Mt’neers football advance to district semifinals in Cassville

Mt. Vernon volleyball moves ahead to Class Final Four, set for this weekend in St. Joseph
 
The Mt. Vernon High School football team defeated Aurora in an opening round Class 3, District 6 playoff game, 38-14 on Friday, Oct. 31.
The Mt’neers led 7-0 after the first quarter and 28-7 at the half. Mt. Vernon increased their lead to 31-14 by the end of the third quarter before adding another touchdown in the fourth quarter to close out the game.
“It was another exciting Mt’neer-Houn Dawg matchup and what better day to play it than Halloween,” said Head Coach Tom Cox. “Our guys have worked very hard to get another shot at Aurora and their hard work paid off Friday night. The Mt’neer defense did a great job on the Aurora offense and quarterback Sean Creasy, holding him to only one touchdown through the air and one on the ground.”
Hunter Dawson was 18-30 passing the ball for 311 yards and four touchdowns, Hunter Conway had 75 yards rushing on 20 carries, and Coy Felton ended the game with 186 yards on 11 catches and four touchdowns.
“Our next opponent is the Cassville Wildcat team that gave us our only loss in the last seven games,” said Cox. “We will have to compete at a very high level to defeat these guys. Coach [Clay] Weldy does a great job of getting his team prepared. Congratulations to our volleyball team for making it to the Final Four. We hate to miss it and wish you well, but we look forward to the challenge that lies ahead of us. Bleed Green!”    
The Mt’neers are now 6-4 on the season and will travel to Cassville this Friday night.
Mt. Vernon had six players named to the All-Big 8 conference football team, with Hunter Conway being named to the first team (running back) and second team (linebacker), Coy Felton was placed on the first team in two positions (wide receiver and defensive back), Jakobi Wilson was named first team (defensive tackle) and Honorable Mention (guard), Landon Popa was named first team (kicker), Hunter Dawson was placed on the second team (punter) and Garrison Nordyke was named an Honorable Mention (linebacker).

Volleyball
The Lady Mt’neer volleyball team reached the Class 3 Final Four by defeating Sullivan in three sets, 25-18, 27-25 and 27-25 in the Class 3 state quarterfinals at Mt. Vernon on Saturday, Nov. 1.    
Camryn Cornell had 18 kills and 14 digs, Ziah Schmutz added 17 kills and led with 20 assists, Averee Swillum had 14 digs, Savannah Dampf added eight kills and three blocks and Kelsey Richards finished the game with three blocks.    
Mt. Vernon reached the quarterfinals by defeating Liberty Mountain View in three sets, 25-23, 25-20 and 25-10 at Mountain View in the sectional round on Thursday, Oct. 30.    
Cornell had 18 kills, 12 digs and three aces, Schmutz added 10 kills and 20 assists, Swillum had 13 digs, Dampf had seven kills and Claire Hale finished the game with 10 digs and two aces.
“We have been preparing for moments like these for a long time,” said Head Coach Bridgett Schmutz. “Putting in the work both off and on the court and to see it come to fruition, I’m just so happy for our kids and thankful for our parents, community and students.”
The Lady Mt’neers are now 25-7-2 on the season and will take on Saxony Lutheran Friday in the semifinals of the Class 3 state tournament. Mt. Vernon will play again on Saturday either against Oak Grove or Helias Catholic in either the Class 3 state championship or the Class 3 third place game.
The All-Big 8 volleyball conference teams were also announced last week, with Mt. Vernon placing four players on the team. Cornell and Schmutz were both named to the first team and Dampf and Swillum were both placed on the second team.
Below is the complete listing of the All-Big 8 volleyball teams: