Mt Vernon Yellow Jackets Stings Licking Heights Hornets 21-20


 

Friday I had planned a double header in the Cleveland area but opted out of that due to rainy condition predictions, so I went to Licking Heights to watch the Hornets battle the Mt. Vernon Yellow Jackets. Licking Heights came in 1-7, with their only win coming over the Northridge Vikings. The Yellow Jackets came in supporting a 2-6 record. Four of the Yellow Jackets' losses were by one score. On the other hand, the Hornets had just two games where they lost by just one score.

Zach Beck, the Yellow Jackets' sophomore quarterback, hit Damon Wolfe for a gain of nine, with 8:47 remaining in the opening quarter. The Yellow Jackets mishandled the ball with 8:25 showing on the clock, and it cost them dearly when Casey Brezlin came up with it for the Hornets.

Duke Finch, the freshman quarterback for Licking Heights, showed off his running skills with an 11-yard run, and then he used his arm to complete an 11-yard pass to Stone Fenton with 3:54 showing on the clock. The drive would not bring any points as the Yellow Jackets defense put the clamps down.

Just .09 seconds into quarter number two, Nolan Hershberger picked up 38 yards with a Carlos Snow-like run, moving the ball to the Hornets' 26-yard line. A 20-yard touchdown pass from Beck to Landon Dawson gave the Yellowjackets a 6-0 lead. After Austin Higgins was true on his P.A.T. attempt, we had a 7-0 game, with 10:30 left in the half. The drive went for 80 yards on 8 plays.

Licking Heights was quick to respond, with Finch fielding the ball on the 17th yard line; he made it like Josh Cribbs taking the ball 83 yards for the score. Travis Nutter (who wore #17 tonight according to the PA announcer) tied the game with his P.A.T. with 10:16 left in the first half.

Beck to Wolfe brought a gain of 20 yards with Wolfe running through a would-be tackler, with 10:02 left. Beck to Dawson brought a 39-yard touchdown, where Dawson beat double coverage with the leaping catch to make this a 14-7 game with 7:54 left in the half. The drive went for 71 yards on 7 plays.

Needing a break, the Hornets got it when Ezra Teferi picked off a Beck pass in the end zone to get the offense back on the field. The Hornets offense put the ball on the ground, and coming up with it for the Yellow Jackets was the talented Dawson, with 5:54 left in the half.

Neither team was able to capitalize on the turnover recoveries, and with 2:16 left, Wolfe threw Solomon Alexander down for a loss of three. The Yellow Jackets' defense at times seemed like they knew the play before the Hornets ran it. The last big play of the half came when the Hornets put the ball on the ground, and making the recovery for Mt. Vernon was Greyson Deem.

The third quarter had three plays that stuck out, as it was mainly a defensive battle. First, Brock Mensching and Fritz Johnson teamed up to get Cayden Cross for a loss of yards. Then with 4:25 left, the Hornets tied this one at fourteen when Finch sprinted for a 29-yard touchdown. The third play was a John David Tatum-like hit delivered by Kendryk Hampton on Hershberger with 3:17 remaining.

The biggest play of the game for the Yellow Jackets came on a 35-yard punt return by Dean, who ran through a hard tackle, and he managed to stay in bounds as he sprinted into the end zone to give his team a 21-14 lead, with 10:45 left.

Wolfe delivered a big hit on Preston Powell, holding the freshman to zero yards on the play. Powell would get to Stone Fenton for a yard loss with 8:42 left. The kid stepped up big when his team needed him on the Hornets' current drive. Finch again used his legs to scramble around, and then he flung a pass to Cross for an 11-yard gain. Cross picked up 20 yards to the Mt. Vernon seven with 5:34 left to play. Finch picked up 5 yards to set up a first and goal from the two-yard line. On fourth and one, Finch plowed in to make the score a 21-20 game. Mt. Vernon got heavy pressure on the point after a kick, causing Nutter to pull his kick that hit the left upright and bounce wide, leaving this a 21-20 game, with 2:57 left.

The Yellow Jackets would hold on for the one-point win after stopping the Hornets one final time, then kneeing the ball for the win.

My Unofficial Stats

Yellow Jackets

49 plays

202 yards (19 in the 2nd half)

Passing 18-30, 2 TDs

Hornets

58 plays

255 yards

Passing 8-17

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