MOUNT VERNON — If Mount Vernon coach Nick Coon hadn’t known better, he would have sworn he was playing a home game.
The Yellow Jackets had just beaten Madison 55-51 in overtime at Madison Middle School to improve to 3-0 on the young season. Outside the visitor’s locker room, Coon was just as excited to talk about the boisterous Mount Vernon student section that made the trip up Ohio 13 as the game itself.
“You saw the gym tonight and it’s like that almost every conference game. There is a buzz in the gym,” said Coon, who scored 1,037 points for the Jackets between 2002 and 2005 before winning a Division II national championship with the University of Findlay in 2009. “This conference is a great fit for us.”
The 2017-18 school year is Mount Vernon’s first as a full member of the Ohio Cardinal Conference. The Yellow Jackets competed in the OCC in every sport except football during the 2016-17 school year, winning conference titles in volleyball (shared with Lexington), softball and baseball.
Coon piloted the Jackets to a fourth-place finish last winter and if the early returns are any indication, Mount Vernon should be in the hunt for an OCC title this season. The Yellow Jackets are 3-1 after Saturday’s 60-46 home loss to highly-regarded Westerville North.
“There are a lot of similar schools that are competitive and a lot of very good coaches in this league,” Coon said. “It’s a dog fight each and every night.”
Of course, having 10 seniors on the roster doesn’t hurt. Collin Barteau was an Ohio Cardinal Conference first team pick last year, while Kaden Daniels was an OCC second team selection.
“We have some experience and this being our third year as a coaching staff, these seniors have had some consistency,” Coon said. “Winning a close game like that is something we expect.”
Cole Rapp, another of Mount Vernon’s seniors, was 6-for-6 from the free throw line in overtime against Madison. Rapp’s only other points came on a first-quarter 3-pointer.
“This was a big win for us and a good road win for the team,” Rapp said afterward. “This is a tough place to play and Madison is a good team.”
The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Yellow Jackets. Mount Vernon visits defending OCC champ Wooster (3-0, 1-0) on Friday before hosting perennial power Mansfield Senior (2-1, 1-0) on Dec. 22. West Holmes (3-0) comes to town on Dec. 29.
Coon is looking forward to the atmosphere that comes with playing in games with conference title implications.
“I love, for our kids, they get to experience excitement in the gym,” Coon said. “They don’t make memories when they’re going into a gym that where there’s only 20 people.
“When there is excitement and care from the community, that is what make special memories for kids and that is what high athletics are all about.”
