MOUNT VERNON — The smile that creased the face of Mount Vernon football coach Mark Weber betrayed the fact that he knew “pretty good” was an understated description of his team’s 42-0 shutout of Zanesville on Friday night.
The victory was Mount Vernon’s third in a row, pushing their overall record to 4-2 overall, and 1-0 in conference play.
The Jackets wasted no time nearly putting the game out of reach in the first period, when they scored on a 2-yard touchdown run with 7:49 showing on the clock.
The Jacket defense took over and held the Blue Devils to a three-and-out, but the snap went over the punter’s head, and Zanesville turned the ball over on downs on their own 1-yard line. The Jackets took advantage and Jake Hubbard scored the Jackets’ second touchdown in 73 seconds to grab a 14-0 lead.
Before the first period ended, quarterback Mason Richards fired a TD pass to Landon Dawson to build a 21-0 lead.
The Jackets picked up in the second quarter where they left off in the first 12 minutes, when Richards hit Bryce Kreager, who scampered to pay dirt to build a 28-0 lead after the PAT.
After Zanesville turned the ball over on downs, it took just one play from their own 12-yard line for the Jackets’ Richards to connect with Landon Dawson on an 88-yard pass play. Richards found his favorite target, Dawson for another touchdown pass before halftime, allowing the home team to carry a 35-0 lead into the locker room.
Mount Vernon’s first punt of the evening came at the 2:52 mark in the third period. In the fourth quarter, the Jackets had two, back-to-back 50-plus yard plays called back due to penalties.
The scoring ended when Ben Fitzpatrick scored from three yards out, giving Mount Vernon a 42-0 Homecoming win.
“Even in a game like this, you have to stay razor sharp,” Weber said while noting the disruptive penalties, including a couple of unsportsmanlike conduct flags. “It is all a part of learning to be winners.”
Even after a convincing win and a three-game win-streak, Weber has no illusions about what lies ahead,
“Next week we go to Watkins, they are no-nonsense and that will tell us a lot,” the coach said.