Shutout! Mt’neers hose Houn’s

The Mt. Vernon Mt’neers defeated their longtime rivals, the Aurora Houn’ Dawgs in the 2018 Bell Bowl game at Aurora’s Kelley Field on Friday, Sept. 21. The victory was Mt. Vernon’s fourth so far this year, out of five contests.
The Mt’neers scored two touchdowns during the first half of the game. Their first touchdown came midway in second quarter after quarterback Zach Jones completed a 16-yard pass to Jagen Prescott to put the Mt’neers at the Houn’ Dawgs’ three-yard line. Will Boswell went on to draw first blood for the Mt’neers as he ran the ball into the end zone. Jones then handed off the ball to Boswell who again ran the ball into the end zone for a successful two-point conversion, giving the Mt’neers an eight-tonothing lead.
The Mt’neers scored their second touchdown near the end of the second quarter when Jones completed an 11-yard pass to Rafe Darter, overcoming a fourth-and seven to bring the ball to the Houn’ Dawgs’ 12-yard line. Boswell then ran the ball to the five-yard line, but due to a penalty, officials moved
the ball back to Aurora’s 21-yard line. Jones then completed a pass to Miller, who caught the ball at the 10-yard line and then ran it into the end zone. A successful two-point conversion followed when Jones completed a pass to Kelly Vaughn in the end zone, making the score 16-0 at the end of the first half.
The Mt’neers scored two more touchdowns in the third quarter. The first came after the Mt’neers recovered a fumble from the Houn’ Dawgs at Aurora’s 35-yard line. Jones handed the ball off to Boswell, who ran the ball to the 30-yard line; on the second play, he moved the ball to the 26-yard line. On the third play, Boswell broke through the Houn’ Dawgs defensive line and ran the ball into the end zone. An attempt at a two-point conversion was unsuccessful, bringing the score to 22-0.
A call of unsportsmanlike conduct was made against the Mt’neers during the play. It didn’t affect Boswell’s touchdown, but the Mt’neers were given a 15-yard penalty on the following kickoff.
The Mt’neers gained their final touchdown near the end of third quarter after they took over on downs. Boswell ran the ball 49 yards to put the ball onto the Houn’ Dawgs’ 6-yard line. Mt’neer Carson Bowman capped off the drive when he took the ball into the end zone. An attempted PAT was unsuccessful, making the score 28-0 at the end of the game. Aurora also made a touchdown during third quarter, but it was negated by a call of holding against the Houn’ Dawgs.
The Mt’neers defense did an especially good job during the game; they consistently blocked the Houn’ Dawgs’ efforts to get on the board. Mt. Vernon head coach Tom Cox praised the team’s defense after the game.
“Our defense is the heart and soul of our team, and they just played great,” he said. “Coach Johnston, Coach Hayes, Coach Earnest; they just do a good job of that. Our guys love to play defense, and it shows.” Cox also said, while the team did manage to score four touchdowns, he felt there were too many penalties on them on offense.
“We just did not have the consistency that we need,” he said. “We’re still, I think, trying to find our identify on offense, and it shows. Our penalties tonight were just way too many.”
As a result of the Mt’neers victory, the team reclaimed the Poss Jackson Bell Bowl Trophy. The Mt’neers won the trophy in 2016 when it was first unveiled, only to lose it to Aurora the following year.
The Mt’neers return to Mt’neer Stadium on Friday, Sept. 28, where they will play the Rogersville Wildcats.
“We haven’t played them in many, many years, so we’re looking forward to doing that,” Cox said.