MOUNT VERNON — Big plays have been a problem for the Mount Vernon football team lately. Too many big plays by their opponent and not enough by the Yellow Jackets have been a major factor in a two-game slide.
The Jackets will look to right their ship and turn those big plays around this Friday when they travel to Delaware to take on the Pacers in an Ohio Capital Conference game at 7:30 p.m. They’ll also be looking to snap a six-game losing streak to the Pacers.
“We’ve played good, good, good, all of a sudden we let something go. Somehow, we have to eliminate the mistakes that we’re making,” said Mount Vernon coach Gary Keller. “We can playing good defense, then all of a sudden, we give up a big play. That’s the straw that breaks the back. Good football teams can’t allow big plays defensively. And offensively, we’ve got to be able to generate big plays. It’s very difficult to move the ball three yards down the field. Someplace along the line, you break down. You have to have those bigger plays thrown into the mix. Our problem is, how can we become a more efficient football team where we’re not making the mistakes and we’re playing good, solid, fundamentally sound football every single play.”
The offense will look to make some things happen without its starting quarterback again. Shawn Maxwell suffered a concussion in the loss to Olentangy Orange and will miss this Friday’s game. It’s the second game Maxwell has missed this year.
Jordan Montgomery will again take the reins in a wildcat type offense for the Jackets. But, Keller and his offensive coaching staff are looking at different ways to get others involved, especially Leevi Stump and Ethan Abell.
“You’re going to see a lot of different sets, different formations. We’re going to try to get the ball into our skilled people’s hands,” Keller said. “Give the offensive coaches credit. They’re trying to scheme, trying to be efficient with our offense and still have a high level of performance.”
