Bell game for Eastern Hancock

As if they needed any help, Mt. Vernon’s vaunted football rushing duo of Anthony Burnett and Tyler Dicks will enjoy a weather-free, quick running surface at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The outcome might not be as enjoyable for a Rushville defense that will attempt to slow Burnett and Dicks, a feat not yet realized this season.

Mt. Vernon will take on Rushville Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the second of four games on the Colts’ home field as part of a Hoosier Heritage Conference showcase.

The Marauders (2-1 overall, 1-0 HHC) are coming off a 52-14 win over Yorktown in which the six-foot-1 Burnett rushed for 262 yards and four touchdowns. The senior’s 99-yard touchdown run in the second quarter set a new program record, besting a 98-yard touchdown scamper by Trey Ross in 2009 (also against Yorktown).

On Twitter following Friday’s victory, Burnett gave kudos to his teammates.

“Wouldn’t be possible without the ten other guys on offense!” Burnett — @AMB_2512 — Tweeted. “It’s crazy getting all the credit when I didn’t get even touched!”

Part of the credit also goes to Mt. Vernon’s offensive formation, which is designed to keep opponents guessing if Burnett or Dicks (233 rushing yards) will get the ball, and which way they’ll go with it.

“Our splits are unique and maybe the way we run the play,” MV coach Doug Armstrong said. “But I’ve always been a power toss coach; we call it a parochial sweep.

“The reason we run the offense we run is because we don’t have just one tailback. We’ve got two guys, so we can run it either way to either side while being in a balanced formation and the defense doesn’t really know which one’s going to get it. Whereas if we were in an I-formation, the tailback’s the guy that gets it.”

This story appears in the print edition of Daily Reporter. Subscribers can read the entire story online by signing in here or in our e-Edition by clicking here.