OCC-CAPITAL DIVISION
Mount Vernon
Jackets out to make good on investment By DON DELCO THISWEEKSPORTS.COM Motivation can be hard to sustain at times for players during the grueling two-a-day schedule, but for members of the Mount Vernon High School football team, their driving force was within sight. Literally. On Aug. 11, like most of their preseason practice sessions, the Yellow Jackets were banished to a sliver of grass tucked between the stadium’s parking lot, a practice soccer field and Yellow Jacket Drive. The football team’s two practice fields adjacent to the stadium were completely torn up because of construction. Last June, school officials announced stadium renovations would take place this summer. “We’ve been looking over there from our practice field and it has given us motivation during the long two-a-days that that is where you’re going to be playing on Friday nights,” senior running back J.D. Orr said. “We’ve played on some tough conditions here the past few years. It’s going to be nice to have a brand new field.” Among the improvements are the installation of artificial turf, a new track surface and locker rooms. “It’s been 20 years since they’ve done anything to this place,” fourth-year coach Anthony Naples said. “To put the time and money into our facilities, it shows our kids that maybe they have made an impact and changed the culture around here.” Things have been trending upward for Mount Vernon since Naples took over for Gary Keller in 2011. The Yellow Jackets finished 2-8 that season before improving to 5-5 in 2012 and 6-4 last season. Mount Vernon is now seven seasons removed from going 0-10. “Gary started to change the culture,” Naples said. “We understood we had to step it up and get it to where we want it to. We were fortunate to get some good senior classes and some good kids playing for us.” Mount Vernon has 37 players on its roster, down from 40 last season. The 15-member senior class entered the program in Naples’ first year. “What we taught them have sunk in,” Naples said. “They’ve shown all the classes what it takes to win and they under-
At a glance 2014 SCHEDULE Aug. 29 ...........at Central Crossing Sept. 5............vs. Sparta Highland Sept. 12 .....vs. Mansfield Madison *Sept. 19 .........at Franklin Heights *Sept. 26........vs. Worth. Kilbourne *Oct. 3 vs..........Olentangy Orange *Oct. 10 ...................at Big Walnut *Oct. 17.....................at Delaware *Oct. 24...................vs. Olentangy *Oct. 31 .................at New Albany 2013 RESULTS (6-4 overall, 4-3 OCC-Capital) Marion Harding ..............W, 55-42 Sparta Highland ..............L, 35-26 Mansfield Madison .........W, 34-21 *Franklin Heights............W, 37-15 *Worthington Kilbourne....L, 41-14 *Olentangy Orange ...........W, 21-7
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Ryan Fitzgerald helps take some of the defensive focus off J.D. Orr as he threw for 1,034 yards and rushed for 714 and 13 touchdowns. JOHN HULKENBERG/THISWEEKSPORTS
Receivers: *Greg Dennis (sr., 6-0, 165), *Tyler Galbraith (sr., 6-4, 195), Lucas Staten (sr., 57, 185), Nathan Davis (jr., 6-0, 170), Tristian Little (jr., 5-10, 145), Lucas Schlabuch (jr., 61, 175), Avery Fenton (so., 59, 165), Nick Rush (so., 5-10, 160), Jacob Tiell (so., 5-9, 155) Tight ends: Cody Mundy (sr., 6-0, 170), *Hunter Quillen (sr., 6-2, 190), *Joey Upton (sr., 60, 200), Tyler Hanna (jr., 5-11, 190), Cody Valrance (so., 5-11, 180) Linemen: Jeep Cochran (sr., 6-4, 245), *Alec Curts (sr., 64, 250), *Chase Gallagher (sr., 6-1, 290), *Tyler Norris (sr., 62, 280), *Kyle Stump (sr., 6-0, 250), Dylan Lamoure (jr., 5-10, 210), Paul Nimeth (jr., 5-6, 190), *Jacob Tilton (jr., 6-2, 300), Dylan Whaley (jr., 5-10, 175), The lineup Anthony King (so., 6-3, 215), Quarterbacks: *Fitzgerald Marc Quinn (so., 6-2, 420), (sr., 5-11, 185), Mason Williams Greg Wyatt (so., 5-10, 185) (jr., 6-1, 160), Bryior Burney (*denotes projected starter) (so., 5-11, 150) Running backs: Luke Earnest DEFENSE (sr., 6-1, 200), *Orr (sr., 5-11, The small roster size means 205), Ethan Rummel (jr., 5-11, 170), Tyler Fleming (so., 5-7, a majority of the players will 165), Freddie Hart (so., 6-1, be going both ways, but the YelOFFENSE 210), Jarrod Laslo (so., 5-9, low Jackets are prepared, Orr, who was named first- 140), Dakota Shock (so., 5-9, according to two-way lineman team all-state in Division II last 170) Alec Curts.
