MOUNT VERNON — Welcome to Knox Pages’ 2025 high school football preview. Over the coming days, we’ll preview all the schools across the county. Each preview features key players, this season’s schedule and what fans can expect under the Friday night lights.

You can find all of our high school football previews here.

Buffalo Wild Wings and Pizza Cottage are proud to back our area’s local athletes and help Knox Pages provide fans in-depth coverage of the upcoming high school football season.

Mount Vernon Yellow Jackets 2025 Preview

Division: II
Region: 7
Conference: Licking County League, Buckeye Division
Coach: Mark Weber
Last year: 2-8

Schedule 📅

Aug. 22 — MARION HARDING
Aug. 29 — at Newark
Sept. 5 — at Delaware Hayes
Sept. 12 — JOHNSTOWN
Sept. 19 — at Heath
Sept. 26 — ZANESVILLE
Oct. 3 — at Watkins Memorial
Oct. 10 — LICKING HEIGHTS
Oct. 17 — at Licking Valley
Oct. 24 — GRANVILLE

BY THE NUMBERS 📊

7

Combined wins in the past four seasons for the Yellow Jackets. Mount Vernon was 2-8 last year, the first for coach Mark Weber.

8

Playoff qualifiers the Yellow Jackets faced last fall. Mount Vernon was 1-7 in those games, the lone win coming over Division IV qualifier Heath in Week 5.

10

Tackles for loss by outside linebacker Landon Dawson last year. An imposing 6-foot-4, 210-pound sophomore, Dawson transferred to Mount Vernon from East Knox and has Division I offers from Purdue, Southern Miss and USF.

30.1

Points per game allowed by the Yellow Jackets last fall. It was the fewest since 2020.

PLAYERS TO WATCH 💪

QB Mason Richards

A senior dual-threat quarterback, Richards rushed for 578 yards and three touchdowns on 74 carries and completed 18-of-43 passes for 222 yards and three scores.

RB Dakota Stafford

A powerfully-built 5-foot-7, 205-pound running back, Stafford rushed for 173 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries in limited duty last fall. 

CRYSTAL BALL 🔮

While the record didn’t indicate it, there was a renewed sense of excitement surrounding the program last fall. Weber, who was 60-32 in nine seasons at Teays Valley before arriving in Mount Vernon, has the program pointed in the right direction. How quickly the culture change results in victories remains to be seen.

Mount Vernon’s football preview is brought to you by Buffalo Wild Wings and Pizza Cottage.

Love high football? So do we! 🏈

Stay ahead of the game with exclusive updates, behind-the-scenes coverage, and expert analysis from veteran sports reporter Curt Conrad.