By Alex Moore

The George Mason High School Mustangs played outstanding special teams and defense in their regular season finale last Friday, earning a 48-0 statement win at home on the school’s senior night against Madison County High School.

With the victory, Mason football’s record improved to 6-4 (2-4 in the Bull Run Region). Madison County’s record fell to 2-8.

Mason started hot in this high school football game as senior running back Finn Roou dodged a tackler and scampered into the end zone on his team’s first drive.

From there, Mason’s defense and special teams would take over and the team wouldn’t look back.

After kicking off to the Mountaineers, the Mustangs didn’t let their opponents build any momentum and forced a punt. This positioned the offense for a second touchdown from junior running back Jack Felgar, who appeared to get stuck in a pile just short of the end zone but was pushed in by teammates.

On the next two Mountaineers drives, the Mustangs stifled the Mountaineers offense to force two more punts, and these would end worse than the first one. The Mustangs would block the first, and on the second, the Madison County punter bobbled a snap deep in his own territory, panicked and threw an interception. Mason would score only a few plays later on both drives.

On the ensuing Mountaineer kick return, Mason’s opportunistic special teams play continued. As Madison County’s kick returner crossed midfield, one Mustang knocked the ball loose, and another recovered the fumble. Mason then scored yet again, bringing the score to 34-0 before halftime.

Next, on the first play from scrimmage after halftime, the Mustangs would deliver their coup-de-grace, a 50-yard pick-six from senior linebacker and quarterback Thomas Creed. Mason would still score once more, but their opponents had already resigned.

The victory capped an exciting season for the Mustangs, one in which they made significant gains by finishing the regular season with a winning record after going 2-8 last year.

Craig Hagigh, a senior who plays along the offensive and defensive lines, took a lot of pride in his team’s turnaround. “We’ve had a huge desire to win,” he said, giving credit to his coaching staff. “They’re dedicated to us not just on the field, but off it too, in school and in life.”

The on-field winning looks to continue for another week. This Friday, the Mustangs will travel down to Staunton to take on Robert E. Lee High School in the opening round of the 2A Region playoffs.