Chris Umscheid | Staff photo
Mount Vernon’s Brad Vislisel (No. 70) protects quarterback Joey Rhomberg from Solon’s Ben Kampman.
The Mustangs finally pulled it off.
The Mount Vernon varsity football team beat the No. 2 Solon Spartans Friday, Sept. 2 at Solon, their first win over the home team in 19 years.
The Mustangs took the contest in dramatic fashion by a score of 17-14.
The Spartans struck first, scoring with 1:54 remaining in the first quarter, with a successful PAT to make it 7-0. The quarter would end with that score.
With 9:48 to go in the second quarter, Mustangs kicker Ben Crock put the visiting team on the board, 7-3, with a 35-yard field goal. Both teams would head to their locker rooms at the half with the score still locked at 7-3.
With under 30 seconds to go in the third quarter, quarterback Joey Rhomberg connected in the endzone with Brady Erickson for a 34-yard gain on third-and-10 from near midfield. This, along with a successful PAT, put the Mustangs ahead 10-7. It was one of 11 catches on the night for Erickson, adding up to 147 yards.
A two-yard jaunt by Clark Younggreen in the fourth quarter, along with another Crock kick, put the Mustangs up 17-7 with 3:30 left in the contest.
The Spartans struck back with a touchdown pass to Oaken Foster and a PAT, but with under two minutes remaining, the Mustangs lead of 17-14 was too much to overcome.
Rhomberg finished the game 21 of 43, throwing for 213 yards.