ATLANTA - The Mount Vernon Varsity Football team opened up the 2026 campaign with bang on Friday, August 21, defeating McNair High School 47-12 at Ron Hill Field.
MV started the scoring early with two rushing touchdowns in the first quarter from Gavin Steele, one from 25-yards out and the other a 6-yard score to lead 14-0 by the end of the first quarter.
McNair's Maliq Washington found the end zone in the second quarter on a 3-yard rush.
The ensuing two-point conversion failed and MV led 14-6 by halftime.
In the third quarter, MV received the second half kickoff resulting in a 4-yard touchdown run from AJ Rahal to give the Mustangs a 21-6 advantage.
In the fourth quarter, the Mount Vernon offense fired on all cylinders, scoring four touchdowns while limiting McNair to just one.
Taurean Rawlins corralled two of those touchdowns, both coming from Rahal from 38-yards and 21-yards.
Keon Clealand also had a 51-yard breakaway score and teammate Bennett Brown rushed in a touchdown from 12-yards out.
Mount Vernon finished the game with 300 yards of total offense, a balanced attack of 156 yards receiving and 144 yards rushing.
The MV offense finished with 17 first downs in the contest and the defense forced McNair into three fumbles (two recovered) and one interception.
Rahal finished the game 7-of-14 passing for 128 yards and three touchdowns.
Steele paced the Mount Vernon rushing attack with five carries, 59 yards and two touchdowns.
Rawlins was the leading MV receiver with three catches, 79 yards and two touchdowns.
Ethan Siggers powered the Mount Vernon defense with eight tackles. Donald Boose recorded five takedowns and assisted on three others.
Mount Vernon (1-0) returns to action on Friday, August 28, traveling to Whitefield Academy for a non-region contest.
Kickoff against the Wolfpack is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at WolfPack Stadium in Mableton, GA.
About The Mount Vernon School
Established in 1972, The Mount Vernon School serves over 1,250 students in preschool through grade 12 on our 40-acre Atlanta campus. As a leading innovative, independent school in the country, Mount Vernon’s brand of innovation, expansion, and growth has emerged over the last decade, impacting schools in the US and across the globe through Mount Vernon Ventures, a research, strategy, and consulting division of the School. In addition, in 2021 the School launched a global online program for grades 9-12 to meet the needs of today’s flexible family. Through established partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, and civic environments, our mission is to design a better world...together.
