Mustangs whip Assumption for district title

By Jim Ecker

MOUNT VERNON – The Mount Vernon Mustangs knew they had to beat Davenport Assumption Friday night to guarantee a spot in the Class 3A playoffs again this season.

Mission accomplished. In style.

The Mustangs played a strong all-around game with effective passing, strong running and stellar defense to whip the Knights, 21-7, to claim the Class 3A-District 3 championship.

If Mount Vernon had lost, they might have missed the playoffs entirely. As it turned out, the Mustangs and Knights finished with 5-1 district marks and the Mustangs earned the title on the head-to-head tiebreaker and will be a No.1 seed in the playoffs. 

“It was a great game,” said Mount Vernon Coach Brad Meester. “That was one we needed. We challenged this group all week.”

The coaches challenged their players to be physical, especially at the line of scrimmage, and the Mustangs responded.

Quarterback Noah Olsen connected with Maddox Curran for a pair of touchdowns, the first covering 66 yards to snap a 7-7 halftime tie and the other good for 22 yards in the end zone to clinch the victory.

Workhorse tailback Jakob Yock carried the ball 29 times for 147 yards and an 8-yard touchdown on Mount Vernon’s first possession. “He’s hard to bring down when he’s running downhill,” noted Meester.

Yock raised his total to 1,053 yards for the campaign.

Olsen transferred to Mount Vernon from Dubuque Hempstead this year when his father, Jake, became the offensive coordinator for Cornell College. He’s enjoyed a successful campaign with his quick release, laser passes and leadership.

Olsen posed for pictures with family members after he and his buddies won the district title and marched into the playoffs.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “It’s our first goal. We have a lot more to come.”

Curran slipped a tackle on a short pass and raced 66 yards for his first touchdown. He got open near the back of the end zone for his second TD and Olsen hit him with a perfect strike.

“He’s an amazing quarterback. He’s an amazing player,” said Curran. “Noah always throws a perfect ball.”

“We’re always on the same page,” said Olsen. “It’s worked the whole season.”

Mount Vernon intercepted two passes, one by Tysen Zacharakis-Jutz and the other by Seth Rushford.

The playoff pairings will be released by the IHSAA at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Assumption        7   0   0   0  – 7
Mount Vernon    7   0   7   7  – 21

MV – Jacob Yock 8 run (Jack Carnes kick)
DA – Theo Walker 35 run (Kellen Powers kick)
MV – Maddox Curran 66 pass from Noah Olsen (Carnes kick)
MV – Curran 22 pass from Olsen (Carnes kick)