Led by a three-headed monster of a rushing attack, the Mount Vernon Majors football team jumped out to an early 15-0 lead and held on for a 22-20 victory over Yorktown Friday night.
The win was Mount Vernon's fifth-straight and raised its record to 7-2 this season. With the loss, Yorktown dropped to 5-4.
The combination of senior quarterback Brian Green, senior running back Brandon O'Clisham, and senior fullback Kyle Ricks totaled 223 yards on the ground.
Yorktown was done in by a series of mental errors, including several botched snaps and an inability to recover Mount Vernon fumbles.
After a fumble that the Patriots did come up with on Mount Vernon's initial possession of the game, the Majors decided to pound the Patriots into submission. On a 12-play 60-yard drive, Mount Vernon ran the ball every single play, culminating in a one-yard touchdown plunge by senior fullback Kyle Ricks with just more than a minute remaining in the first quarter.
A two-point conversion made it 8-0. Just three minutes later, Mount Vernon struck again with an 18-yard touchdown run by senior O'Clisham.
But Yorktown, who came into the game as the No. 4 seed if the Division 5 Northern Region playoffs were to begin this week, wouldn't go down without a fight. The Patriots responded with 13 unanswered points. Senior Jared Smith caught a seven-yard touchdown catch from senior Kyle Toulouse to close out the first half, and Toulouse followed that up with a 30-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to close the gap to 15-13.
Mount Vernon senior quarterback Brian Green quickly ended any suspense, though, ripping off a 64-yard run on the very next play from scrimmage, setting up a five-yard touchdown by senior Robert Coleman. A late Toulouse touchdown run proved to be too little, too late.
Toulouse finished with 94 yards rushing and 134 yards passing, as well as two total touchdowns. Senior Charles Banks rushed for 71 yards, while senior wide receiver Mike Vieth had 129 receiving yards.
The win guarantees Mount Vernon a home playoff game in the first round of the Northern Region playoffs. The Majors are likely locked into the No. 3 seed whether they win or lose next week against Wakefield.
Yorktown now moves onto rival Washington-Lee to close out its regular season. The game, scheduled for Halloween Night, will likely decide which team gets a home playoff game.