Yellow Pages
MOUNT VERNON — Jake Weber-Koetje gave the Mount Vernon football the performance it needed on offense Friday night against South Whidbey, and the defense backed him up well enough to give the Bulldogs the win.
Weber-Koetje overcame a rough start to run for 85 yards and throw two touchdown passes, Joe Barrington ran for 115 yards and the Bulldogs’ defense harassed Falcons quarterback Hunter Rawls for most of the evening in a 32-21 non-league victory.
Weber-Koetje threw interceptions on the Bulldogs’ first two series, but settled down well enough to throw a pair of scoring passes, a 78-yarder to Michael Acode and a 27-yard strike to Dan Barnet.
He also proved to be a weapon with his legs, sprinting often from the shotgun formation to gain 85 yards, including four runs of 10 yards or more.
“He was a little shaky out of the gate, but settled down to throw the ball well. He made plays,” Mount Vernon coach Jaxon Schweikert said.
Weber-Koetje’s night was helped by big plays from some of his skill position players, including Barrington, who scored on a 10-yard run; Michael Acode, who racked up 110 yards receiving; and Marchael Acode, who scored on a 15-yard run.
Kicker Anthony Hodge added two field goals, one from 35 yards out, the other from 29.
The dangerous South Whidbey (0-2) offense — which helped send the Bulldogs to a non-league loss — was held in check for much of the evening, but did manage to spring loose for a few big plays: a 57-yard run from Henry Mead in the second quarter and a 66-yard touchdown reception by Mead from Rawls in the fourth.
Danny Zuver added a 3-yard run in the third.
But Schweikert liked the way the Bulldogs’ defense played.
“We were pretty physical. The linebackers came downhill hard,” he said. “We missed one assignment — we knew it instantly and it won’t happen again. But the long run, that was on us as a coaching staff.”
Mount Vernon’s Travis Rees, a senior linebacker, picked off a Rawls pass and linebacker Todd Wright had a pair of big sacks for the Bulldogs, sacking Rawls for losses of 7 and 9 yards. He also hit Mead for a 4-yard loss on a third-down play.
“We played more aggressive and more physical than we did against Anacortes,” Wright said.
The Bulldogs’ biggest defensive play may have been one that actually went for a big South Whidbey gain.
With the Falcons facing a fourth-and-long and trailing by six, Mead broke lose from a pack of Mount Vernon defenders and reversed to the other side of the field — only to a fall a couple of yards short.
Mount Vernon improved to 2-0 including its season-opening win against Anacortes. The Bulldogs next host Sehome on Friday.
• Trevor Pyle can be reached at 360-416-2156 or by e-mail at .
