Mt. Vernon stuns Cassville, 21-13
September 2, 2020
Cassville quarterback Hayden Sink runs for a first down in second quarter action at Mt. Vernon. Photo by Priscilla Craig.
Lee Stubblefield
In a season opener that had to be, two top tier teams from the Big 8 played a game to remember. An instant classic unfolded at Mt. Vernon on Friday night, as the Mountaineers defeated the Cassville Wildcats with a miracle finish, 21-13.
It was a disappointing loss for a senior-laden Cassville team intent on replicating the success of the 2019 season when the Wildcats advanced all the way to the Class 3 state title game. Conversely, it was a statement game for Mt. Vernon, the team that swept through the regular season undefeated but lost to Seneca in the district semifinals.
With so many intriguing storylines, this game came down to one simple axiom.
Great players make great plays.
Cassville took the opening kickoff and unveiled the new look offense for 2020. Hayden Sink, at 6-4 and 230, took over at quarterback to start the season after transferring from Bentonville, Arkansas.
The Wildcats punished the Mt. Vernon defense with a seven-minute, ball control drive to take an early 7-0 lead. Sink hit Brett Cooper with a center screen for 38 yards down to the Mt. Vernon 18 yard line. Then Jericho Farris capped the 15-play, 91-yard drive with a one-yard plunge, and Drake Reese added the PAT as the Wildcats moved in front.
Cassville’s big offensive line owned the field for much of the first half. But the Cats squandered two more promising drives.
Following an anemic Mt. Vernon punt, Cassville drove to the cusp of the red zone, where a high snap led to a missed 41-yard field goal attempt on the third play of the second quarter.
Mt. Vernon answered with an 80-yard drive. A face mask penalty gave the Mountaineers a first down at their own 48-yard line. Then Mason Ballay hit Rafe Darter with a simple flat pass, and the senior wideout eluded defenders for 35 yards to the Cassville 17-yard line.
Two plays netted one yard, but Ballay found Darter loose for a 16-yard scoring strike on third down as the Mountaineers climbed into a 7-7 tie.
The Wildcats threatened again late in the half, but Sink was denied on a fourth down run at the Mt. Vernon 18-yard line.
The Mountaineers stormed down the field to start the third quarter. Ballay directed a balanced attack, and finished the 80-yard sojourn with a 15-yard flip to running back Justin Moore. Moore released late out of the backfield, and scored easily against blown coverage.
A missed PAT left Mt. Vernon;s lead at 13-7 with 5:47 left in the third quarter.
The game seemed to be slipping away from Cassville as the night went on. The two teams traded punts, and then the Wildcats wasted a trip into Mountaineer territory. After reaching the Mt. Vernon 44-yard line, Cassville stumbled through a sack, penalty, incompletion, and interception as the Mountaineers reclaimed possession with 10:39 on the fourth quarter clock.
Then Cassville’s Sink was injured on an out of sync three and out series, and Reese punted the ball back to Mt. Vernon.
But the Wildcats were not done.
Reese intercepted a rare poor throw by Ballay to give Cassville new life midway through the quarter.
With Sink injured, junior Cutter Hicks took over at quarterback for the Wildcats, and Jericho Farris took over the offense.
Great players make great plays.
Farris carried eight times on a ten-play, 71-yard drive, and tied the game with a one-yard dive with 2:12 remaining to play. But the PAT went awry, with the snap eluding both holder and kicker. The score remained tied at 13-13.
Clock management was key for the Mountaineers down the stretch. Mt. Vernon’s Tom Cox wisely burned a time out when Cassville reached the one-yard line to conserve precious seconds for his team’s last gasp possession.
After Reese boomed the kickoff for a touchback, Ballay led the Mountaineers to the win with seven straight completions. Six throws placed the ball at the Cassville 38-yard line.
Great players make great plays.
Then Ballay took a deep drop and launched a Hail Mary over the secondary. A lot of things can happen on those long 50/50 balls. Incompletions. Ricochets. Interference. But sometimes they end with an Immaculate Reception. Darter made an improbable catch in the midst of three defenders with just 12 seconds on the clock to give Mt. Vernon the lead.
The Mountaineers converted a two-point conversion to push the lead to 21-13.
With the odds table tipped inexorably in Mt. Vernon’s favor, Hicks completed a 20-yarder to Cooper to keep Cassville’s hopes alive. But the clock ran out on the following play as Mt. Vernon claimed the victory.
Keys to the game
Cassville had plenty of opportunities to win this game. Penalties, miscues, and a turnover were all costly. But give the Mountaineers credit for making big stops on defense, and big plays on offense.
Mt. Vernon’s defensive line sacked Sink three times in the second half, knocking him out of the game with the third hit.
The Ballay to Darter passing combo was unstoppable. Darter’s uncanny route running produced lots of social distancing in the Cassville secondary.
Stats
Farris led Cassville in rushing, carrying 25 times for 149 yards and two touchdowns.
Sink completed 4 of 8 passes for 73 yards, and threw one interception. Hicks completed one of his three passes for 20
yards.
Cooper caught 5 passes for 93 yards.
Moore led Mt. Vernon on the ground, rushing 12 times for 49 yards.
Ballay was deadly from the pocket, completing 17 of 22 throws with one interception. Mt. Vernon receivers totalled 191 yards and three touchdowns.
Darter caught 12 balls for 154 yards and two scores.
The Wildcats will entertain Marshfield in their home opener on Friday night at Wildcat Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 PM.
