Football Game Preview: Watkins Memorial Warriors vs. Mt. Vernon Yellowjackets

The Watkins Memorial Warriors will challenge the Mt. Vernon Yellowjackets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Watkins Memorial took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They came out on top against Granville by a score of 35-28. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Warriors as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Mt. Vernon). They really took it to Zanesville for the full four quarters, racking up a 42-0 victory. Given the Yellowjackets' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio football rankings (they are ranked 196th, while the Blue Devils are ranked 527th) , the win on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.

Mt. Vernon's win came from a few key players Watkins Memorial will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Mason Richards, who threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns while completing 72.7% of his passes. Those three passing touchdowns gave him a new career-high. Mt. Vernon's leading receiver Landon Dawson was Richards' top target yet again, picking up 147 receiving yards and a pair of scores.

Watkins Memorial's win bumped their record up to 2-4. As for Mt. Vernon, their victory bumped their record up to 4-2.

Watkins Memorial didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Mt. Vernon in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, but they still walked away with a 27-21 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Richards, who rushed for 138 yards on only 14 carries, and also threw for six yards and one TD. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Warriors still be able to contain Richards? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.