stand what is in front of them.” Mount Vernon ended last season with consecutive losses to Olentangy and New Albany in OCC-Capital Division play by a combined 14 points. The Braves and Eagles were a combined 17-3 in the regular season last year. New Albany qualified for the Division II playoffs and reached a regional final. “(The players) saw where we were at in those last two games,” Naples said. “They understand why we didn’t win those two games, what they need to do to make it right and what it’ll take to get there.” Mount Vernon, which opens Friday, Aug. 29, at Central Crossing, will debut its renovated stadium Sept. 5 against Sparta Highland. “The kids are excited that the stadium improvements show the community is invested into them,” Naples said. “The community is also excited about the football season. There is a bit of football talk around town in a sport they usually don’t talk about.”
season, returns as the key cog to the Mount Vernon attack. Orr has a combined 3,082 yards rushing and 32 touchdowns the past two seasons. Quarterback Ryan Fitzgerald also is back after rushing for 714 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns and passing for 1,034 yards and eight scores last season. The Yellow Jackets return four of five starters on the line. “It’s our job to make sure defenses pay when they key on J.D.,” said Naples, whose team averaged 32.8 points per game last season. “In the passing game, if the coverage is there, Fitzgerald uses his legs and goes. Teams will have consequences if they pay too much attention to J.D.”
“We’ve been working really hard in the offseason,” Curts said. “Everyone has been showing up to the weight room and we’ve been getting stronger and in conditioning we’ve all been pushing ourselves. “We’re like the 300 Spartans. We’re a small group, but we’re going to do our best.” Mount Vernon’s 4-3 scheme is not lacking experienced players, but how and where those players fit may differ from a season ago. Naples admits determining the defense’s lineup has been “a bit of a chess match.” “We’ve got guys with experience playing football,” Naples said. “We just need to make sure it translates in what we need to do on the defensive side.” At linebacker and in the secondary, Naples is moving his pawns around, but up front the Yellow Jackets are well represented by Curts and Jeep Cochran. Curts has committed to the University at Buffalo. “He’s a big guy with great strength and good speed,” Naples said of Curts. “He can play either defensive tackle or defensive end. Jeep also has a great motor. Those two guys are 6-foot-4 apiece.” Last season, Mount Vernon allowed 29.7 points per game, but in the finale against playoff-bound New Albany, the Yellow Jackets limited the Eagles
ORR
FROM >> 30 coach Anthony Naples said. “In the past, maybe J.D. didn’t understand it, but now in his senior year, he does. Those offensive linemen want to hear ‘J.D. Orr gets 20 yards’ over the stadium’s loudspeaker. That means they know they’re doing the right things up front and his yards are something they can hang their hat on.” According to Norris, gaping running August 28, 2014
*Big Walnut ....................W, 58-35 *Delaware......................W, 42-28 *Olentangy......................L, 38-27 *Mount Vernon ................L, 17-14 *League contest INSIDE THE YELLOW JACKETS •Coach: Anthony Naples, fourth season •Top players: Jeep Cochran (OL/DL), Alec Curts (OL/DL), Greg Dennis (WR/DB), Ryan Fitzgerald (QB/DB), Chase Gallagher (OL), J.D. Orr (RB), Lucas Staten (WR/DB) and Kyle Stump (OL/DL) •Key losses: Josh Edwards (LB), Logan Rhea (WR) George Walker (LB), Rain Wiggand (WR) and James Wright (OL)
lanes aren’t a necessity for Orr. “He makes our job easy,” Norris said, holding up his right hand and separating his index finger from his thumb by about four inches. “We only need to give J.D. that much space and he’s gone. They can’t catch him.” When an opposing defense faces Orr, it encounters not only a speedy tailback, but also a strong one. According to Naples, Orr is one of the strongest players on the team. Last
February at the Danville Powerlifting Meet, he won the middleweight title with a combined 1,275 pounds in three categories — bench press, squat and deadlift — to help Mount Vernon to the team title. Orr has prepared his body to take on a heavy workload this fall. Last year, he averaged 23.6 carries per game and Naples doesn’t expect that number to decrease. “He’s one of those throwback tail-
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backs that can do it all,” Naples said. “He can run through you and he can run around you. He has the speed, but also the thickness to take the hits. “He’s going to get the rock a lot. He can handle it. He’s an old-school kind of kid and one of the best backs I’ve ever seen.” Perhaps Wright State should reconsider its absence of a football program.
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to 14 points.
The lineup Linemen: *Cochran, *Curts, *Stump, Gallagher, Mundy, Norris, *Hanna, Lamoure, Nimeth, Tilton, Whaley, King, Quinn, Wyatt, Valrance Linebackers: Earnest, *Quillen, *Upton, *Rummel, Fleming, Hart, Shock, Valrance Secondary: Orr, *Dennis, *Fitzgerald, *Staten, *Davis, Little, Williams, Burney, Fenton, Fleming, Rush, Schlabuch, Valrance
SPECIAL TEAMS
The lineup Kicker: Mitch Martin (sr., 510, 150) Punter: To be determined Returner: To be determined ddelco@thisweeknews.com
FOOTBALL
IS LIKE LIFE — it requires
perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication, and respect for authority.
— VINCE LOMBARDI
Good Luck,
mount vernon
yellow jackets! from your friends at
ddelco@thisweeknews.com
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