MOUNT VERNON — The celebration was well-deserved — albeit short-lived.
Mount Vernon ’s season-opening 45-20 win over Marion Harding was the Yellow Jackets’ first home victory since Week 8 of the 2021 season. Mount Vernon had dropped six straight home games before last week.
“We’ll enjoy this tonight. Otherwise, this job isn’t nearly as fun,” second-year Mount Vernon coach Jay Campbell said afterward. “But as soon as we watch film Saturday, we’ll turn the page quickly and focus on Newark.”
The Yellow Jackets will look to improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2019 when they head to Newark on Friday. The Wildcats opened with a 35-21 win over Zanesville. The victory was Newark’s first win in the series since 2016 and first win at Zanesville since 2005.
Mount Vernon (1-0) at Newark (1-0): The opportunistic Yellow Jackets took advantage of five Marion Harding turnovers in last week’s 45-20 win. The game was tied 14-14 at the half before Mount Vernon erupted for 31 second-half points. Mason Richards did a little bit of everything for the Jackets. He started the game at quarterback and completed a 68-yard pass to Hayden Higgins. Richards also caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from Jake Taylor and sealed the victory when he scooped up a fumble and ran 97 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Jonny Askew returned an interception 66 yards for a game-tying touchdown late in the first half. He rushed for 107 second-half yards, including a 42-yard TD run.
Newark quarterback Steele Meister had a big night, completing five passes of 30 yards or more in a 35-21 win over Zanesville. Meister tossed a 45-yard touchdown pass to Drayson Peterson and scored on a 5-yard run to seal it late in the fourth. Meister accounted for all five of Newark’s TDs (three rushing, two passing).
Ontario (1-0) at Centerburg (1-0): The veteran Warriors opened the season with a dramatic walk-off win as kicker Trey Booker booted the game-winning 26-yard field goal as time expired in a 17-14 victory over Lexington. Senior running back Chase Studer rushed for 118 yards on 22 carries, including a 3-yard touchdown. Junior running back Mason Vantilburg added a 22-yard TD run, while quarterback Bodpegn Miller rushed for 103 yards on 14 carries while completing 14-of-23 passes for 197 yards. Studer caught six passes for 82 yards and Dylan Floyd had four grabs for 59 yards. Defensively, Studer and Trey Booker had nine tackles apiece.
Centerburg opened with a resounding 34-7 win over Utica, avenging last season’s only regular-season loss. The Trojans were led by senior running back Caylan LeMaster, who rumbled for 189 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. LeMaster also caught two passes for 16 yards. Jesse Rings returned a fumble recovery 28 yards for a touchdown for Centerburg’s first score and a fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff resulted in another TD for the Trojans. Rings completed 10-of-20 passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Trevan Harris had four catches for 66 yards and a TD.
East Knox (1-0) at Crestview (0-1): The Bulldogs, who were just 2-8 in 2022, opened the season with a 14-0 win over Northridge as Blake Elliott rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. Aaron White ran for 112 yards on 21 attempts. Quarterback Jax Lester completed 4-of-10 passes for 55 yards, while Caden Wengard caught a pair of passes for 50 yards. Elliott had a big day on the defensive side of the ball as well, recording three tackles for loss among his team-best 9.5 tackles. Elliott also forced a fumble that was recovered by Joshua Keith. White had six stops, while Bryar Householder had a sack.
The Cougars saw their 21-game regular season winning streak snapped with a 21-12 loss at Seneca East. Crestview committed four turnovers in the loss. Ayden Reymer rushed for 138 yards on 18 carries. Quarterback Liam Kuhn completed 5-of-13 passes for 96 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his first career start. Tyson Ringler had three catches for 75 yards and a touchdown. Keith Abshire caught a 9-yard touchdown pass. Crestview’s defense surrendered 270 yards to the Tigers, including 210 on the ground. Karter Goon led the way with 12 tackles. Ringler had nine tackles and broke up a pair of passes.