Below is the season's eleventh Mustang Fan Guide that includes game notes and other information about the upcoming contest.
QUICK FACTS:
MOUNT VERNON (2018): 7-3 (5-2 Reg. 5-1A)
Home: 4-0; Away 3-3, 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: 47-26
Record at Mount Vernon: 24-19
Region Championships: None
State Championships: None
Overall Home Record (GHSA): 15-19
Overall Away Record (GHSA): 13-26
Overall Record (GHSA): 28-46
Overall Program Record: 47-90-0
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), W 32-29 vs. Holy Innocents (Sept. 28), W 37-0 vs. Our Lady of Mercy (Oct. 19)
2018 Loses: L 55-27 at Prince Avenue (August 17), L 24-19 at Wesleyan (Oct. 5), L 42-21 at ELCA (Oct. 26). W 21-3 vs. Strong Rock (Nov. 2)
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).
SAVANNAH COUNTRY DAY (2018): 7-3 (2-3 Reg. 3-1A)
Home: 4-1; Away: 3-2; Neutral: 0-0
City: Savannah, Ga.
Colors: Green and Gold
Mascot: Hornets
Stadium/Field: Saunders Field
Head Coach: Dennis Coyle (10th season at Savannah Country Day; 10th season overall)
Career Record: 47-57
Record at Savannah Country Day: 47-57
Region Championships: Seven (64, 68, 69, 70, 76, 77, 80)
State Championships: One (1969)
Overall Home Record (since 2009): 25-20
Overall Road Record (since 2007): 22-34
Overall Neutral Record (since 2009): 0-0
Overall Program Record: 335-264-8 (since 1957)
2018 Wins: W 21-7 vs. Stratford (August 24), W 42-0 vs. Johnson-Savannah (August 31), W 35-7 at Bryan County (Sept. 7), W 23-6 at Johnson County (Sept. 18), W 13-6 at McIntosh County Academy (Oct. 5), W 35-0 vs. Portal (Oct. 12), W 41-6 vs. Treutlen (Nov. 2)
2018 Losses: L 32-10 at Claxton (Sept. 28), L 23-7 at Savannah Christian (Oct. 19), L 27-0 vs. Calvary Day (Oct. 26).
2017 Wins: W 45-13 at Lanier County (Sept. 1), W 44-16 vs. Johnson-Savannah (Sept. 1), W 30-20 at Johnson County (Sept. 22), W 43-7 at Portal (Sept. 29), W 20-14 vs. Savannah Christian (Oct. 13), W 36-7 vs. Claxton (Oct. 20), W 36-6 vs. McIntosh County Academy (Oct. 27), W 34-27 vs. Montgomery County (Nov. 3), W 33-7 vs. Brookstone (Nov. 10), W 20-17 at Mount Pisgah (Nov. 17).
2017 Losses: L 33-14 vs. Stratford (August 25), L 29-3 at Calvary Day (Oct. 6), L 38-14 at Athens Academy (Nov. 24).
2017 GHSA Playoffs: W Rd. 1 vs. Brookstone 33-7 (Nov. 10), W Rd. 2 at Mount Pisgah 20-17 (Nov. 17), L Quarterfinals at Athens Academy 38-14 (Nov. 24).
(1) THE GAME: The Mount Vernon varsity football team returns to the gridiron on Friday, Nov. 9, hosting the Savannah Country Day School Hornets in the first round of the GHSA Class-A Private State Tournament.
Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. at the Glenn Campus Football Field.
(2) LAST TIME OUT for SAVANNAH COUNTRY DAY: The Hornets snapped a two-game skid by knocking off the Treutlen Vikings 41-6 at Saunders Field on Friday, Nov. 2.
The Hornets jumped out to a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and added 20 more points in the second period for a commanding 41-0 lead at halftime.
Neither team would score in the second half with a running clock.
Freshman quarterback Barry Kleinpeter was 2-for-4 with 213 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Sophomore running back Donavan Davelaar rushed for 117 yards on eight carries and scored one touchdown.
Fellow classmate Erik Brown picked up two touchdowns on four rushes and 26 yards as well.
Freshman Kenny Odom led the squad in receiving with one catch for 73 yards and one touchdown.
(3) LAST TIME OUT for MOUNT VERNON: The Mustangs got back in the win column to close out the regular season with a 21-3 region victory over the Strong Rock Christian Patriots.
The win gave Mount Vernon the most victories in program history in a regular season (7).
Mount Vernon trailed early 3-0 but Austin Douglas returned a kickoff after a Patriot field goal 65-yards for a touchdown to give Mount Vernon a 7-3 lead.
