MOUNT VERNON — As the Mount Vernon Yellow Jackets prepare for the second half of the 2011 football season, they finally face a team that is truly stuggling.
Mount Vernon (0-5, 0-2 OCC) will host the Franklin Heights Falcons (1-4, 0-2 OCC) on Friday, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m.
It’s no secret that the Jackets have struggled. The team fell to bitter rival Delaware Hayes, 24-13, at home last week. For the fifth straight week, Mount Vernon was outgained, outhit and outmatched.
However, in those five winless games, there have been some bright spots.
Leevi Stump rushed for 100 yards last week, the second time he’s topped the century mark this season — both times were at home. And Stump no longer has to carry the entire workload.
“We moved (Brandon) Porter to running back,” Mount Vernon head coach Anthony Naples said. “He still has to get used to playing there. He knows the offense, because he’s a quarterback. But it’s hard to do when you haven’t been there a long time.”
Quarterback Shawn Maxwell is now secure as Mount Vernon’s starting quarterback. He went 5-for-17 with just 99 yards against Hayes, with most of his time was spent avoiding defenders who pounded through the Jackets’ porous line.