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By John Miller (for Ozarks Sports Zone)
Mount Vernon, MO – With only five starters returning from last year’s Class 3 runner-up, some expected the Mount Vernon Mountaineers would take a step back this fall. Based on Friday night, those people would be wrong.
The Mountaineers forced four turnovers and blocked a punt in route to a 37-7 season-opening win over Monett at Mountaineer Stadium.
“We played really well on defense,” Mount Vernon coach Tom Cox said. “We had a really good week of practice. Coach (Chris) Johnston had a great game plan, and he talked about, ‘The devil is in the details.’ That was our preparation this week. … We really played great.”
Reigning Class 3 Defensive Player of the Year, Will Boswell, made an impact on offense on Mount Vernon’s opening possession. The senior took a screen pass, broke a tackle, and bolted for a 54-yard touchdown reception giving the Mountaineers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
“He’s such a physical type player, but he can run well, too,” Cox said. “Once he got a seam, he was gone down the sideline. That was a huge play for us.”
Two guys that mostly witnessed last year’s postseason run, Jagen Prescott and Carson Bowman, looked like seasoned veterans on Friday. Prescott had two interceptions and blocked a punt while Bowman returned a block punt for a score and had a 24-yard receiving touchdown.
“I saw Jagen hit the punt, and I saw it bouncing up,” Bowman remembered. “I had a perfect bounce right into my hands and I said, ‘Man, ain’t nothing stopping me from getting into this endzone right here.”
Mount Vernon got production offensively from several different players. Junior quarterback Zach Jones finished 16-for-23 passing for 187 yards and two scores. He completed passes to eight different Mountaineers, led by five connections with sophomore Rafe Darter.
Jones also scored two rushing touchdowns, including a 62-yard scamper early in the fourth that helped put the game away, and kicked a 37-yard field goal.
“I thought Zach did a good job,” Cox said. “I expect a lot from him. I got on him a few times when he made mistakes, but I told him, ‘You’re going to. Tom Brady makes mistakes.’ I thought he did really, really well.”
Monett struggled to finish drives most of the night, often shooting itself in the foot with turnovers, penalties, or stalled drives. The Cubs lone points came midway through the third quarter, when running back Jamie Guinn sprinted 72 yards for a touchdown. Freshman tailback Ethan Umfleet impressed in his debut, rushing for 44 yards on only six carries.
Mount Vernon scored on its opening drive Friday and controlled the game most of the night. Perhaps they still remembered last year’s state championship result, a 47-9 loss to Maryville.
“We left that score on the scoreboard all summer long when we were out here to remember that we don’t want that to happen again,” Cox said. “It’s nice when they work so hard in the summer, so hard all preseason long and they’re rewarded with a week one victory. There’s a lot of work to do, but it’s great to be 1-0.”
Mount Vernon 37, Monett 7
1Q
MVHS – 4:46 – Zach Jones 54-yard pass to Will Boswell (2-point fail) 6-0
2Q
MVHS – 11:30 – Carson Bowman 10-yard punt return (Jones to Miller) 14-0
MVHS – 4:58 – Jones 24-yard pass to Bowman (Jones to Prescott) 22-0
MVHS – :16.2 – Jones 1-yard sneak (2-pt fail) 28-0
3Q
MHS – 6:00 – Jamie Guinn 72-yard run (Umfleet PAT) 28-7
4Q
MVHS – 8:49 – Jones 62-yard run (2-pt fail) 34-7
MVHS – 4:41— Jones 37-yard FG 37-7