The Mustangs added another score in the second quarter when sophomore quarterback Blake Kytle connected with Austin Douglas on a screen pass for an 84-yard touchdown.
Justin Douglas added the final touchdown for Mount Vernon in the fourth quarter on a 36-yard reception from Kytle.
Kytle finished the game 11-for-16 with 189 yards and two touchdowns.
Austin Douglas led the squad in rushing with 12 carries and 75 yards.
(4) SERIES HISTORY: Friday’s contest against Savannah Country Day marks the first time the Mustangs will meet the Hornets in program history.
According to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association, there is no record of Mount Vernon facing Savannah Country Day.
(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 and CURRENT: Mount Vernon finished the 2017 season with a 2-4 record in Region 5-1A play while Savannah Country Day posted a 4-1 mark in Region 3-1A.
Savannah Country Day finished the season with a 2-3 region record while Mount Vernon posted a 5-2 mark.
(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 DENNIS COYLE: Coyle has been the head coach at Savannah Country Day since 2009 and his overall record stands at 47-57.
In that span, Coyle has posted three winning seasons, the most successful coming in 2017 when the Hornets advanced to the Quarterfinals of the GHSA Class-A Private State Tournament.
The Hornets finished the 2017 season 10-3 and knocked off Brookstone and Mount Pisgah before falling to Athens Academy in the quarterfinals.
(9) GHSA CLASS-A PRIVATE POWER RATINGS: The eighth and final edition of the GHSA Class-A Private Power Ratings were released on Monday, Nov. 5.
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 stands at no. 16 while Savannah Country Day finished at no. 17.
For a full list of the GHSA Class-A Private and Public Power Ratings, visit
Click Here
(10) PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR MOUNT VERNON:
- Sr. RB/WR Austin Douglas: Has rushed for over 1,200 yards in 2018 and is averaging 10.8 yards per carry. Douglas leads the team in rushing touchdowns with 14. He has rushed for a touchdown in six of Mount Vernon’s 10 games.
- Soph. QB Blake Kytle: In a breakout season, Kytle has thrown for over 2,000 yards while racking up 22 touchdowns. He is averaging 207.2 yards per game passing and has completed 129 of 213 passes.
- Sr. WR Justin Douglas: Leads the Mustangs in receiving with 816 yards on 50 receptions. Has racked up nine touchdowns as well.
(11) PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR SAVANNAH COUNTRY DAY:
- Fr. QB Barry Kleinpeter: Has completed 54 of 100 passes for 1,139 yards and 12 touchdowns. Has a completion percentage of .540 and a quarterback rating of 94.5
- Soph. RB Erik Brown: Rushed for 491 yards on 90 carries so far in 2018. Leads the team in rushing touchdowns with 10.
-Soph. RB Donavan Davelaar: Finished the regular season with 632 yards rushing on 107 carries and four touchdowns.
- Sr. WR Matthew Mims: Finished the regular season with 365 yards receiving on 15 receptions and six touchdowns.
(12) BRACKETS: The GHSA released the Class-A Private Football State Tournament Bracket on Monday afternoon, Nov. 5.
To view the bracket, copy and paste the following link:
Click Here
(13) COMMITTED: Senior brothers Austin Douglas and Justin Douglas have made their commitments to playing at the next level, announced earlier this week.
Austin Douglas has officially committed to James Madison University while his twin brother will take his talents to Southeastern Louisiana next fall.
Both players will be recognized at an official signing day in December.
(14) ON DECK: A win puts the Mustangs in the GHSA Class-A Private Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season.
Mount Vernon would play at Athens Academy, the no. 1 seed in the 2018 State Tournament, on Friday, Nov. 16 at a time to be determined.
(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 afternoon for in-game updates as the Mustangs take on the Hornets. The game can also be followed by using the hashtags #MVfootball, #MVscd18, #BeatSCD, and #MVplayoffs.
(17) ATHLETIC WEBSITE: For all the latest scores, schedules, rosters, news releases and other athletic information, visit www.mountvernonathletics.com.
(18) LINKS: Copy and paste the following links for helpful information on Friday's contest.
- Savannah Country Day Schedule (MaxPreps):
Click Here
- Savannah Country Day Roster (MaxPreps):
Click Here
- Savannah Country Day Stats (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
- Mount Vernon Game 6 Recap vs. Holy Innocents (MV Athletics):
Click Here
- Mount Vernon Game 7 Recap at Wesleyan (MV Athletics):
Click Here
- Mount Vernon Game 8 Recap vs. Our Lady of Mercy (MV Athletics):
Click Here
- Mount Vernon Game 10 Recap vs. Strong Rock (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.
