Taming the Tiger elusive for Mineola

Posted 10/14/21

The Mt. Vernon Tigers are playing football at a very high level. They came to Mineola and dissected the Yellowjackets, winning in a dominating fashion 49-7.

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Taming the Tiger elusive for Mineola

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The Mt. Vernon Tigers are playing football at a very high level. They came to Mineola and dissected the Yellowjackets, winning in a dominating fashion 49-7.

As with any team, there are certain specific characteristics which make a good football team unique. So it is with Mt. Vernon. 

It must start with a comment about their interior defensive line. The Mt. Vernon defensive tackles were basically unmoved all night. They used well-applied leverage and practiced physical movement to shut down the Mineola running game between the tackles.

The two defensive tackles also forced the Jackets to seek the edge of the defense, which presented a whole new host of problems. The Tigers defense played off the keys presented by the Mineola offense and flew to any carry headed for the edge. 

On the offensive side of the ball, the Tigers ball carriers possessed surprising strength and speed. They also used a technique of sticking their leg in the ground just before entering the point of attack and going through an adjacent gap. This caused significant issues for the Mineola defense all night.

The Jackets rode some home field advantage in the opening quarter. They forced the Tigers to punt on their first possession and turned the ball over on downs on their second. 

However, Mineola gave the visitors a short field with an interception at the Mineola 44-yard line. Two plays later, Mt. Vernon scored on a 15-yard rush through the middle.       

After forcing a Mineola punt, Mt. Vernon scored on a 44-yard catch and run on a short toss to the right flat. A problem which plagued the Jackets all night – five missed tackles on the play. 

Mineola then scored on their only drive of the night. It was a 70-yard effort which featured two nice pass completions from T.J. Moreland. The second was a 40-yard post route to J.J. Gandy which put the ball at the Mt. Vernon five. Two plays later, Calem Redding scored around the right end.

The Tigers added two scores before halftime, while shutting down the Mineola offense. Mt. Vernon hit a 34-yard scoring pass on a double move, and after being given another short field, drove 30 yards for another score. 

At the half, the score stood 28-7, Mt. Vernon.

For the home team, the second half was a calamity.  The Jackets netted 18 yards of offense, as they could find no weaknesses in the Tiger defense. 

Mineola committed uncharacteristic mistakes in the second half – a blocked punt and three turnovers. Those mistakes led directly to three more Tiger touchdowns.

Any measure indicated a comprehensive win by Mt. Vernon. They outgained the Jackets 379 yards to 131. 

Of note, the absence of a division-I talent such as Dawson Pendergrass has a significant effect on a division 3A football team. However, this performance by Mt. Vernon was a team win – businesslike and dominating. 

Even in defeat there were stellar individual performances. In the first half, back-to-back plays by defensive end Julian Ramos, who knocked down a pass at the line and sacked the quarterback, forced a Mt. Vernon punt. Likewise Coy Anderson made hard tackles on a third and fourth down late in the game which turned the ball over on downs. 

A nifty kickoff return whereby Gandy lateralled the ball to Jaxon Holland who returned the kick to the Mt. Vernon 40 was the Yellowjackets last gasp of the night. 

Last Friday night’s loss was just that, one game. The Yellowjackets are  2-1 in district play with four games remaining. They will fight for a playoff berth. 

Mineola travels to Pottsboro Friday, hosts Howe on Oct. 22, visits Rains on Oct. 29 and concludes the district schedule Nov. 5 at home against Commerce.