Burn Ban in Effect. All outdoor burning is prohibited in Franklin County.
The Mount Vernon Tigers improved to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in district play with a 54-24 win over the Rains Wildcats on Friday night.
The Wildcats won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff, but the Mount Vernon defense scored the game's first points with a safety, giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
Junior Jackson Grey added eight more points with a 29-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion. Grey finished out the first quarter with a 63-yard touchdown strike to senior Hunter Carroll. Mount Vernon converted the 2-point conversion and took an 18-0 lead to open the second quarter.
Rains sustained a drive downfield early in the second quarter. On a fourth down at the Tiger 12-yard line, the Wildcats saw a snap sail over the quarterback's head to put an end to the threat.
Grey connected with sophomore Eli McGonagil on the ensuing possession, and Mount Vernon held a 26-0 lead. Late in the first half, Rains put points on the board with a touchdown but could not convert the 2-point attempt. At the end of the half, the Tigers held a 26-6 lead.
Grey and Carroll connected for a 50-yard touchdown pass to open the second half. But the Wildcats struck back quickly with a touchdown of their own.
Grey rushed the ball in from 9 yards out to push the lead to 40-12. Once again, the Rains offense found the end zone but did not convert on the 2-point attempt. As the third quarter wound down, Grey threw his fourth touchdown pass, this one to senior Brayden Baker. The Tigers held a 47-18 lead as the fourth quarter began.
The teams exchanged fumbles, but the Rains offense, aided by a pass interference call, found the end zone again to cut the lead to 47-24. The Tigers' next possession ended with another fumble. The Wildcats' hopes of mounting a comeback were dashed by Mount Vernon senior Isaiah Hunter as he intercepted a pass and scored on a pick-6. Junior Manuel Gomez kicked the extra point to seal the 54-24 victory.
Jackson Grey finished his night with 185 yards passing, four touchdown passes, 104 rushing yards, and 2 rushing touchdowns. Senior Brycen Fountain racked up 154 yards rushing as well.
“Every offense that we have is going to be predicated on our ability to run the football,” said Mount Vernon head coach and athletic director Travis McClain. “We need to find a little bit more consistency and clean up some of our ball security.”
The Tigers’ defensive squad notched four sacks on the evening. “Those guys up front played hard and played fast,” he said. “They did what we needed them to do. They were able to stop the run and get some timely pressures.”
The Tigers now look toward a showdown with the 4-3 (1-2 in district play) Commerce Tigers next week. “Defending district champs, good staff,” McClain said. But his focus is on his team and not the opponent. “Our job is going to be, fix us first, stop them second.”
Mount Vernon hosts Commerce in Don Meredith Stadium this Friday night with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
