The George Mason High School football Mustangs open their regular season this Friday, Sept. 3, on Mason’s field at 7:30 p.m., following a succession of pre-season scrimmages.
The George Mason High School football Mustangs open their regular season this Friday, Sept. 3, on Mason’s field at 7:30 p.m., following a succession of pre-season scrimmages.
Last weekend, in spite of, or perhaps because the scrimmage between the George Mason Mustangs and the Sidwell Friends Quakers had been rescheduled from Friday night to Saturday morning, the Mustangs trounced the Quakers 42-7.
Although the scrimmage began in a similar way to the previous four-team scrimmage, with the teams starting on the 40-yard line and trying to get to the end zone in ten plays, both coaches agreed after the first quarter to switch to a normal game-style with the exception of no contact during extra-point kicks.
The Mustangs gave a strong offensive showing right from the beginning of the game with Bryce Cooper scoring the first touchdown and they continued to exploit holes in the Quaker defense right until the end, when Cooper scored the final touchdown. Brandon Alexander also had two touchdowns while Nico DeOcampo and Sebastian Askin each had one.
Although the Mason offense continued to heavily utilize and refine their rushing game, which ran for 276 yards, a few passes resulted in big gains. Four completed passes resulted in a total gain of 137 yards. Brian Crigler proved to be the most effective Mason runner during the scrimmage, racking up 89 yards, while Brandon Alexander was the most effective receiver with 88 yards and two touchdowns.
The Mustang defense proved to be extremely effective against the rush, limiting the Quakers to just 11 rushing yards for the entire match. Two Quaker players were limited to single-digit gains while two more lost double-digit yards due to effective reads by the Mason defense and a string of bad snaps.
After essentially having their rush offense shut down early in the game, Sidwell Friends decided to fall back on their pass offense to rack up 140 yards. However, their only touchdown came late in the game after the Mustangs had scored four touchdowns.
With this win, Mason has shown itself to be an efficient defensive team that can effectively run the ball down the field. However, the preseason is over, and the true test of this team’s offensive and defensive abilities will come this Friday. When the Friday Night Lights are turned on for the first game of the season, everyone in the bleachers will see what kind of team shows up and what to expect this season.
