Big running plays send Davenport Assumption past Mount Vernon

MOUNT VERNON — Trying to empty the clock in the final four or five minutes, Davenport Assumption’s football team went with a power formation offensively and ran, ran, ran the ball right up the middle pretty much every down. To great effect.

The back of choice doing all that run, run, running surprisingly was not John Argo.

“I just felt like he was very spent,” Assumption Coach Wade King explained, after his team’s 24-12 win Friday night.

Which he had every reason to be, quite honestly. Argo rushed for 217 yards and three touchdowns and recovered a fumble from his middle linebacker spot as the Knights took this key Class 3A District 4 matchup.

Assumption is 2-0 in district play and 4-2 overall. Mount Vernon is 3-3, 0-2.

“I think we played really hard,” Argo said. “We really haven’t had a pound (game), just kind of like run it at you down your throat. We haven’t had a game like that, we’ve had a lot of big-gap games. This was a great test for us against a really good team.”

Most of Argo’s gaudy running total came on two plays. He had a 79-yard TD run around right end late in the first quarter for the only points of the opening half.

After a 1-yard touchdown plunge on Assumption’s initial second-half possession, Argo broke loose down the left sideline in the first minute of the fourth quarter for an 85-yard TD run. That gave the Knights a 24-0 lead.

“He’s a good football player,” King said.

Mount Vernon got a pair of fourth-quarter TDs to halve the score: a 52-yard pass from Joey Rhomberg to Owen Brase and a 23-yard run by Henry Ryan. Two-point conversion attempts after each score failed.

The Mustangs lost leading rusher and leading touchdown getter Trenton Pitlik to an injury in the second quarter. Sophomore Rhomberg and senior Brase alternated time at quarterback, with each completing eight passes.

Rhomberg had 152 yards passing and Brase 59. Brase also ran for 38 yards and caught six passes for 115 yards in a terrific all-around game.

“I thought our defense really helped keep us in the football game throughout,” said MV Coach Lance Pedersen. “The nice thing for me, and I just got done telling the kids, that the thing I was most impressed with was I heard our kids talk that as long as there was time on the clock, we had a chance. They believed that. Our kids didn’t give up.”

Mount Vernon is now in a precarious playoff situation with three weeks left in the regular season, even though it obviously is a good football team. The Mustangs’ other losses were last week to one-loss Benton Community and three weeks ago to undefeated Solon.

“We have played three of the top teams in Class 3A in the state of Iowa, being the smallest 3A school in the state of Iowa,” Pedersen said. “I’m proud of my boys, I’m proud of my coaches. We are going to continue to work out tails off to be the best we can be every single day. We’re just going to keep plugging away.”

DAVENPORT ASSUMPTION 24, MOUNT VERNON 12

At Mount Vernon

Davenport Assumption 7 0 10 7-24

Mount Vernon 0 0 0 12-12

DA-John Argo 79 run (Billy Moore kick)

DA-Argo 1 run (Moore kick)

DA-Moore 32 FG

DA-Argo 85 run (Moore kick)

MV-Owen Brase 52 pass from Joey Rhomberg (pass failed)

MV-Henry Ryan 25 run (pass failed)

Team Statistics

First Downs - Assumption 17, Mount Vernon 15. Rushes-Yards - Assumption 46-268, Mount Vernon 25-67. Passing Yards - Assumption 132, Mount Vernon 211. Completions-Attempts-Interceptions - Assumption 9-20-0, Mount vernon 16-32-1. Punts-Avg. - Assumption 4-33.0, Mount Vernon 6-35.2. Penalties - Assumption 9-60, Mount Vernon 5-52. Fumbles-Lost - Assumption 2-1. Mount Vernon 3-1.

Individual Statistics

Rushing - Assumption: John Argo 24-217, Derrick Bass 11-59, Angelo Jackson 4-18, Ayden Weiman 5-(minus) 22, Team 2-(minus) 4. Mount Vernon: Owen Brase 10-38, Henry Ryan 3-26, Trenton Pitlik 8-18, Jackson Rhomberg 1-1, Joey Rhomberg 1-(minus) 5, Team 2-(minus) 11.

Passing - Assumption: Ayden Weiman 9-20-0-132. Mount Vernon: Joey Rhomberg 8-18-1-152, Owen Brase 8-13-0-59.

Receiving - Assumption: Reese Harris 4-68, John Argo 3-50, David Neuberger 2-14. Mount Vernon: Owen Brase 5-115, Brody Ulch 3-30, Leo Appleton 3-26, Caden Stimmel 3-21, Tyler Panos 1-17, Henry Ryan 1-2.

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