Mendon’s 40-0 romp at home over Fowler — the same team the Hornets beat in the 2011 Division 8 title game — surprised even head coach John Schwartz. But it’s a sign that his program is closer to firing on all cylinders than he planned so early in the season.
“We were surprised at the score,” Schwartz said. “We didn’t think we’d just dominate the game like that; we thought we’d have a hard time stopping their rush and play-action passing. Our kids just played hard. Everyone, we felt, played pretty well. Our offensive line blocked well.”
With Friday’s trip to Cassopolis, which beat New Buffalo 39-0 last week, Mendon hopes to keep building on a somewhat simplified offense for junior quarterback Jordan Medich. Though he only attempted three passes (completing two for 38 yards and a score), Medich added another touchdown on a nine-yard run in the second quarter against Fowler.
“Obviously, we like to throw it a lot more than that,” Schwartz said. “Our quarterback got us through the whole game. He’s inexperienced but he did a pretty nice job. We didn’t ask a lot of him, but he did a good job for his first game at this level. He was nervous. What we did was just keep him on the field. We started him on defense [defensive back] and offense. We may not do that with him for a while. But just keeping him out there instead of on the sidelines and getting tight …”
Scouting Cassopolis
“Cass is kind of a scary team,” Schwartz explained. “They have three kids in the backfield that are very quick. I don’t know if we can catch them if they break something through the line of scrimmage. We’re well aware of what they want to do unless they change something. We have to keep an eye on their scheme. We don’t see them just pounding it down the field on us; we see big plays. They have a receiver that’s very, very fast, a running back that’s really quick and a quarterback that likes to run with the ball. They run a little wing-T and split backs. We haven’t seen any spread, but that doesn’t mean they don’t.”
Mendon’s Josh Hawkins had 13 tackles and an interception in the opener and Derek Zagon had 11 stops. They, along with the rest of the defense, are itching to get back on the field.
Positive practice signs
Mendon rushed for 339 yards against Fowler — a total any team would gladly take. The Hornets did it by committee, which is something that will likely continue. However, Mitchel Coler has ratcheted things up this week and could have a breakout game, Schwartz said.