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September 14, 2012

Hatchets fall on road to Mt. Vernon

By Mike Myers Washington Times-Herald

MT. VERNON — MT. VERNON - The long road trip to Mt. Vernon got even longer once the Washington Hatchets got off the bus as the Black and Gold dropped a 35-0 Big 8 conference game to the Wildcats on Friday.

A Washington (2-3, 0-3) team that is riddled with injuries was no match for Mt. Vernon (2-3, 1-2) as Hatchet coach Kelly Brashear noted after the game.

“I’m not going to dwell on this one, this one was awful. Awful from a coaching standpoint, awful from a playing standpoint,” said Brashear, who also noted that several other Hatchets, including Kyle Pfender and Tyler Edmiston, were playing hurt. “In our kids defense, we are totally decimated by injuries right now. We have nine kids standing in street clothes on the sidelines, and two more kids who weren’t even here tonight.”

Washington found the going difficult on offense. Pfender, who topped the 100-yard mark in last week’s win over North Daviess, was limited to 29 yards on 13 carries, while the Hatchets overall gained just 143 yards of total offense and eight first downs.

Hatchet quarterback Jake Brashear did have an efficient night, completing 5-9 passes, all to Pfender, but for only 49 yards.

An injury depleted Hatchet defense held up well for the most part against the no-huddle Mt. Vernon attack. Still, quarterback River VanZant directed four Wildcat scoring drives, and Mt. Vernon finished with 371 yards of total offense.

Brashear was pleased with how his young players tried while filling in at the varsity level.

“The one thing I told the players after the game was that I was awfully proud of was how those young kids came in and fought and played hard,” said Brashear. “Now, I wasn’t proud of their execution all the time, but I was really proud of Jansen Shake, Tyler Summers, Cameron Meade, Luke Thornton … some of those guys that have very little if any varsity experience and were thrown into the lion’s den tonight.”

The first half was a battle of field position, a battle the Hatchets lost by a wider margin than they did on the scoreboard, where Mt. Vernon led 14-0 at halftime. Washington’s inability to move the ball on offense -65 yards of total offense, with WHS gaining just 17 yards on the ground - kept the action on Washington’s side of midfield for much of the half.

Mt. Vernon picked up a pair of first half touchdowns, both by quarterback River VanZant. A VanZant one-yard sneak on Mt. Vernon’s first drive - a possession set up by a three-and-out by the Hatchet offense, followed by a 58-yard punt return Gabe Adams - and added a six-yard run on a quarterback keeper late in the second quarter. Another Mt. Vernon drive was thwarted by a strong goal line stand from the Hatchets earlier in the second quarter, when WHS stuffed two Wildcat running plays cold inside the Hatchet five, then recovered a Mt. Vernon fumble on third down.

A sign of Washington’s offensive struggles on the night came in the first half in the form of Edmiston, one of the Hatchets’ top threats on the ground this season from his fullback position. At the break, Edmiston, also Washington’s punter, had touched the ball more with his foot (five punts) than with his hands (three rushes for 15 yards). Edmiston did finish as the top Hatchet rusher on the evening with 39 yards on 10 carries.

VanZant, who missed on his first five attempts but finished 8-13 for 128 yards, added a pair of third quarter scoring strikes to J.T. Silvers. Ethan VanZant added a one-yard run late in the fourth quarter for the Wildcats.

Washington will be on the road again in conference play as the Hatchets travel to Mt. Carmel on Friday. The Golden Aces will be the focus of attention for Brashear’s team starting today.

“I am not going to watch the film, and the kids are not going to watch it because there is nothing positive to learn from this game tonight,” said Brashear.

 

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