Drew Adams sets a state record; Mount Vernon wins district title

MOUNT VERNON - Drew Adams is the state's new king of touchdown throws, and Mount Vernon is the Class 2A District 5 champion.

Adams passed for 286 yards and five touchdowns - four to Blake Booth - as the third-ranked Mustangs downed No. 6 Williamsburg, 42-14, Friday night at Ash Park.

That moved Adams to No. 1 all-time in the state in career touchdown throws with 102. He surpassed Mediapolis' Jesse Ertz, who threw 98 touchdowns from 2009 through 2012.

'A record's a record, but I'm going to remember the teammates I've had,” said Adams, clutching the game ball. 'I couldn't do it without them.”

Mount Vernon (8-1 overall, 7-0 district) won its eighth straight game and will host an opponent to be determined in the first round of the 2A playoffs here next Friday.

Adams also ranks third on the state's list in career yards (8,633, unofficially) and fifth in completions (572).

'To do what he has done, it's amazing. He has grown every year,” Mustangs Coach Lance Pedersen said. 'And every year, some new receivers have stepped up.”

Friday, it was Booth, who entered the game with no career TD receptions.

Now he has four.

'The play calls got me involved, and I was just open a ton,” said the 5-foot-8, 150-pound junior. 'The way Drew throws dimes, it's hard not to score.”

'We were talking this week about him not having any touchdowns,” Adams said. 'I told him I'd get him some tonight.”

Adams tied the record on an 18-yard pass to Booth at the 9:58 mark of the first quarter, on the Mustangs' first drive. That came on the heels of an early Williamsburg fumble.

The Raiders fumbled it away again midway through the first quarter, setting the stage for the record-breaker. Adams connected with Cale Snedden for a 5-yard score on fade pass to the right corner of the end zone with 5:47 left in the first quarter.

Then it was the Adams-to-Booth show on TD connections of 56, 20 and 3 yards.

Williamsburg (7-2, 5-2) slipped to third place in the district is hopeful for an at-large berth when the playoff pairings come out early Saturday morning.

Gage Hazen-Fabor entered the game with a state-best 1,750 rushing yards, but the Mustangs held him to 95 yards on 24 carries.

'He's a great back,” Pedersen said. 'We knew we had to slow him down. (Defensive coordinator) Matt Haddy came in with a great game plan.”

Mount Vernon's Paul Ryan ran for 126 yards.

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