Team: Mount Vernon Majors (National District)
Coach: Barry Wells (2nd year)
2010 Record: 5-6 (5-2 National District)
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Last game: 39-0 loss to South Lakes in first round of playoffs on Nov. 5, 2010
Returning offensive starters: 3
Find out what's happening in Mount Vernonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Returning defensive starters: 3
Key players: Graig Hunter (offensive lineman), Dennis Mensah (running back), Stanley Gorman (offensive lineman)
Position Strengths: Running back, wide receiver, secondary
Key Games: Sept. 9 at Marshall, Oct. 21 at Edison, Oct. 14 at Hayfield
Overview:
After a winless (0-11) 2009 campaign, Mt Vernon parted ways with football head coach Thomas Glynn. The program became stale during Glynn’s five-year tenure and administrators decided to shake things up to revive it. Barry Wells was hired in 2010, from his post as a coach in New Jersey, to bring Mount Vernon’s football program back to relevance. His impact was immediately felt.
The Majors won five games in 2010 and ended the season with a 39-0 loss to South Lakes in the first round of the playoffs. More importantly, Wells re-established Mount Vernon as a legitimate contender in the National district, going 5-2 in district play. The Majors also defeated district rival Edison 14-6 and lost a close game to foe Hayfield, 14-10.
Rebuilding will be Mount Vernon’s theme in 2011. The Majors have to fill the void left by the departure of 20 players from last year’s squad. Of those 20, 12 were impact players. The Majors return three offensive and three defensive starters. Offensive linemen Stanley Gorman (Sr.) and Graig Hunter (Sr.) anchor an offensive line that will open the lanes for running back Dennis Mensah (Sr.). Mensah had an explosive junior campaign last season where he rushed for 961 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Defensive back Michael Sey (Sr.) leads an inexperienced Mt. Vernon defense and will be called upon to provide veteran leadership. Sadiq Odyedele (Sr.) and Jamil Mateo (Jr.) will serve as Mount Vernon’s punt and kick return specialists and pose a legitimate scoring threat from anywhere on the field.
Breakdown:
The 2011 season looks to be a challenging one for Wells’ youthful Majors. Road games at rivals Edison, Hayfield and Marshall will be extremely tough. A bright spot for the Majors will be their running game and offensive line play, which will help ease the pressure on new starting quarterback Brendon Maturey (Soph.). A couple of players must emerge from the defensive side of the ball to assist Sey in keeping opposing offenses off of the field. Mount Vernon will struggle early in the season, but should become better and more experienced with each week.
Coach’s Corner:
“We’re definitely looking forward to getting back at it. We went 0-10 in 2009, so to go 5-5 with a playoff appearance was definitely a step in the right direction for us,” said Wells.
“The key is to be able to build on that minus the talent that we’ve lost. There’s a challenge on both sides, so we’re going to ask a lot out of the kids and out of the coaching staff. It’s going to take a lot of work and some things have to go our way, but the kids and the coaching staff are up to the challenge. We understand that it is going to be a rebuilding year, but at the same time, we hope to be competitive.”
