The Mustangs football program proved their win earlier in the season wasn’t luck, repeating the feat Friday, Nov. 4 with a 17-0 home victory over Solon in the Class 3A quarterfinals.
The Elite 8 game was played on Mount Vernon’s turf at First Street Field on a cold, rainy night.
The Spartans had enjoyed 19 straight years of victories over the Mustangs until Mount Vernon stunned Solon at Solon with a 17-14 win.
“I was very proud of my coaching staff and players — we were well prepared for the rain and the football game,” said Mustangs head coach Lance Pedersen. “We embraced it, and performed well.”
“Solon has a very good team and does a great job year in and year out. I thought both teams showed great sportsmanship.”
The Mustangs scored on their opening drive, covering 77 yards in 11 plays. On third down, quarterback Joey Rhomberg completed a 32-yard pass to senior receiver Brady Erickson, bringing the Mustangs within striking distance of the end-zone. Jackson Hird seized the moment, poking through the fray for a five-yard touchdown run. Ben Crock added the point-after kick to put the home team up 7-0 with 6:37 to play in the first.
The Spartans threatened to score twice in the game’s opening half, driving inside the 10-yard line, but stalling in both attempts.
It was as close as Solon would come to posting points for the remainder of the game, as the Mustangs held them to just two yards of offense in the second half, and forced four turnovers.
Ben Crock made it 10-0 going into the half with a 29-yard field goal with six seconds on the clock.
Junior quarterback Rhomberg put the team out of Solon’s reach with a three-yard sneak into the end-zone with 1:50 left in the game. Crock again connected on the point-after, and the Mustangs had their winning score of 17-0.
Jensen Meeker, a relative newcomer to the game, had a dramatic sack in the game’s final moments, while also stripping the ball from the Spartan quarterback’s hands.
Rhomberg passed for 134 yards on the night, completing 10 of 21 pass attempts.
The win would advance them to the semifinals on Saturday, and reaffirms the Mustangs as a force for the Solon to reckon with in the future.
It was a historic win.
After all those years of losing to the Spartans, the Mustangs reminded them Friday night that nothing lasts forever in the cold November rain.
Semifinal game is
Saturday at UNI DomeThe No. 2 Mustangs (11-0) will face No. 3 Humboldt (10-1) in Class 3A semifinal action Saturday, Nov. 12 at the UNI-Dome at 7 p.m.
At 3 p.m., No. 1-ranked Harlan will take on No. 4 ADM, in a rare occurrence of the top four-ranked teams making it to the final four.
The third-ranked Wildcats bring to the game the best rusher in Class 3A, noted Coach Pedersen, speaking of Humboldt junior Lance Coon, while he called senior Will Orness a “very good quarterback,” who is “a run threat and a passing threat.”
“When you get to the semi-finals, all of the teams are good. We will need to continue to improve this week and I look forward to us playing our best football game Saturday,” said the coach.
“I want to thank the fans who were at the (Solon) game, and for supporting our football team this past Friday and all season. We appreciate your support, and cannot wait to see you in the Dome on Saturday night,” Pedersen said.
Mount Vernon vs. Solon
SOL   0 0 0 0 0
MV   7 3 0 7 17
Mount Vernon
Passing Yards | Joey Rhomberg, JR C/A 11/25 YDS 142 TDS 0 RUS 4 TDS 1
Rushing Yards | Henry Ryan, SR ATT 24 YDS 80 TDS 0
Receiving Yards | Jensen Meeker, SR REC 2 YDS 72 TDS 0
Total Tackles | Jackson Jaspers, JR TKL 12.0 TFL 1.0
Game Stats
 Solon Mount Vernon
Passing Attempts 11 25
Passing C/ATT 3/11 11/25
Passing Yards 24 142
Passing Yards Per Completion 8.0 12.9
Passing TDs 0 0
Passing Interceptions 2 0
Passing Quarterback Rating 45.6 91.7
Rushing Attempts 38 35
Rushing Yards 89 81
Rushing Yards Per Carry 2.3 2.3
Rushing TDs 0 2
Rushing Longest For TD 0 4
Receptions 3 11
Receiving Yards 24 142
Receiving Yards Per Catch 8.0 12.9
Receiving TDs 0 0
Reception Longest For TD 0 0
Total Tackles 44.0 42.5
Tackles Solo 21 34
Total Sacks 0.0 2.0
Total Tackles For Loss 8.0 10.0
Fumble Recoveries 0 2
Fumble Return Yards 0 0
Fumble Longest For TD 0 0
Fumbles Returned For TD 0 0
Interceptions 0 2
Interception Return Yards 0 0
Interceptions Returned For TD 0 0
Kickoff Returns 4 1
Kickoff Return Yards 34 4
Kickoff Yards Per Return 8.5 4.0
Kickoff Returns For TD 0 0
Kickoff Return Longest For TD 0 0
Punt Returns 1 1
Punt Return Yards 0 0
Punt Yards Per Return 0.0 0.0
Punt Returns For TD 0 0
Punt Return Longest For TD 0 0
PAT Attempts 0 2
Field Goal Attempts 0 1
Kickoffs 1 4
Kickoff Touchbacks 0 0
Kickoff Yards 42 167
Field Goals Made/Attempted 0/0 1/1
Field Goal Longest 0 28
PAT Made/Attempted 0/0 2/2
PAT Points 0 2
Punts 6 6
Punt Yards 187 192
Punt Yards Per 31.2 32.0
Two Point Conversions 0 0
Two Point Conversion Points 0 0
Tackles – Zatyk Holub 3, Henry Ryan 5, Caden Stimmel 3, Evan Brase 2, Riley Mudd 1, Jackson Jaspers 10, Ethan Wood 1, Jackson Hird 1, Jensen Meeker 1, Clayton Flack 2, Cardell Berry 1, Brad Vislisel 2, Brady Erickson 2

Gallery • 4 Photos

--Courtesy photo Jennifer Tischer

Mount Vernon’s Zatyk Holub advances the ball down the field in a spot of rain Friday, Nov. 4.