ASHLAND -- The smile refused to leave Sean Seder's face on Friday night, and you could see it behind his mask.

The Arrows football coach was positively beaming after his team dismissed Mount Vernon 39-6 at Community Stadium. But it wasn't just the victory, and it wasn't the fact his squad is now 2-0, 1-0 in the Ohio Cardinal Conference.

Seder was simply pleased his kids had the opportunity to compete and showcase their parents on Senior Night.

​

"We've put in a lot of hard work and this is the kind of game if you love it, it will love you back," Seder said. "I told our kids, you've got to love every snap, because we don't know. This could be our last game. The governor could come in and shut everything down next week. So enjoy it."

​

A Nick Pearce interception inside the Mount Vernon 5 and ensuing 40-yard return thwarted the Arrows on their first drive. The Yellow Jackets took full advantage moments later with a 40-yard TD pass from Britten Long to Gavin Moyer on 3rd-and-22. That made it 6-0, but it was all Arrows after that.

​

"We came out and the kids played really hard," Mount Vernon coach Mike Kerr said.

"The interception got us going and the touchdown had us excited about the direction things were going.

"But we made a lot of mistakes and they made some plays on us."

​

Ashland shook off the slow start and ripped off 39 unanswered points to pocket the win.

"It's always fun when you're winning," Seder said. "We have a first-year quarterback, and when you throw an early interception like that, you get a little gunshy. We told him he had to just let it rip."

​

Senior Declan Rohr did precisely that. He threw for 165 yards (on 5 of 11 passing, and that was his lone interception). Rohr tossed touchdown passes of 45 and 36 yards, and ran for 105 yards and another score.

​

He had plenty of help, too. Ethan Hartley's 1-yard TD plunge gave Ashland a 7-6 lead at the 4:43 mark of the first period, and the Arrows were never headed. Seder's squad led 7-6 after the first period, 18-6 at halftime, and erupted with three third-quarter touchdowns to put the game away.

​

Hartley finished with 122 yards on 14 carries, including the rushing TD, caught a 45-yard touchdown pass, and hurled a 52-yard scoring bomb to Tommy Carpenter on a double-pass play.

"Beating a Division I team last week gave us a lot of confidence," Seder said. "We've played really well defensively."

​

Twice the Arrows turned back Mount Vernon inside the 5 without allowing a point. The Yellow Jackets never recovered.

"We moved the ball," Kerr said. "But when you get down that close and don't score, twice, that's heartbreaking."

​

Running back A.J. Keen had 95 yards on 24 carries, and Long completed 16 of 22 passes for 155 yards. But the Yellow Jacketes suffered three lost fumbles, and were outgained 331-257 in total offense. Ashland had the edge in first downs (16-12), rushing yards (265-107) and passing yards (166-155).

​

Still, both coaches pointed to the two goal-line stands as key factors in the game.

"It's not often you see one of those, but we had two," Seder said. "The one before the half, we got a takeaway (on a fumble at the 1). That was big."

​

Mount Vernon drops to 1-1 overall, 1-1 in the OCC. The Yellow Jackets host Wooster next week.

Ashland takes its unbeaten record to Madison on Friday, to face the winless Rams.

​