It’s taken seven years, but the Mustangs are back.
On Friday, the team will return to the championship game, a position they haven’t found themselves in since 2015.
The squad clinched their appearance Saturday, Nov. 12 at the UNI-Dome with a thrilling 14-6 semifinal win over the 10-2 Humboldt Wildcats.
“We’re excited to be where we’re at,” Mustangs coach Lance Pedersen reflected. “The fun thing about this is it’s been a total team effort by all of our players and coaches. So many guys can be so proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish,” he said.
“We played a very good football team,” the coach noted of Humboldt. “To hold a team out of the end zone in the semifinals is just a great accomplishment.”
Mount Vernon set the tone on the game’s opening drive, blazing their way down the field (a lot of the driving being done by Henry Ryan), putting seven points on the board in under three minutes, a drive capped off by a pass from Joey Rhomberg to Brady Erickson for an 18-yard touchdown. Ben Crock put the cherry on top with a point-after kick right down the middle to put the Mustangs up 7-0 with 9:28 to play in the first.
The Wildcats failed to reach the endzone, but kicker Trevor Beach connected on a 33-yard field goal to make it 7-3 with 4:07 to play in the opening quarter. Beach would ultimately be the only Humboldt player to post points in the match, adding another field goal in the fourth.
The second and third quarters were marked by tough defense on both sides, with each team ultimately turning the ball over on downs to the other after unsuccessful drives.
Rhomberg struck early in the fourth quarter with a four-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown. Crock again added the point after kick, and the team was up 14-3 with 11:55 to play in the game.
A second field goal from Beach (this one for 22 yards) with 5:52 to play brought the score to 14-6, where it would remain.
Rhomberg finished the game with 148 passing yards, and rushed for 36. He and Erickson collaborated on six passes for 64 yards. Erickson had a total of 95 yards.
Ryan aided the team by rushing for 105 yards, with 19 more from receiving.
Jackson Jaspers contributed eight tackles for the Mustangs, including a sack.
With the semifinal win, Mount Vernon finds itself facing the No. 1-ranked Harlan Cyclones, who return to the championship game defending their title from last year. The Cyclones have made 22 previous trips to the championship, and have won 13 times. Both remain the record in the state.
“It’s the two best teams in the state of Iowa competing,” Coach Pedersen said. “You know it’s going to be a good football game.”
Pedersen praised the community and the team’s fans. “We have great support from our community.”
The coach mentioned a moment where he was able to turn around and see a sea of black shirt-wearing fans at the dome, which made an impact on him.
Pedersen noted Friday’s game with Harlan will be a “white-out” game — the team will be wearing their all-white away uniforms — and they hope to be joined.
“We’d like to see as many white shirts in the crowd as possible,” said Pedersen.
The championship game will be Friday, Nov. 18, again at the UNI-Dome, with a kickoff at 1 p.m.
Passing Yards | Joey Rhomberg, JR C/A 22/34 YDS 183 TDS 1 RUS 31 TDS 1
Rushing Yards | Henry Ryan, SR ATT 19 YDS 105 TDS 0
Receiving Yards | Brady Erickson, SR REC 7 YDS 95 TDS 1
Total Tackles | Jackson Jaspers, JR TKL 8.0 TFL 3.0 SKS 1.0
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING –
Humboldt: Lance Coon 15-58, Will Orness 6-(-11).
Mount Vernon: Henry Ryan 19-103, Joey Rhomberg 7-36, Jackson Hird 5-27. Team 2-(-9).
PASSING –
Humboldt: Orness 9-18-2-131.
Mount Vernon: Rhomberg 22-35-2-148.
RECEIVING –
Humboldt: Corey Dettmann 5-52, Josh Thurm 2-45, Trevor Beach 1-35, Mason Van Pelt 1-(-1).
Mount Vernon: Brady Erickson 6-64, Evan Brase 4-34, Caden Stimmel 4-19, Austin Deeb 3-8, Jensen Meeker 2-15, Ryan 2-12, Zatyk Holub 1-(-4).
Tackles – Zatyk Holub 2, Henry Ryan 2, Evan Brase 1, Joey Rhomberg 1, Jackson Jaspers 6, Ethan Wood 2, Jensen Meeker 3, Clayton Flack 1, Brad Vislisel 2, Brady Erickson 3,

Gallery • 9 Photos

--Courtesy photo by Anna Moore

Mount Vernon’s Caden Stimmel (No. 5) advances the ball down the field.