Below is the season's sixth Mustang Fan Guide that includes game notes and other information about the upcoming contest.
QUICK FACTS:
MOUNT VERNON (2018): 4-1 (2-0 Reg. 5-A)
Home: 1-0; Away 3-1, Neutral: 0-0
City: Sandy Springs, Ga.
Colors: Navy and Silver
Mascot: Mustangs
Stadium/Field: Glenn Campus Football Field
Head Coach: Wayne Dabbs (4th year at Mount Vernon; 11th year overall)
Career Record: 49-24
Record at Mount Vernon: 21-17
Region Championships: None
State Championships: None
Overall Home Record (GHSA): 12-19
Overall Away Record (GHSA): 13-24
Overall Record (GHSA): 25-44
Overall Program Record: 44-88-0
2018 Wins: W 41-21 vs. Mt. Pisgah (August 24), W 41-17 at First Presbyterian Day (August 31), W 13-12 at Trinity Christian (Sept. 14), W 55-0 at Landmark (Sept. 21)
2018 Loses: L 55-27 at Prince Avenue (August 17)
2017 Wins: W 28-0 vs. Whitefield Academy (August 25), W 24-13 at Walker (Sept. 1), W 34-16 at North Cobb Christian (Sept. 8), W 41-36 at Temple (Sept. 15), W 42-14 vs. Landmark (Sept. 22), W 35-31 vs. Holy Innocents (Sept. 29), W 21-14 vs. Our Lady of Mercy (Nov. 10).
2017 Losses: L 34-14 vs. Wesleyan (Oct. 6), L 35-31 at Our Lady of Mercy (Oct. 13), L 70-0 vs. ELCA (Oct. 27), L 22-15 at Strong Rock (Nov. 3), L 53-12 at Mt. Paran (Nov. 17).
2017 GHSA Playoffs: W Rd. 1 vs. Our Lady of Mercy 21-14 (Nov. 10), L Rd. 2 at Mt. Paran 53-12 (Nov. 17).
HOLY INNOCENTS GOLDEN BEARS (2018): 2-3 (0-2 Reg. 5-A)
Home: 1-1; Away: 1-2; Neutral: 0-0
City: Atlanta, Ga.
Colors: Crimson, Gold and White
Mascot: War Eagles
Stadium/Field: Riverwood Stadium (Riverwood Football Field)
Head Coach: Todd Winter (2nd season at Landmark; 7th overall)
Career Record: 40-29
Record at Holy Innocents: 5-10
Region Championships: 1 (Last: 2009 in GHSA)
State Championships: none
Overall Home Record (since 2006): 31-26
Overall Road Record (since 2006): 42-37
Overall Neutral Record (since 2000): 0-0
Overall Program Record: 72-66-0
2018 Wins: W 42-21 at Mt. Pisgah (August 17), W 49-7 vs. Rutland (Sept. 7)
2018 Losses: L 38-14 at Hebron Christian (August 24), L 48-14 at Eagles Landing Christian (Sept. 14), L 24-16 vs. Wesleyan (Sept. 21).
2017 Wins: W 35-18 vs. St. Francis (August 26), W 21-12 at Oceanside SC (Oct. 20), W 49-0 at Landmark (Oct. 27)
2017 Losses: L 49-35 at Mt. Pisgah (August 18), L 47-28 at Riverwood (Sept. 1), L 49-0 vs. Eagles Landing Christian (Sept. 15), L 42-14 at Wesleyan (Sept. 22), L 35-31 vs. Mount Vernon (Sept. 29), L 38-28 at Strong Rock (Oct. 6), L 42-28 vs. Our Lady of Mercy (Nov. 3).
2017 Playoffs: Did not qualify.
(1) THE GAME: The Mount Vernon varsity football team returns to the gridiron on Friday, Sept. 28, hosting rival Holy Innocents on Homecoming 2018.
Kickoff is slated for 4:30 p.m. at the Glenn Campus Football Field.
(2) LAST TIME OUT for HOLY INNOCENTS: Holy Innocents dropped its second consecutive game on Friday, Sept. 21, falling to the Wesleyan Wolves on the road 24-16 in Region-5 play.
