Monticello rolls past King George

By Bailey Stephens
Published: September 12, 2008

On Friday night, Michael Graham and Monticello let it be known that last week’s victory over Group AAA Albemarle was no fluke. The Mustangs handed King George a 33-13 loss for their 10th consecutive victory dating back to last season.

Prior to the game, Monticello coach Brud Bicknell was concerned about his team’s focus against the young Foxes, but they quickly showed him he had nothing to worry about.

“I think we were a little concerned about their focus, about playing somebody that you don’t know very well that hasn’t had a lot of success,” Bicknell said. “To come out and play like we did in the first half was a testament to their growth as a team and hopefully we can continue that each and every week.”

Monticello (2-0) came out of the gates on fire and took a commanding lead early, leading 33-0 at halftime. The Mustangs took out many of their starters after halftime with the lead firmly in hand. According to wide receiver Jacob Pelton, early offensive pressure was part of the plan all week.

“Our team came out with a lot of energy,” Pelton said. “Our team worked hard all week in practice so we wanted to put it on early and that’s what we did.”

Once again, the Mustangs’ aerial attack was potent, with Graham completing 11 for 16 passes for 207 yards and four touchdowns. He added a fifth score on a 52-yard run in the first quarter. Pelton scored three of the Mustang touchdowns, tallying 118 yards on five catches.

“He threw the ball real well,” Bicknell said. “Really the couple of bad passes he had, I think the ball was just wet and slipped out of his hand. He was very accurate and made good decisions, very pleased with his effort.”

The lopsided first half gave Bicknell a chance to test the depth of his team. Second-string RB Ryan Mullaney took advantage of the opportunity tallying ten carries for 48 yards to lead the team in rushing.

The tests will continue to get harder for Bicknell’s Mustangs as next week they head east to face Powhatan. Bicknell knows it will be a big challenge for the Mustangs.

“We haven’t seen them on film this year but they’re always a great game,” Bicknell said. “It’s always a tough place to play over there. They’re an excellent team. It’s like they win the region championship every year so we’re going to have to bring our ‘A’ game to be able to play with them.”

Graham, however, was confident that Monticello would be ready to play.

“We’re looking for another big win,” he said. “We’ll be prepared.”