MOUNT VERNON — Nick Coon hoped Mount Vernon’s résumé would speak for itself when the Central District coaches convened for the Division I tournament draw Sunday afternoon.
The rest of the Columbus-area schools evidently thought highly of the Yellow Jackets.
Mount Vernon (15-5) earned the No. 16 seed in the 48-team field and will host No. 26 Dublin Scioto in the sectional semifinals at 1 p.m. Feb. 24. If the Jackets win, they host No. 27 Teays Valley in a sectional championship game at 7 p.m. March 2.
“The Central District is a meat-grinder,” Coon said after the Jackets beat Lexington late last month. “There are a lot of great teams.”
Mount Vernon has stitched together an impressive season that to date includes an Ohio Cardinal Conference championship and an active nine-game winning streak. A victory Friday at Lexington would give the Jackets an outright OCC title.
The one thing working against Mount Vernon is the fact the OCC is a patchwork conference that includes schools in the Central, Northwest, Northeast and East districts. Wins over non-Central District opponents, no matter how impressive, don’t always carry as much weight when it comes to postseason seeding.
Mount Vernon has played seven Central District Division I opponents and has a 4-3 record, including a 60-58 win at state-ranked Logan on Jan. 20. The Jackets close the regular season at Big Walnut, another Central District Division I foe, on Saturday.
As for the remainder of the Knox County schools, Divison IV Danville got the most favorable draw. The Blue Devils earned the No. 2 seed and will host No. 17 Patriot Preparatory Academy at 7 p.m. Feb. 24 in what is essentially a sectional play-in game.
Also in Division IV, Centerburg got the No. 10 seed and will play at No. 9 Granville Christian Academy at 7 p.m. Feb. 27.
In Division III, both No. 19 Fredericktown and No. 22 East Knox got first-round byes. The Freddies will play either No. 4 Wellington School or No. 21 Heath at 7 p.m. March 3 in the sectional finals. The Bulldogs will play either No. 2 Africentric or No. 23 Horizon Science Academy at 1 p.m. March 3.
