Mount Vernon rallies to top West Delaware in matchup of 2A and 3A’s No. 5 teams

MOUNT VERNON — Big plays and missed opportunities are coach's clichés.

The Class 2A No. 5 Mount Vernon Mustangs found themselves on the right side of that balance in a 24-21 win over Class 3A No. 5 West Delaware Friday.

'One of the things we talked about for this year, was being relentless,' Mustang quarterback Drew Adams said. 'That really helped up tonight. That mind-set that we were never really out of the game.'

Mount Vernon opened the game with a boom, as Adams hit Matt Gearhart on an 80-yard touchdown strike less than 2 minutes into the game. The play was set up on a fake bubble screen, and Gearhart streaked down the sidelined uncovered.

West Delaware answered quickly. Nick Casey connected with Kabryn Cook on 74-yard catch and run on a broken Mustang coverage. Next came one of the dreaded missed opportunities for the Mustangs. Facing 4th-and-goal from inside the 1-yard line, a false start forced a Mount Vernon field goal.

While the field goal gave the Mustangs a 10-7 edge, it was short lived. Casey hit Tyler Kelley along the left sideline and he outraced the lone Mustang defender to the end zone to give West Delaware its first lead, 14-10.

Early in the third quarter, the Mustangs set up on the Hawks 10-yard-line. But a holding penalty forced the Mustangs back to the Hawks 20. Later, a field goal sailed wide right.

As the third quarter wore on, the Mustangs running game came through with a couple of big plays. Colden Clark broke through the Hawks defense for a 55-yard scramble down to the West Delaware 30. Clark later broke through on a 1-yard touchdown.

Then, the Mount Vernon passing game took over. Midway through the fourth quarter, Adams hit Gearhart again to give the Mustangs the lead for good, 24-21.

'We're not going to be satisfied,' Adams said. 'It was a good win, but we are looking for bigger things.'