Special teams boost Mount Vernon past CPU

MOUNT VERNON - Mount Vernon's special teams played, well, special enough for the Mustangs to knock off No. 10 Center Point-Urbana Friday night in a non-district football game.

Mickey Hines raced 65 yards for a touchdown on a free kick after the Mustangs had blocked a punt for a safety to propel Mount Vernon to a 20-7 victory in a battle of Class 2A teams.

Hines had coughed up a fumble from the 1-yard line in the first half that CPU recovered for a touchback. He and his team got redemption in the second half.

'This was big,” said Hines, a 5-foot-6 junior. 'They knocked us out of the playoffs last year.

'Adversity happened (the fumble), but like our coaches always say, ‘Face adversity and live to play another down.' And we did that.”

Mount Vernon (4-2) overcame four turnovers, helped in large part by Center Point-Urbana's six turnovers. The Stormin' Pointers also were thwarted twice inside the Mustang 10-yard line in the fourth quarter.

'Our defense once again was outstanding,” Mount Vernon Coach Lance Pedersen said. 'Offensively, we're playing five sophomores. We're a JV team playing varsity that just knocked off the No. 10 team.”

Center Point-Urbana (4-2) played the second half without star running back Brandon Kinsey. He ran for 51 yards and a touchdown in the first half but also bruised a shoulder.

'Our stud running back got hurt ... but I'm not taking anything away from Mount Vernon,” CPU Coach Dan Burke said. 'But I think when we watch that film, we're going to be kicking ourselves.”

There were eight turnovers in the first half, four by each team. Mount Vernon converted a pair of CPU miscues into a 12-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Mustangs struck first when Luke Muller intercepted a Clayton Kramer pass and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown with 7:24 left in the first quarter. The PAT kick was wide left.

Three plays later Mount Vernon had the ball back again when Jake Weiland recovered a CPU fumble at the Stormin' Pointers' 23.

Jack Cochrane's 5-yard touchdown pass to Connor Herrmann boosted Mount Vernon's lead to 12-0 with 4:26 left in the first quarter.

Jace Jirak's 17-yard interception return to the Mount Vernon 8 set up a CPU touchdown late in the first quarter. Kinsey rambled in from the 8 and Kramer's PAT kick cut the margin to 12-7 with 1:20 left in the first quarter.

Both teams return to district play next Friday. Center Point-Urbana is at Oelwein, Mount Vernon at Anamosa.