ALBEMARLE – Cream of Cabarrus No. 3 Mount Pleasant kept its unblemished Yadkin Valley 1A/2A Conference record intact Friday night, rolling to a 42-0 victory over Albemarle at Bulldog Stadium.
The Tigers (6-2 overall, 3-0 YVC) posted their fifth shutout of the season and their third in a row. Mount Pleasant hasn't given up a point in its three league games this season.
"I was very pleased at how physical we were," Tigers coach Mike Johns told the Independent Tribune in a phone interview. "We've had our share of injuries, but we got a few guys back healthy this week, and we moved up some JV players. I was really impressed with how physical we were: On defense up front, (and) our offensive line did a really good job tonight. I feel really good going into next week."
Keandre Steadford ran for 110 yards and a touchdown as Mount Pleasant rushed for 213 yards as a team. Quarterback Lawson Little ran for two scores and threw for another (to Davis Neel), and Austin Love and T.J. Blackwelder each had a rushing TD.
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"We did a great job up front," Johns said of his rushing attack. "Keandre did a great job keeping his feet moving. He broke a lot of tackles and did well."
But it was the defense which again had a starring role Friday. The Bulldogs (1-6, 1-2) managed only 86 totals yards, including 11 on the ground. Plus, Mount Pleasant forced five turnovers.
Johns said several Tigers played well on defense: defensive lineman Bobby Fink had a "fantastic night," linebacker Jakob Craver played "exceptionally well," and defensive ends Colt Kluttz and Collin Cook were very good. Plus, cornerback Alex Christenbury had three interceptions.
Mount Pleasant remains tied with Jay M. Robinson atop the Yadkin Valley standings, with a date with the Cabarrus County Bulldogs looming in two weeks that could determine the conference champion.
But first, Johns said, the Tigers need to take care of North Stanly. The Comets are 2-1 in the league after a 46-0 shutout of South Stanly on Friday.
"We've got North Stanly to contend with first," Johns said. "We'll focus on Robinson next Saturday. North Stanly is having a really good season. Robinson beat them 21-7 in the bad-weather week. We're going to focus on North Stanly.
"Our two toughest games in conference are the last two, and we're going to take them one at a time."
SCORING SUMMARY
Mount Pleasant 14 13 15 0 – 42
Albemarle 0 0 0 0 – 0
First Quarter
MP – T.J. Blackwelder 12 run (David McEachern kick)
MP – Lawson Little 3 run (McEachern kick)
Second Quarter
MP – Keandre Steadford 9 run (McEachern kick)
MP – David Neel 17 pass from Little (kick failed)
Third Quarter
MP – Austin Love 22 run (McEachern kick)
MP – Little 7 run (Steadford run)