The Mustangs soundly defeat Cross Keys

The Mount Vernon Mustangs fought off torrential rains and a scrappy Cross Keys squad to earn a hard fought 22 – 2 victory on Saturday. The win was the first of the season for the young, upstart Mustangs and was extra special to first year head coach Ryan Zimmerman in that it marked his first career GHSA victory.
Mount Vernon, fielding a squad comprised mostly of underclassmen, has improved each week leading up to last week’s showdown. Facing a larger, athletic Cross Keys team, MVPS played sound, fundamental team football and were led by freshmen Amir Lee, sophomore defensive back DJ Davis and seniors Jibri Hicks and Keon Douglas.
Lee led a powerful Mustang rushing attack, highlighted by a 27-yard touchdown run to give the hosts some breathing room early in the fourth quarter. Douglas, who was named Homecoming King at halftime, played his usual complete game on both sides of the ball, but none of his plays was more important than a 22-yard touchdown reception early in the game. Hicks continued his strong season with an electrifying 90-yard kickoff return early in the second half. On defense, the star of the show was Davis. Son of former NFL Pro Bowl defensive back Dexter Davis, the sophomore speedster kept the Cross Keys aerial attack in check, intercepting three passes and breaking up several others.
Coach Zimmerman and his squad knew the weather would play a factor in this game and preached fundamentals and ball control all week. One of the biggest keys to the Mustang victory was the exceptional play of center Jacob Munoz. The Mustangs run a spread offense and work almost exclusively out of the shotgun. In order to be successful, snaps must be crisp and accurate–no easy task in monsoon- like weather.
“I am proud of the way our guys worked all week leading up to this game and the fact that they came out and executed our plan. It wasn’t pretty in this weather, but we got the job done working together as a team. I am excited about the direction of Mount Vernon Football.”
The Mustangs don’t have much time to celebrate this victory, as they host a powerful Landmark Christian team this Saturday.
“We are excited about the challenge ahead of us” said Zimmerman. “We will enjoy this victory for a couple hours and then get to work on the task ahead.”
 
With a very young team, beautiful athletic facilities and a bright, hard working first year coach, the future looks promising for Mount Vernon Football.