Mount Vernon blasts Centerville in first round, 48-7

MOUNT VERNON — It was tough to distinguish the passing trains from the Mount Vernon offense Friday night at Ash Field.

A week after racking up 720 yards of offense, the third-ranked Mustangs added another 595 yards this week en route to a 48-7 win over Centerville in a Class 2A first-round playoff game.

'I thought we came out and were very explosive on both the offensive and defensive side of the football,' Mount Vernon Coach Lance Pedersen said.

Jack Cochrane proved to be the engine that drove the Mustang win. He ran for 176 yards in the first half to go with two touchdowns. He also hauled in a 32-yard pass from Drew Adams for a score.

'It was just a good team effort,' Cochrane said. 'It's postseason time and the intensity picks up a little bit.'

The Mustang defense put a stop to any Centerville momentum. The Big Reds opened the game with excellent field position at their own 43. Mount Vernon forced a 3-and-out, and Cochrane scored his first touchdown on the ensuing Mustang possession, a 65-yard run around the right side.

'Jack had a great performance,' Pedersen said. 'Their game plan was probably to stop Sam Moore, which they did. But that opened the way for Jack.'

Cochrane kept going on defense, snatching a Centerville interception and returning it to the Big Red 41. One play later, Drew Adams hit Jack Bootsmiller on a 41-yard touchdown pass to give Mount Vernon a 14-0 lead. Cochrane struck again later in the first quarter with a 70-yard touchdown run.

The score set the Mount Vernon record for points in a season. Cochrane already claimed the career scoring title.

'It's special, but it's not really about me,' Cochrane said. 'It's about everyone around me — the linemen, the coaches, and everyone on the team. I've been lucky to play with great players.'

The Mustangs will take on Williamsburg in the next round. The two teams met just a week ago (MV won, 56-21) to determine the district title.

'Forget about what the score was the first time we played them, it'll be a battle the second time,' Pedersen said.