FORTVILLE — The turning point came four weeks ago.
Scoreless in the second quarter, Mt. Vernon put together an 8-minute, 18-play drive touchdown drive to take the lead against ranked Pendleton Heights.
That was a big moment for the Marauders.
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“That really helped us kind of find our offense,” quarterback Tyson Harley said. “We knew that doing that against a good defense like Pendleton, we could compete with anybody in the conference and our sectional. That really was a big confidence boost for our offense, and we’ve done pretty well since then.”
The defense followed the offense’s momentum with a massive game, pressuring Arabians quarterback Christian Conkling to the tune of 9.5 sacks, led by four from Max Burhenn.
“Our defense definitely came together in that Pendleton game, really figured out some stuff,” Burhenn said. “Now we’re just doing a lot better, and our offense came together like Tyson was saying. Since then, we’ve been building.”
Clicking on offense and defense, the Marauders picked up a huge 28-14 win against a Hoosier Heritage Conference foe that night. Mt. Vernon was 2-3 heading into that game, sitting at 1-2 in the HHC.
The Marauders haven’t lost since. Confidence is rising. Momentum is building.
Mt. Vernon is full steam ahead heading into tonight’s sectional opener.
“The confidence level is really high,” Harley said. “Obviously after that big win against Pendleton, big game, that shifted our whole season, really. We won four in a row, counting that. That really shifted our confidence and boosted us going into sectionals.”
The winning streak came entirely against HHC opponents, with wins against Pendleton Heights, New Castle, Shelbyville and Yorktown propelling Mt. Vernon to a 6-3 record and 5-2 mark in the HHC.
They went from the bottom half of the conference to tying for a second-place finish, a remarkable turnaround from last year’s 3-6 regular season and 2-5 finish in conference.
“We’re all right. We like where we’re at,” Mt. Vernon coach Mike Kirschner said. “We were able to battle back and finish in the top half of the conference. Like what we’ve done so far, but it’s still a process trying to get ‘em to understand that every day is another day to try to get better at something. We’re still fighting with it a little bit. We’ll see how we do this week.”
The Marauders got a seemingly favorable first-round draw for the sectional.
They get a home game, and they get a familiar opponent. Mt. Vernon hosts Shelbyville tonight, a team they cruised past just two weeks ago, 62-7.
Harley threw for almost 200 yards and two touchdowns. The Marauders offense rushed for 320 yards and six TDs. The defense held the Golden Bears to 48 passing yards and 134 rush yards, and had two interceptions and 4.5 sacks.
It was a dominant performance, the third win in Mt. Vernon’s streak.
This week is a different beast, though. The Marauders know anything can happen in the sectional round. They are working hard not to be overconfident or overlook their opponent.
“We don’t really look at records. We just want to play each week at a time,” Harley said. “Shelbyville, we beat them two weeks ago, but they can improve obviously, and we could play a bad game. We’re always trying to look at it one week at a time, not really looking past anybody.”
“We’re trying to stay focused and respect them,” Burhenn added. “They’re still a good program. Anything can happen, so we’re still trying to practice like we don’t know how they play.”
The postseason requires a bit of a mentality shift. Kirschner knows that, having been through several state championship runs while at Ben Davis.
He said each of those Giants teams had something clicking in them. They were hungry for something more than just one single win. They had big goals in mind and pushed to achieve them.
“Everything we talk about is, about are you practicing to just win a game, or are you practicing to win multiple games and championships, and understanding there’s a process?” Kirschner said. “What’s your goal, here? You’re a one and done mentality now. You don’t play well Friday, and Shelbyville comes in here and gets you, you’re in trouble. You get lucky enough to get through that one, and who do you get? Greenwood or New Castle. You don’t get days off, anymore.”
It won’t be an easy path for the Marauders if they get past Shelbyville, no matter how the bracket shapes up.
Greenwood is the defending sectional champion, a team that struggled this year but made it all the way to semistate in 2017.
New Castle is a team the Marauders had a battle with just three weeks ago, with an impressive quarterback and receivers that Kirschner said are “all phenomenal.”
Mt. Vernon’s defense led the way three weeks ago against New Castle, intercepting quarterback Drew Barber five times. There’s no guarantee the result would be the same in a sectional semifinal.
Then there’s the opposite side of the bracket, where Beech Grove and Mooresville meet in a first-round clash. Whoever escapes that game with a win could be the favorite to win the entire sectional, and would await whoever advances on Mt. Vernon’s side in a sectional championship game.
But first thing’s first. Tonight, the Marauders have to get past Shelbyville again, a team that will be hungry, just like Mt. Vernon, to get past the first round of sectional play.
“Mike Clevenger does a great job,” Kirschner said of Shelbyville’s coach. “He’s working as hard as we’re working. We’re trying to get something done, and he’s trying to get something done. They’re not going to come in here and back down. Why would they? They put their pants on just like we do.”
Kirschner said he’s pretty happy with where his program is, at all levels. They are building toward the future, going through the process of putting together a winning culture and tradition at Mt. Vernon.
He’s seen improvement not just from the varsity team this year. The junior varsity team won one game last year, then went 6-2 this year. The Marauders didn’t even have a freshman team last year. This year’s freshman team went 3-1 this fall.
Even the eighth-grade team had a big season, finishing 6-1, the only loss an overtime defeat against powerhouse New Palestine.
It’s been six years since the varsity team has brought home a sectional title. They’ve come close since then, and Kirschner said he hopes his team understands the opportunity in front of them.
“You hope the kids understand, especially your seniors, this is your last opportunity,” he said. “You came up short two years ago, lost the sectional finals to Delta, and then last year got pounded by Greenwood in the second round.
“How do you want to be remembered when this is over?”
