Consider this: Mount Vernon High School has about the same number of students as the entire South Whidbey School District, roughly 1,600.

Which means the Bulldogs were able to field 70 varsity players Friday to South Whidbey’s 31.

The football game could have been a blow-out, but it wasn’t. Mount Vernon won 33-21, but the Falcons forced them to stay focused right down to the wire.

“Any time you play a bigger school, you have to expect a tough, physical game,” said Falcon coach Andy Davis. “We gave as good as we got.”

The Bulldogs struck first with a 78-yard pass into the end zone for the first score. Falcon Henry Mead’s 58-yard run and a two-point conversion made it 8-7 in the first quarter.

“It was an inside run, I cut back and took off,” Mead recalled. “I got some great blocking from Taylor Herring and Joe Kinser. Now, that’s what teamwork is all about.”

Mount Vernon responded with a 35-yard field goal and a pass play that put the Bulldogs ahead 17-8 at the half.

Minutes into the third quarter, Mount Vernon scored, but Falcon fullback Danny Zuver responded with a three-yard scamper; the conversion try failed and the score was 24-14.

In the fourth period, Mount Vernon picked up three on a field goal, and the Bulldogs thought they saw the dog pound in sight when Falcon quarterback Hunter Rawls connected to Mead for a 66-yard touchdown play.

“I caught it in the backfield on third and long,” Mead said. “I was lined up in the fullback spot, wheeled out and Hunter caught me, so I took off.”

TJ Russell’s point-after made it 27-21.

The Bulldogs came back and scored on a 10-yard run to make it 33-21.

But the Falcons weren’t done just yet.

“We ran a trick play with seconds left,” Davis said.

Rawls threw to wide receiver Duck Hanna, who swiftly lateraled to left tackle Mason Leffler.

“Mason was stopped, but it was a great effort with lots of entertainment value,” Davis said.

“We lost, but the fact is, we hit them harder than they hit us,” Mead said.

Davis said that he was pleased by the skill and concentration shown by his players, and knew the Mount Vernon coach was surprised by South Whidbey’s quality on the field.

“Dustin Varney and Danny Zuver had a great game and, of course, Henry broke out a couple good runs that kept us in there,” Davis added.

It was Falcon center Samuel Denka’s first varsity game, and it made an impression.

“It was clearly more intense, faster and with a lot more at stake than a JV game,” he said. “Mount Vernon’s big defensive line should have wiped us out, but they didn’t.”

Sam Lee gave credit to special teams.

“They gave us good field position all night, but Mount Vernon was successful in passing down the seam,” Lee said. “They executed better on a few plays than we did, and that made the difference. But Henry was awesome on the run.”

Falcon coach Mark Hodson said that Austin Bennett and Russell provided an excellent defensive effort.

“Both had interceptions, as did Danny (Zuver),” he said “And Dustin Varney intercepted and ran the ball back 40 yards. A good night.”

Russell was playing at free safety and knew the Bulldog quarterback was going to throw.

“I followed him, watched his eyes, and jumped up just at the right time to grab the ball,” he recalled.

Hodson noted the Bulldogs were big, fast and strong but felt the Falcons were tougher, physically and mentally.

“The coaches couldn’t be more happy with the level of competition,” he said. “Our guys played hard, on both sides of the line.”

Hodson said that Mount Vernon only completed 22 of 40 pass attempts, four of which resulted in interceptions. Falcon Chris Monell added to the mix with a fumble recovery.

On offense, Rawls completed 13 of 28 passes for 227 yards, a touchdown and one interception. Mead had six rushes for 63 yards and two TDs, Zuver had four carries for 15 yards and a TD.

Overall, the team managed 136 yards on the ground.

Mead was the night’s leading receiver for 83 yards, Russell had 70, Hanna 37, Jon Poolman 19 and Chuck Norris 16.

At 7 p.m. Friday, league play starts as the team travels to Lakewood (2-0).

Though South Whidbey is 0-2 in pre-season play, Davis noted that the two big 3A teams they lost to — Grandview and Mount Vernon — are 4-0.

“Our guys have been tested hard and are looking for a win,” he said.

Mead said he and his teammates agreed.

“We played the Cougars at summer training camp and have an idea what to expect,” he said. “They are a good, solid team and we will have to play our best.”

Local fans will have to wait until Sept. 25 for the first home game, when the Falcons host Cedarcrest.

Jeff VanDerford can be reached at 221-5300 or sports@southwhidbeyrecord.com.