The Wolves jumped out to a 7-0 by the end of the first quarter and posted 17 points in the second period to lead 24-0 at halftime.
The Golden Bears held the Wolves scoreless in the second half and posted 16 points in the fourth quarter, but ultimately came up short in a Region 5-A loss.
(3) LAST TIME OUT for MOUNT VERNON: The Mustangs fired on all cylinders, trouncing the Landmark Christian War Eagles 55-0 in Fairburn, Ga. to push its winning streak to four games and a 2-0 Region-5 record.
Mount Vernon lead 21-0 less than five minutes into the contest with touchdowns from Austin Douglas (2) and John Watson.
Parker Corley added a touchdown late in the first period to take a commanding 28-0 lead.
In the second quarter, Mount Vernon picked up touchdowns from Justin Douglas and Will Mitcham along with a Corley 70-yard interception return for lead 48-0 at intermission.
Skylar Steafniak Early added the final score for the Mustangs in third quarter on a 95-yard breakaway.
(4) SERIES HISTORY: Friday’s contest against Holy Innocents will mark the fifth time in program history the Mustangs will meet the Golden Bears.
Holy Innocents holds a 3-1 series lead dating back to 2012.
Last year, the Mustangs defeated the Golden Bears 35-31 with time expiring on a Hail Mary to earn the programs’ first victory.
Holy Innocents picked up wins in 2012 (56-13), 2013 (55-0) and 2016 (23-13).
The Mustangs are 0-2 against the Golden Bears at home in the series thus far.
(5) 15th EDITION: The 2018 season marks the 15th year of Mustang football.
The program began in 1984 with one game according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association.
The Mustangs played in the GISA from 2006-2011 before joining the GHSA in 2012.
Over than span, the Mustangs have had four coaches lead the squad: Wayne Dabbs (2015-present), Ryan Zimmerman (2013-14), Reggie Burnette (2008-12), and Stan Whitlock (2006-07).
(6) REGION RECORDS 2017: Mount Vernon finished the 2017 season with a 2-4 record in Region 5-A play.
Holy Innocents, fresh off a 3-7 rebuilding year, finished the 2017 campaign with a 1-5 mark in GHSA Region 5-A play.
Entering play on Friday night, the Mustangs are 2-0 in region play while Holy Innocents is is 0-2.
(7) RIGHT MAN, RIGHT PLACE: Head Coach Wayne Dabbs is entering his third season at the helm for the Mustangs and it's safe to say, the Mustang football squad has turned in the right direction. Since his hire three years ago, the Mustangs have gone 21-17, including the program's first GHSA State Playoff berth in 2016 and the first GHSA State Playoff home game in 2017.
Dabbs graduated from Tabernacle Christian School in Gardendale, AL in 2003 where he played football, basketball and baseball.
In football, Dabbs was named the North Jefferson News Offensive Player of the Year in all classifications in 2002 and 2003.
Dabbs took his talents to University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, KY where he was the leading receiver his senior season.
After graduating from UC in 2007, he spent one season as the running back coach at the University of West Georgia, one year as quarterback coach at Cumberland (2008) and one year as running back coach at Murray State (2009).
Dabbs returned to his high school alma mater from 2010-2012, winning back-to-back State Championships in 2011 and 2012 that included a 17 game winning streak.
He also spent two seasons (2013 and 2014) as the offensive line coach at The Westminster School in Atlanta.
(8) A CLOSER LOOK AT HEAD COACH TODD WINTER: The Golden Bears are led by Todd Winter, currently in his second season at the helm for Holy Innocents.
Winter took over for Holy Innocents in 2017 and led the Golden Bears to a 3-7 record.
Before taking the reigns at Holy Innocents, Winter was the head coach at Pinecrest Academy from 2012-16.
He led the Paladins to a GHSA Region 6-A Championship in 2015 and posted an overall record of 35-19.
In his final three seasons as head coach at Pinecrest, Winter took the Paladins to the GHSA Class-A Private State Playoffs, including second round appearances in 2015 and 2016.
(9) GHSA CLASS-A PRIVATE POWER RATINGS: The second edition of the GHSA Class-A Private Power Ratings were released on Monday, Sept. 24.
