MADISON TOWNSHIP — It was not Mount Vernon’s night in a 35-0 loss at Madison’s Ram Field.
With 2:51 remaining in the first quarter and the Yellow Jackets trailing 7-0, junior Jonny Askew took a sweep to the right, reached the sidelines, hit the afterburners and was gone on a spectacular 70-yard touchdown run.
But the play was called back on a holding penalty.
Late in the fourth quarter, with coach Jay Campbell’s team still fighting, senior Ayden Kennedy broke off a superb 49-yard broken field run to put the ball at the Madison 15. But with a running clock in motion, Mount Vernon could only get two more snaps off and the drive was halted at the 11 as time expired.
It was just that kind of night.
“We’re going through some growing pains, obviously,” Campbell said. “We’re playing a lot of underclassmen, and it’s tough to ask them to compete at the varsity level.
“It’s easy when things are going well and you’re flying high. But it’s tough when you go through this. You learn about your resolve and you learn about your character.”
Madison knows a thing or two about that as well. This was the first win of the season for the Rams (1-7 overall, 1-3 in the Ohio Cardinal Conference).
“Our kids had a great week of practice, and we challenged them to carry that over onto the field,” coach Scott Valentine said. “They have really hung in there with us.
“Now they get to enjoy a little bit of the reward for that hard work.”
This win came against type.
Earlier this season, in a loss to River Valley, Madison junior Cameron Kuhn tossed 74 passes to set a school record. Against the Yellow Jackets (1-7, 0-4), Kuhn attempted just nine aerials, none in the first quarter.
“As we got going in the second half of the year, we decided we’ve got to run the ball better,” Valentine said.
The Rams did precisely that. Valentine’s squad took control the line of scrimmage, the clock and the game from the opening possession.
Madison’s defense forced a three-and-out, then took over on its own 22 after a punt. Kuhn burst 23 yards for a touchdown to cap a 9-play, 78-yard drive, and the Rams were off and running, literally.
“We had a pretty good idea they might use their size against us,” Campbell said.
Madison tacked on two more touchdowns in the second quarter, with Hunter Hutcheson and Zane Wynn both scoring on two-yard blasts.
Zach Glasgo’s pick-6 made it 28-0 in the third period, and Hutcheson again plowed in from two yards out to trigger a running clock with 3:21 remaining.
“We got after them pretty good,” said Valentine, who was doused with a water bucket by his players. “They have a couple of playmakers, but we did a good job of containing them.”
Madison controlled the statistical struggle too. The Rams had the advantage in first downs (13-4), rushing yards 234-86, passing yards 60-41 and total yards 294-127.
“We weren’t able to establish the run,” Campbell said. “Our kids are giving us all they’ve got. We’ve just got to get back to work, hit the weight room hard and keep building.”
Mount Vernon is at Mansfield Senior on Friday night.
Madison returns to action at Lexington next week.
