By Tucker Dickson

Tipton came to town to face off against the Mustangs on Sept. 28 in their second district JV game. The Tigers looked fierce, boasting a little bit more size and speed than the home team. However, that didn’t stop Mount Vernon from going to work right away. Mount Vernon led 22-8 at the end of the first half with two touchdowns from Ryan Naeve and one from Collin Swantz.

At the start of the second half the Tigers were down, but they were not out. The two teams battled back and forth, neither of them able to score until Tipton decided to take things up a notch. With six minutes left in the third quarter, the Tipton quarterback broke free for a 40-yard run down the sideline, all the way to the Mustang 25 yard line. Three plays later, the Tigers handed it to their quarterback again, who strolled into the end zone. The two point conversion was good with 5:28 left in the third quarter.

Mount Vernon took the kickoff and began a drive, but the resilient performance put on by the offense inspired the defense, who forced the Mustangs to punt on a fourth and five. Tipton received the kick deep in their own territory, but that didn’t stop them from driving all the way down the field and scoring a touchdown on a sweep to the outside. With the third quarter coming to a close, the game was all tied up at 22 and Tipton had all of the momentum.

Despite the less than exciting performance in the third quarter, Mount Vernon turned things around in the fourth, putting on a spectacular performance for the home crowd. The tone was set for the quarter when Ryan Naeve broke free for a 15-yard run on the first play. However, Naeve wasn’t done yet; he would go on to catch a 65-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Owen Brase, and then catch the two point conversion on the next play. Running backs Trenton Pitlik and Kayden Pendergrass would also have a big quarter, racking up big yards and each scoring a touchdown. Mount Vernon outscored Tipton 24-6 in the fourth quarter and won the game by a score of 46-28.