Heading into Monday's game against No. 12 Dunbar, Mervo's football players had been through an emotional weekend. One of their junior varsity players was shot and fighting for his life.
Coach Patrick Nixon said the player, whom he did not want to name, appears to be getting better, although he will need surgery on his jaw.
"It was very scary for a while because we didn't know if he was going to make it," Nixon said. "It was very emotional. Half our guys were really, really down. You could tell a lot of them hadn't been sleeping, they were crying or up late, so a lot of emotions going on. We had to channel all that emotion in the right direction, so they could be ready to play a football game."
They made a lot of mistakes, but the Mustangs took advantage of Dunbar's final error, an unsuccessful fake punt with four minutes to go. They drove 65 yards and won, 19-17, on Rakim Lemon's short run with 17 seconds left in the Baltimore City Division I game.
The Mustangs (1-1) have defeated Dunbar (0-2) three straight years and Mervo coach Patrick Nixon said he doesn't recall when that might have happened before. It's been more than a decade.
The Poets, who scored twice off Mervo fumbles and earned a safety after a snap over the quarterback's head, led 17-13 with about four minutes to go. At about the Mervo 40-yard line and facing fourth down, they faked the punt but didn't pick up the first down.
Mervo took over at their own 25-yard line and drove down field where Lemon punched the ball in from about a yard and a half out.
"We noticed they were getting worn down on the defensive line and we picked up the pace and just kept running the ball ... and they cracked and we got it in on fourth down," Nixon said.
It was the second touchdown of the day for Lemon, a senior running back and cornerback who ran for roughly 60 yards and had several big plays on defense. He scored the first touchdown of the game on a fumble recovery and also had several pass break-ups.
Backup quarterback Tavon Banks also scored a rushing touchdown.
Nixon said the win was big for several reasons -- giving the players a small boost after a difficult weekend, but also keeping them from starting the season 0-2.
Last week, the Mustangs lost to South Hagerstown, 18-12, but beating Dunbar gives them an important early win in Division I. Although the divisions were different last year, Mervo has won its division two straight years.
"Starting 0-2 would diminish our chances of perhaps making the playoffs," Nixon said, "and we take pride in being city champs and we know we have to beat Dunbar in order to make that happen. We knew if we wanted to keep that dream alive, we had to win [Monday]."
Friday, the Mustangs host another division foe, Edmondson, which fell 14-0 to Digital Harbor on Monday. The Division also includes City, Poly, Douglass, Carver and Patterson.
Baltimore City teams play twice this week, because last week's games were rescheduled for Monday after schools closed early due to the heat Thursday and Friday. The games were originally rescheduled for Saturday morning, but that was another hot day with a high heat index.