Patriots to open tourney

Jay County Patriots
Portland, 4-5
Coach: Tim Millspaugh, third year
Conference: Allen County
Last week vs. Heritage: Jay County had three drives stall inside the Heritage red zone and had a difficult time stopping the rushing game in a 37-0 loss. Heritage quarterback Walter Knapke threw two touchdowns and Silas Finley sparked the visiting Patriots’ offense with a 64-yard TD run on their first play from scrimmage. Jay County’s Drew Huffman had 14 carries for 114 yards, his first 100-yard rushing game of his senior season.
Season leaders: Passing — Holton Hill – 54 of 126 passing for 852 yards, seven touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Rushing — Cole Stigleman – 102 carries for 622 yards and nine touchdowns. Receiving — Aaron Neal – 16 receptions for 325 yards and one touchdown. Defense — Caleb Kunkle – 70 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

Mt. Vernon Marauders
Fortville, 5-4
Coach: Doug Armstrong, fifth year
Conference: Hoosier Heritage
Last week vs. Yorktown: Mt. Vernon scored a touchdown in each of the first three quarters and added a late field goal in a 24-7 victory against conference foe Yorktown. The Marauders racked up 389 rushing yards, including 121 from Joshua Williams and 100 from?Eric Jones. Mt. Vernon outgained Yorktown 419-252.
Season leaders: Passing — Jimmy Campbell – 54 of 97 passing for 602 yards, four touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Rushing — Nathan Seifert – 105 carries for 753 yards and five touchdowns. Receiving — Mitch McCarthy – 14 receptions for 203 yards. Defense — Siefert – 121 tackles, seven tackles for loss, one sack and one forced fumble.

Game notes: This is the first meeting between Jay County and Mt. Vernon. The Patriots and Marauders have only one common opponent this season in?Delta. The Eagles beat the Marauders 29-26 on Sept. 18 in rural Muncie ... Under coach Doug Armstrong, Mt. Vernon has had a winning record in each of the last four seasons, including going 11-2 with a sectional championship in 2012 ... Jay County quarterback Holton Hill is 148 yards away from reaching 1,000 passing yards, the first time a JCHS?quarterback has reached the milestone since 2008 ... The winner advances to the sectional semifinal against either Connersville or Pendleton Heights ... Mt. Vernon has a Sagarin rating of 60.46 compared to 30.69 for Jay County, making the Marauders a 30-point favorite. www.calpreps.com predicts Mt.?Vernon to win 35-10.