GETTING DEFENSIVE: Marauders look to keep momentum going

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FORTVILLE — With one goal-line stand, things started to click for Mt. Vernon.

The Marauders, after turning the ball over on the road early in the first quarter against the high-powered Pendleton Heights Arabians, found their defense on the field with the hosts just yards away from the end zone.

For a team that had given up 109 points in the previous two games combined, it was a make-or-break moment for the defense.

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The defense didn’t break. The ensuing goal-line stand deflated the Arabians and shifted momentum, which the Marauders rode to an upset win against a ranked opponent.

It was somewhat of a defining moment for the Marauders’ defense and team as a whole.

“We played physical, which is what we were lacking a little bit of,” Mt. Vernon coach Mike Kirschner said. “They had first and goal from the 5 and they couldn’t score. We stopped them four straight downs. I thought that was kind of a trigger in our heads that we’re OK, we can line up and do some things. I felt like we found ourselves a little bit.”

Mt. Vernon held the Arabians, who came into the contest averaging over 40 points per game, to just 14 points. They limited senior quarterback Christian Conkling to 8 of 20 passing for just 160 yards. They held star receiver Eli Pancol to just two catches for 20 yards.

They did it with a rejuvenated defense that, simply put, was all over Conkling the entire night.

The Marauders ended the game with 9.5 sacks and 12 tackles for a loss, incredible numbers against any team, let alone an offensive powerhouse like Pendleton Heights.

“I felt like it was just mental focus at times,” Kirschner said. “I really felt like our defensive line got a huge amount of pressure on their quarterback. We ended up with 10 sacks. Even when you’re a great quarterback, even if you’re Peyton Manning, if you’re under duress, it’s hard to throw it to the right people.”

“We showed up ready to play,” defensive end and tight end Max Burhenn said. “We were all there mentally and physically. We had a really good week in practice, and we just turned it on when we needed to.”

Burhenn had four sacks against the Arabians. Linemate Connor Price added 3.5 sacks and P.J. Sterrett put on consistent pressure to help slow the Pendleton Heights offense.

The Mt. Vernon defense had just seven sacks through its first five games before last week’s outburst.

“We always want to get to the quarterback,” Price said. “I think it was just more of a challenge for the d-linemen to get in there and affect the game.”

Tonight, the challenge is to slow down another explosive offense.

It’s a familiar refrain. New Castle boasts a senior quarterback, a strong running game and two standout wide receivers.

Trojans quarterback Drew Barber leads the Hoosier Heritage Conference in yardage and touchdowns. He has completed 52 percent of his passes for 1,112 yards, with 16 touchdowns and just a single interception.

New Castle runs for almost 150 yards per game, at 5.5 yards per carry. Receiver Luke Bumbalough leads the HHC in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, with 477 yards and 8 TDs.

The Marauders know they are in for another test.

“They’re not 4-2 by accident,” Kirschner said. “They know what they’re doing.”

The hope is that the team continues to move forward after last week’s impressive win. Tonight’s game is Senior Night for the Marauders, the second-to-last home game of the regular season.

There’s reason for confidence, and with three games remaining, Mt. Vernon sits at 3-3, with a 2-2 HHC record.

“You hope you build off it, just from a standpoint of team confidence,” Kirschner said. “We’re coming off a big road win, and we hadn’t had success the weeks before with New Pal and Delta. They kind of handed it to us. You hope just from a standpoint mentally that we feel good that we can line up and play.”

The win against Pendleton Heights helped Mt. Vernon move past the two tough weeks prior.

It’s showing in practice as the team gets ready to face New Castle, and it has given the team a jolt of confidence as they begin the final third of the season.

“It was a big confidence booster,” Burhenn said of last week’s win. “We’ve been bouncing around in practice. It’s been great.”

“It enables us to believe in ourselves, play hard and have an attitude to win,” Price added. “It definitely helps us be more confident, but we still know we have to work hard in order to win.”

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Eastern Hancock at Monroe Central, 7 p.m.

New Palestine at Shelbyville, 7:30 p.m.

Greenfield-Central vs. Yorktown, 7:30 p.m.

Mt. Vernon vs. New Castle, 7:30 p.m.

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