FORTVILLE — Fresh off a big win against one county rival, Mt. Vernon is ramping up the intensity.
They have to. They know what awaits tonight, the challenge ahead.
The Marauders are set to welcome Class 5A No. 1 New Palestine, a team that has dominated the hosts in recent years and is off to a blistering start to this season. New Palestine has six straight wins in this rivalry series, outscoring Mt. Vernon 232-13 in that time.
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The question the Marauders are hoping to answer tonight is simple yet complex — how do you stop the Dragons? It’s a question nobody has been able to answer thus far. Nobody has even come close.
Now, it’s Mt. Vernon’s turn to try.
“They’re really good. They’re really well-coached,” Mt. Vernon coach Mike Kirschner said. “Coach (Kyle) Ralph does an unbelievable job. Their offensive line is really impressive, running back obviously is very good, the quarterback is very good. I’m really impressed with how well their defense runs to the ball.
“There’s not a whole lot of weaknesses, if any, is the way we look at it.”
New Palestine’s offense has been a juggernaut this season, outscoring opponents 189-22 in three games, scoring an average of 63 points per game.
Dragons running back Charlie Spegal has 569 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns in just eight quarters this season, spearheading the offensive onslaught.
Spegal isn’t an unfamiliar name for the Marauders — they’ve had to line up against him the past two seasons, when the junior was at Delta.
The Marauders beat Delta last year. Spegal ran 29 times for 176 yards and 3 touchdowns in that game. This year is different, though. He’s playing with a much bigger and better offensive line, now, with a much better surrounding team.
“We just have to get him before he gets going,” Mt. Vernon running back and linebacker Dylan Cole said. “At Delta last year, we were able to do that. But now, behind this bigger line, we have to try to stop him in the backfield, try to get him before he gets a head of steam.”
As the Marauders’ coach said, that’s going to be easier said than done.
Stopping Spegal is one thing, and that’s difficult enough. There are plenty of areas for each team to focus on.
Kirschner said his team needs to protect the ball above all else, tackle better, and hopefully move the chains and chew some clock to keep the Dragons offense off the field.
“Nobody goes error-free — we’re just trying to cut it down,” Kirschner said. “If you give these guys an inch, they just take the whole field, as was evident last week when they scored 81, Week 1 when they scored 77 against Kokomo.”
The Marauders offense is greatly improved from last year at this point, which could help with ball control. When the two teams faced off in 2017, Mt. Vernon had scored just 33 points in its first three games.
This year they sit at 123, averaging 41 points per game.
Last year, the Marauders couldn’t run the ball effectively. This year, the Marauders have 10 players with multiple carries, and the team is averaging 165.3 yards per game on the ground, at 4.4 yards per carry.
That’s a huge leap from 2017, when Mt. Vernon averaged under 50 yards per game on a paltry 2.2 yards per carry.
The Marauders have been ramping up the intensity in practice this week, knowing what’s in store and what they will need to do to compete with New Palestine.
“Our history with New Pal, we know how good they are,” Cole said. “We have to step our game up. We have to rise to their level. We just have to be more physical in practice. They’re going to bring it, they’re going to come off the ball every play. They’re big. We just have to tray to match their physicality.”
“We’ll just play our responsibilities, stay focused, stay in your gap,” Mt. Vernon defensive end and tight end Max Burhenn said. “Just play your assignment, don’t try to be a hero.”
The visitors know they have a target on their backs, especially in a rivalry that has been lopsided as it has in recent years.
It’s high stakes for both teams. The Dragons are defending conference champions. They certainly don’t want to give up the Boundary Rail. The Marauders want to defend their home field and take back the Rail.
“I think our kids are really focused,” Ralph said. “This game means a lot to both schools, both communities, both programs. We’ve obviously got the helmet from the conference, the Boundary Rail. It means a tremendous, tremendous amount to both of us.”
The Dragons have challenges of their own in the game. The Marauders’ improved offense boasts a slew of different running backs and receivers, giving defenses different looks and preventing them from keying in on any one player.
They were explosive last week, finding big play after big play against Greenfield-Central in rolling to a 35-point win against the Cougars. Led by senior quarterback Tyson Harley, Mt. Vernon has a strong passing attack to go with the improved run game.
“They look tremendously well-coached. They’ve done a great job over there,” Ralph said. “They move their guys around, so they are never in the same spot offensively. They’ve got a lot of different personnel. There’s a lot of things you’ve got to prepare for.”
While Mt. Vernon was upping the intensity, New Palestine prepared the same way they always do.
Regardless of who they are facing, they play their brand of football, week in and week out. They’ll bring the intensity, too.
“We just go week in, week out. We’re not doing anything special,” Dragons quarterback Zach Neligh said. “We just need to be technically sound and prepare every week the same way. Nothing changes because of the team. It’s always going to be intense, always going to be focused on the technique. It’s Dragon football.”
Facing an established, dominant team like New Palestine will be a good measuring stick for where the Marauders are in the first year under their new head coach.
Mt. Vernon has made big strides compared to the first three games of 2017. Where they go from here, what they look like moving forward, and just how good they are, are all questions that could be answered tonight.
“They have answers for things and they have kids who can execute,” Kirschner said. “We’re just going to do what we do, let the chips fall where they may. Hopefully we can line up, stay healthy, play a good ball game, and see where we’re at.”