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Class 5A
Sectional 12
Teams: New Palestine, Greenfield-Central, Muncie Central, Zionsville, Anderson
Favorites: New Palestine
Darkhorses: Zionsville
Players to watch: New Palestine – RB Charlie Spegal, QB Zach Neligh, OL/DL Kyle King, DB Maxen Hook;Greenfield-Central – QB Gehrig Slunaker, WR Jake Vance, WR J.P. Fuchs, LB Tyler Antic; Muncie Central – RB/LB Andrew Abbott, QB Cam Gillentine; Zionsville – QB Josh Wagner, RB Gus Baumgartner, WR Tommy Fossett, WR Jordan Hull; Anderson – QB Xander Stokes, WR Malachi Qualls, LB Jack Gray
Outlook: This is truly a two-team race to a sectional title, with New Palestine and Zionsville likely to collide in a highly-anticipated semifinal game. Whoever wins the rematch from last year’s sectional championship game, which Zionsville won 26-24, will be a heavy favorite in this year’s sectional finale. Zionsville’s 5-5 record is deceiving – their strength of schedule is very high, and they can’t be disregarded after last year’s upset win against the Dragons. New Palestine should get through the sectional this year, with the semifinal their only real roadblock.
Class 4A
Sectional 22
Teams: Mt. Vernon, Shelbyville, Greenwood Community, New Castle, Beech Grove, Mooresville, Richmond, Connersville
Favorites: Mooresville
Darkhorses: Mt. Vernon, Beech Grove, New Castle, Greenwood
Players to watch: Mt. Vernon – QB Tyson Harley, RB/DB Rylan Cole, WR Braxton Trittipo, TE/DE Max Burhenn; Shelbyville – QB Riley Stevens, RB Matthew Merritt; Greenwood Community – RB Nick Willham, MLB Bryce Taylor; New Castle – QB Drew Barber, WR Luke Bumbalough, WR Triston Chesher; Beech Grove – QB Jordan Reel, RB Terrice Pope; Mooresville – QB Karson Goodman, RB James Mabry, WR/DB Jon Eineman; Richmond – RB Wyatt Byrd, WR/S Treshawn Jones; Connersville – RB Landon Cerqua, LB Jacen Beckman
Outlook: This sectional has a clear favorite in No. 8 Mooresville, with Mt. Vernon the next pick to win a sectional title. There are several teams that can’t be counted out, though, including Beech Grove, New Castle and Greenwood Community. Greenwood went just 2-7 this year, but were 11-3 last year and made it all the way to semistate. Their experience could push them past New Castle. The Marauders should cruise into the second round of a sectional that has several games that could go either way. Mt. Vernon has a realistic chance of winning a sectional title if they keep up the momentum from a four-game HHC winning streak.
Class 2A
Sectional 37
Teams: Eastern Hancock, Heritage Christian, Centerville, Indianapolis Scecina, Triton Central, Milan, Union County, Knightstown
Favorites: Scecina
Darkhorses: Triton Central
Players to watch: Eastern Hancock – QB Houston Swan, RB Victor Olivo, OL/DL Tyler Vandervliet, WR/DB Cole Rainbolt; Heritage Christian – QB Sam Azbell, RB/S Colton Brown, RB/DE Aidan Craig, WR/DB Harrison Eckel; Centerville – RB Chris Pritchett, WR Dylan Benedict; Indianapolis Scecina – QB Mac Ayres, RB Tavon Middlebrook, WR David Baker, SS Thiery McCormick-Messer; Triton Central – QB Aaron Steele, RB Keaton Kermode, RB Richard Knowles; Milan – RB Tyler Smith, DT Dakotah Knueven; Union County – WR/CB Nate Webb, DE Tyler Osborne; Knightstown – QB Jose Olivo, RB Nick Walsh, WR Kyler Burchett
Outlook: This is another sectional that is a two-team race, with Scecina and Triton Central the clear frontrunners to advance into the sectional championship game. Scecina won the regular-season meeting between the teams, 20-0, which makes them the favorites here. Both have tough roads, though. Scecina would have to face either Eastern Hancock or Heritage Christian in the semifinals, neither of which will be an easy out. The Royals would need to play an error-free game to get past Heritage Christian in the opener, and a sectional title would be a tough task to achieve this season. Triton Central would need to escape a potential semifinal against 8-1 Knightstown, led by Jose Olivo, a dual-threat QB with 30 TDs this season and one of this sectional’s best players.
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Note: All games at 7 p.m.
Class 5A
Sectional 12
Tonight
G1: Muncie Central at Zionsville
Oct. 26 – semifinals
G2: New Palestine at Muncie Central/Zionsville
G3: Greenfield-Central at Anderson
Nov. 2 – championship
G2 winner at G3 winner
Class 4A
Sectional 22
Tonight
G1: Shelbyville at Mt. Vernon
G2: Greenwood Community at New Castle
G3: Beech Grove at Mooresville
G4: Richmond at Connersville
Oct. 26 – semifinals
G5: G1 winner at G2 winner
G6: G3 winner at G4 winner
Nov. 2 – championship
G5 winner at G6 winner
Class 2A
Sectional 37
Tonight
G1: Eastern Hancock at Heritage Christian
G2: Centerville at Scecina
G3: Triton Central at Milan
G4: Union County at Knightstown
Oct. 26 – semifinals
G5: G1 winner at G2 winner
G6: G3 winner at G4 winner
Nov. 2 – championship
G5 winner at G6 winner
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Mt. Vernon and Eastern Hancock each start sectional play tonight, with the Marauders at home and Royals on the road.
Shelbyville at Mt. Vernon, 7 p.m.
Eastern Hancock at Heritage Christian, 7 p.m.
For a breakdown of both games, along with a look at each sectional involving Hancock County teams and sectional schedules, see Page B2 and B3.
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