By John Miller (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Springfield, Mo. – Within a span of three minutes, Mount Vernon went from being in command to being completely out of it.
Leading 20-10 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers saw Springfield Catholic score 20 unanswered points before the nine-minute mark hit. Penalties, turnovers, and issues with special teams zapped Mount Vernon of momentum, composure, and the lead.
Thanks to clutch receptions by Kelly Vaughan and three forced turnovers within the final eight minutes of the game, No. 6 Mount Vernon came from behind to shock No. 8 Springfield Catholic 36-30 in a battle of Class 3 powers at Swisshelm Field on Friday night.
“We were down 30-20 and seemingly had no gas, and our guys … started balling,” Mount Vernon coach Tom Cox said. “I’m just so proud of them.”
Mount Vernon (7-1) was flagged for eight penalties worth 80 yards – an uncharacteristic number for them. Twice they roughed the punter. Twice it led to Irish touchdowns. They were flagged for late hits and unnecessary roughness. They lost their composure.
But trailing by 10 points on the road in the fourth quarter against a state-ranked team, they pulled together.
“We were playing so emotional and had a couple bad penalties,” Cox said. “We told them that we can’t rough the punter, and we did it twice. We were playing with such emotion and we had to rein them in.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Kelly Vaughn caught seven passes for 122 yards and a touchdown – all in the second half. He converted a fourth-and-10 late in the fourth and later scored the go-ahead touchdown with just under five minutes left. The Mountaineers went from out of it to back in it like the flip of a switch.
Zach Jones completed 16-of-23 passes for 279 yards, four touchdowns, and a pick. Will Boswell carried it 19 times for 133 yards and a score. Carson Bowman caught four balls for 93 yards and a touchdown. Cale Miller and Rafe Darter also had touchdown receptions. When it came to crunch time and the Mountaineers had to make a play, they made it.
“That was insane,” Vaughn said. “We just never gave up. I don’t even know how to feel right now, I’m just so excited.”
With the game hanging in the balance in the fourth, Catholic (6-2) fumbled twice. Both times the Mountaineers recovered. On its final drive of the night, the Irish threw an interception, sealing its fate.
“We really take pride in those turnovers,” Cox said. “We practice that turnover circuit every week. It was just awesome. I could not be prouder of our team.”
Catholic quarterback Tyson Riley rushed for 55 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. Nick Crites totaled 59 rushing yards on 18 carries, while Hunter Brown added 58 yards on eight carries.
Mount Vernon 36, Springfield Catholic 30
1Q
SCHS – 4:09 – Riley 5-yard run (Brock PAT)
MVHS – 2:56 – Jones 17-yard pass to Miller (2-pt fail)
2Q
SCHS – 6:26 – Brock 34-yard FG
MVHS – 1:48 – Jones 11-yard pass to Bowman (2-pt fail)
3Q
MVHS – 7:44 – Jones 28-yard pass to Darter (Jones to Prescott)
4Q
SCHS – 11:57 – Riley 1-yard run (Brock PAT)
SCHS – 10:07 – Brown 20-yard run (PAT missed)
SCHS – 9:50 – Riley 5-yard run (Brock PAT)
MVHS – 7:49 – Boswell 5-yard run (Jones to Miller)
MVHS – 4:52 – Jones 8-yard pass to Vaughn (Jones to Miller)
