MOUNT VERNON — The Mount Vernon High School football team officially begins the home stretch to the season this week as it hosts Dayton Dunbar in a nonconference contest. The Yellow Jackets (1-5) dropped a road game at Franklin Heights last week, despite once again outplaying their opponent for the majority of the game.
That has been the story of Mount Vernon’s season. Other than Week 1 at Lexington, the Jackets have been competing for a win in the second half of their games. It has been their ability to move past the win or losses that coach Gary Keller is the most pleased with.
“After the game is over, you have to refocus and go on to the next game,” said Keller. “To me, that is the most important thing, but it is the hardest to do. It is a hurdle that you’ve got to clear. We have to set it behind us and move on. The thing that you’ve got to do, however, is learn from your mistakes and that’s what we try to do on Saturday morning when we review film.
“Our kids realize that there is a fine line between winning and losing, and that line is really, really small. If you look closely at what we are doing, if we could change six or seven plays, our record would be a lot different from what it is. They realize they are not that far off target, but they still have to do it. You can’t take away plays; you can’t call a timeout and say that play doesn’t count.”
The players have been working hard, despite the outcomes on the scoreboard. The coaches have also spent many hours working to get the team ready each week. Even still, when a team can’t overcome itself, it begins to take a toll on everyone involved.
“It is a challenge as a coach to get your players to play at a high level week in and week out, particularly when you don’t have a lot of depth,” Keller said. “You have to be consistent in your play, and that has been a challenge for us. I think the kids are responding to that challenge. They have played hard every game. In fact, the last five games, we have been right there. Can we get the win is the big question. Our kids are accepting our coaching and trying to do the things we ask of them out on the field.”
Perhaps the biggest challenge for the Jackets at this point in the season is to not give in. With six games under their belts and four to play, it would be easy to pack it up and look ahead. Keller, however, is not ready to roll over for any of the four remaining opponents.
“We are not giving up on this season,” said Keller. “We do have some things to overcome. First of all, we have a major problem with depth. This is not a situation where we have a lot of leeway to change things around. During weekly practice, we are evaluating players. We are constantly putting them under the gun to try and determine who could do it on a Friday night. Our options are somewhat limited, but I’m not to the point that we are going to scrap what we have been doing and try to throw a bunch of new guys in. We’re not looking to next year. Our ultimate goal is to win a game, and improve each and every week. We do that by answering the question, ‘Who can do that?’
“Injuries have forced us to make moves. A lot of times, injuries make it very difficult. Our secondary is a good example of that. We are down three people in our secondary. There are other people, but they face a real learning curve and maybe aren’t physical enough yet to be effective.”
This week’s opponent, Dayton Dunbar, allows Mount Vernon the opportunity to take a step out of conference play. It won’t be a walk in the park, however. Dunbar is 5-1 on the season, and is in the playoff hunt in Division II, Region 8.
The Wolverines have outscored their opponents, 207-64, this season and are averaging 34.5 points a game. They suffered their first loss of the season last Friday night, falling to Greenville, 26-20. Dunbar finished another game on Sunday. It traveled to Newark to finish a game suspended in Week 2. Dunbar won that contest, 35-3.
“They present many challenges,” said Keller of Dunbar. “They bring a lot of speed, a lot of quickness. They just happen to have a very good team this year. I think they are like everybody else in that they go through cycles. They are in a cycle where they have some good players. ... They are like Lexington. Their skill is very comparable. I think you’ll see Dunbar in the playoffs. They are that kind of football team.
“This will be a challenge,” said Keller. “We will have to try to refocus on ourselves. We haven’t played our best game yet, and this could be that week. Dayton Dunbar is the challenge out there, but we can meet that challenge if we play together for four quarters.”
One obstacle the Jackets face will be injury and sickness. Between the two, many players are questionable heading to the game.
“Injuries are dictating what we can do with our personnel,” Keller said. “It has been a constant change with our kids. It is a personnel kind of merry-go-round. A lot of times it does come down to who is healthy and who is ready to go on Friday night.”
Friday night is homecoming for the Jackets, meaning a little extra motivation to win. It is also the first time the team has played at home since beating Olentangy Orange, 22-20, in Week 4.
“Our kids realize that they are playing at home and that makes them want to play better,” said Keller. “I’m constantly talking to our kids about playing their best game, whether they are on the road or not. I think homecoming has more to do with their ability to focus than with the game. There are a lot of things going on that might not normally be going on. It is a little distraction, so our ability to focus will be important this week.
“We can’t get the most important thing mixed up with the homecoming dance or dinner after the game. We want to make sure the No. 1 thing is winning the game.”