Mount Vernon warms up, holds off Cascade

MOUNT VERNON – Sometimes it takes a little spark to get the engine going on a cold night.

A fumble recovery worked equally well for No. 9 Mount Vernon, improving their record to 6-2 overall (4-1 Class 2A, District 4) with a 27-20 win over Cascade.

'We started off slow, but this is a team that never gives up,” Mustangs quarterback Drew Adams said. 'Once we have our rhythm, we can usually keep rolling.”

The Mustangs quickly cashed in that turnover for their first touchdown of the game, a 19-yard pass from Adams to Jake Randall with 1:51 left in the first half.

Mount Vernon capitalized on another turnover late in the half. An interception set up the Mustangs on the Cascade 24 with 35 seconds to play. As the half expired, Adams hit Connor Hermann on a 47-yard bomb for a touchdown. The 2-point conversion failed and Cascade led 14-13 at half.

'The fumble recovery certainly changed the momentum in the moment,” Mount Vernon head coach Lance Pederson said. 'But I thought the whole game was slow. It certainly wasn't our best football game of the year.”

The Mustangs opened the game with a drive of nearly four minutes. Mount Vernon drove down to the Cascade 7, but couldn't come up with a first down on fourth-and-two.

Cascade took over and found the scenic route to its liking on a 93-yard drive that took 15 plays and 5:30. Cougar quarterback John Larkin found Blake Simon in the back of the end zone to cap the drive and give the visitors a 7-0 advantage.

The Cougars grabbed a 14-0 lead on a 6-yard run by Larkin, but the Mustangs rolled off 27 unanswered points to take the win.