The ratings are used to determine seeding for the GHSA Class-A Public and Private State Playoffs at the end of the season, with the Top-24 teams making the postseason.
Mount Vernon ranked at no. 16 while Holy Innocents is T-27.
In the first edition of power ratings on Sept. 17, Mount Vernon ranked at no. 12.
For a full list of the GHSA Class-A Private and Public Power Ratings, visit
Click Here
(10) HOME OPENERS FOR MOUNT VERNON (GHSA): The Mustangs have faired well in home openers since joining the GHSA in 2012.
Mount Vernon is 5-2 and currently owns a three-game winning streak in home openers at the Glenn Campus Football Field.
The Mustangs knocked off the Mt. Pisgah Patriots 41-21on August 24.
In 2016, Mount Vernon bested Walker 23-16 on Sept. 2.
Last season, the Mustangs shutout Whitefield 28-0 at home on August 25.
(11) HOMECOMINGS for MOUNT VERNON SINCE 2014: The Mustangs are 2-2 in Homecoming games dating back to the 2014 campaign.
Mount Vernon defeated Cross Keys 21-7 in 2014 before falling to Wheeler County (2015) 28-14 and to Holy Innocents (2016) 23-13.
The Mustangs got back in the win column on Homecoming 2017 with a 42-14 win vs. Landmark Christian.
The Mustangs are averaging 23 points per game in Homecoming contests since 2014.
(12) PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR MOUNT VERNON:
- Sr. RB/WR Austin Douglas: Finished two touchdowns and 133 total yards in Mount Vernon’s 55-0 region victory at Landmark Christian on Sept. 21.
- Soph. QB Blake Kytle: Was an impressive 9-for-11 passing with 181 yards and four touchdowns in Mount Vernon’s 55-0 region victory at Landmark on Sept. 21.
- Mount Vernon Defense: The Mustang defense has been spectacular the last two outings against Trinity Christian and Landmark.
The Mustangs held the Lions to two field goals inside the red zone and allowed just 58 yards passing in Mount Vernon’s 13-12 region win on Sept. 21 at Trinity Christian.
Last week, the Mustangs forced the War Eagles into three interceptions and one fumble while allowing just 106 yards of offense.
(13) ON DECK: The Mustangs hit the road to begin the month of October, traveling to the Wesleyan School to take on the Wolves in another key Region 5-A contest.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Henderson Stadium in Norcross, Ga.
(14) WATCH LIVE: Friday’s contest vs. Holy Innocents will be streamed live through the SUVtv Network for no charge.
Copy and paste the following link to watch the Mustangs battle the Golden Bears:
Click Here
(15) MUSTANGS ON YOUTUBE: For all the latest videos with coaches and players, subscribe to “MV Athletics” on YouTube.
(16) SOCIAL MEDIA: Follow @MV_athletics on Twitter on Friday night for in-game updates as the Mustangs take on the Golden Bears. The game can also be followed by using the hashtags #MVfootball, #MVhies18, and #BeatHolyInnocents
(17) ATHLETIC WEBSITE: For all the latest scores, schedules, rosters, news releases and other athletic information, visit www.mountvernonathletics.com.
(18) LINKS: Copy and past the following links for helpful information on Friday's contest.
- Holy Innocents Schedule (MaxPreps):
Click Here
- Holy Innocents Roster (MaxPreps):
Click Here
- Mount Vernon Roster (MV Athletics):
Click Here
- Mount Vernon Schedule (MaxPreps):
Click Here
- Mount Vernon Stats (MaxPreps):
Click Here
- Mount Vernon Game 1 Recap at Prince Avenue (MV Athletics):
Click Here
- Mount Vernon Game 2 Recap vs. Mt. Pisgah (MV Athletics):
Click Here
- Mount Vernon Game 3 Recap at FPD (MV Athletics):
Click Here
- Mount Vernon Game 4 Recap at Trinity Christian (MV Athletics):
Click Here
- Mount Vernon Game 5 Recap at Landmark Christian (MV Athletics):
Click Here
*Sources: The Georgia High School Football Historians Association, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Georgia High School Football Daily, Recruit GA and MaxPreps aided in this report. For more information, contact Mount Vernon Asst. AD Chandler Lee at clee@mountvernonschool.org.