Big 8 scores
• Mt. Vernon 21, Cassville 13
• Seneca 34, Marshfield 30
• Monett 20, Hollister 13
• Lamar 56, Springfield Catholic 12
• Aurora 50, McDonald County 36
• Nevada 38, Rogersville 26
• Reeds Spring 41, East Newton 7
In a season opener that had to be, two top tier teams from the Big 8 played a game to remember. An instant classic unfolded at Mt. Vernon on Friday night, as the Mountaineers defeated the Cassville Wildcats with a miracle finish, 21-13.
It was a disappointing loss for a senior-laden Cassville team intent on replicating the success of the 2019 season when the Wildcats advanced all the way to the Class 3 state title game. Conversely, it was a statement game for Mt. Vernon, the team that swept through the regular season undefeated but lost to Seneca in the district semifinals.
With so many intriguing storylines, this game came down to one simple axiom.
Great players make great plays.
Cassville took the opening kickoff and unveiled the new look offense for 2020. Hayden Sink, at 6-4 and 230, took over at quarterback to start the season after transferring from Bentonville, Arkansas.
The Wildcats punished the Mt. Vernon defense with a seven-minute, ball control drive to take an early 7-0 lead. Sink hit Brett Cooper with a center screen for 38 yards down to the Mt. Vernon 18 yard line. Then Jericho Farris capped the 15-play, 91-yard drive with a one-yard plunge, and Drake Reese added the PAT as the Wildcats moved in front.
Cassville’s big offensive line owned the field for much of the first half. But the Cats squandered two more promising drives.
Following an anemic Mt. Vernon punt, Cassville drove to the cusp of the red zone, where a high snap led to a missed 41-yard field goal attempt on the third play of the second quarter.
Mt. Vernon answered with an 80-yard drive. A face mask penalty gave the Mountaineers a first down at their own 48-yard line. Then Mason Ballay hit Rafe Darter with a simple flat pass, and the senior wideout eluded defenders for 35 yards to the Cassville 17-yard line.
Two plays netted one yard, but Ballay found Darter loose for a 16-yard scoring strike on third down as the Mountaineers climbed into a 7-7 tie.
The Wildcats threatened again late in the half, but Sink was denied on a fourth down run at the Mt. Vernon 18-yard line.
The Mountaineers stormed down the field to start the third quarter. Ballay directed a balanced attack, and finished the 80-yard sojourn with a 15-yard flip to running back Justin Moore. Moore released late out of the backfield, and scored easily against blown coverage.
A missed PAT left Mt. Vernon;s lead at 13-7 with 5:47 left in the third quarter.
The game seemed to be slipping away from Cassville as the night went on. The two teams traded punts, and then the Wildcats wasted a trip into Mountaineer territory. After reaching the Mt. Vernon 44-yard line, Cassville stumbled through a sack, penalty, incompletion, and interception as the Mountaineers reclaimed possession with 10:39 on the fourth quarter clock.
Then Cassville’s Sink was injured on an out of sync three and out series, and Reese punted the ball back to Mt. Vernon.
But the Wildcats were not done.
Reese intercepted a rare poor throw by Ballay to give Cassville new life midway through the quarter.
With Sink injured, junior Cutter Hicks took over at quarterback for the Wildcats, and Jericho Farris took over the offense.
Great players make great plays.
Farris carried eight times on a ten-play, 71-yard drive, and tied the game with a one-yard dive with 2:12 remaining to play. But the PAT went awry, with the snap eluding both holder and kicker. The score remained tied at 13-13.
Clock management was key for the Mountaineers down the stretch. Mt. Vernon’s Tom Cox wisely burned a time out when Cassville reached the one-yard line to conserve precious seconds for his team’s last gasp possession.
After Reese boomed the kickoff for a touchback, Ballay led the Mountaineers to the win with seven straight completions. Six throws placed the ball at the Cassville 38-yard line.
Great players make great plays.
Then Ballay took a deep drop and launched a Hail Mary over the secondary. A lot of things can happen on those long 50/50 balls. Incompletions. Ricochets. Interference. But sometimes they end with an Immaculate Reception. Darter made an improbable catch in the midst of three defenders with just 12 seconds on the clock to give Mt. Vernon the lead.
The Mountaineers converted a two-point conversion to push the lead to 21-13.
With the odds table tipped inexorably in Mt. Vernon’s favor, Hicks completed a 20-yarder to Cooper to keep Cassville’s hopes alive. But the clock ran out on the following play as Mt. Vernon claimed the victory.
Keys to the game
Cassville had plenty of opportunities to win this game. Penalties, miscues, and a turnover were all costly. But give the Mountaineers credit for making big stops on defense, and big plays on offense.
Mt. Vernon’s defensive line sacked Sink three times in the second half, knocking him out of the game with the third hit.
The Ballay to Darter passing combo was unstoppable. Darter’s uncanny route running produced lots of social distancing in the Cassville secondary.
Stats
Farris led Cassville in rushing, carrying 25 times for 149 yards and two touchdowns.
Sink completed 4 of 8 passes for 73 yards, and threw one interception. Hicks completed one of his three passes for 20
yards.
Cooper caught 5 passes for 93 yards.
Moore led Mt. Vernon on the ground, rushing 12 times for 49 yards.
Ballay was deadly from the pocket, completing 17 of 22 throws with one interception. Mt. Vernon receivers totalled 191 yards and three touchdowns.
Darter caught 12 balls for 154 yards and two scores.
The Wildcats will entertain Marshfield in their home opener on Friday night at Wildcat Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 PM.
Big 8 scores
• Mt. Vernon 21, Cassville 13
• Seneca 34, Marshfield 30
• Monett 20, Hollister 13
• Lamar 56, Springfield Catholic 12
• Aurora 50, McDonald County 36
• Nevada 38, Rogersville 26
• Reeds Spring 41, East Newton 7
