainder of the game at 47-18.
The Mustangs would next challenge the Solon Spartans at home on the newly-renovated First Street Field.
Coach Pedersen said he is excited to open the field up.
“We have a huge task at hand, a great football team that is going to be well-prepared. And we just need to understand that we need to go in and play an error-free football game, and hope for a few things here and there,” he said.
Mount Vernon football wins big in first game
September 2, 2021
Daryl Schepanski | Staff photo
Mount Vernon’s Tyler Panos makes a catch in the Mustangs’ play against Anamosa Friday, Aug. 27.
