Brody Schmidt (5) and the Mayo Spartans get ready for their game against St. Thomas Academy.
This Friday, October 3rd, at 7:00, the Mayo Spartans play against the John Marshall Rockets at Whitney Stadium for the first time in over three years. Mayo hasn’t faced off against the Rockets the past two years after getting moved up to 6A. This year they are back to 5A, so the Spartans are looking forward to the chance to win back to back games against cross town rivals after beating Century 50-15 last Friday.
The Rockets are 1-4 to start the season with their only win being a 27-20 win over Century. Mayo started the season with a rough 0-2 start but are now 3-2 after 3 straight wins. Head coach Donald Holcomb says that the team “has experienced a number of situations, both positive and negative, that will help us down the road.” This is very important as they are “looking forward to the last three regular season games and an opportunity to attack the playoffs at full strength.”
Xavier Adams (28) runs the ball in win against the Northfield Raiders.
Coach Holcomb is especially happy with how the defense has played throughout the year, saying they have “done a tremendous job over the first 5 games of giving us an opportunity to be in all of them.” The Spartans have shown glimpses of being a really good team but have wavered at times. “We have struggled with consistency to be able to show the potential of the team, but are getting closer each week,” Holcomb said. He also noted that “the offense has improved” which is a very important piece in the success of the team.
The Spartans are currently working hard every day to be prepared for another high-energy rivalry game. Quarterback and senior captain Isaac Peterson said that his mindset is to “just stay locked, focused on doing [his] job and do whatever [he] can to get my team prepared to win.”
Isaac Peterson (12) throws the ball down the field against the Century Panthers.
Another important factor of this rivalry game is the Addington Jug, which is kept by the winner of games among the three Rochester schools. Mayo currently holds the jug because of their recent win over Century. The winner of this game will hold the jug until one of the other Rochester schools tries to defeat them next season.
Charlie Kipp (4) and John Mueller (52) carry the Addington Jug before their game against Century.
The football team wants as many students as possible to cheer on the team and be loud! Senior Captain Max Durgin’s message to fans is “come watch some of the best football in the state this Friday against JM!”
Mayo is currently tied for first in the South Maroon conference with the record of 3-2 and are looking to close the season in sole possession of first place, so get to the stadium early and help the Spartans on to victory.
Photos courtesy of the Post Bulletin
