BATTLE GROUND — The postgame reaction contradicted the outcome.
“We’re always going to measure a game by ourselves, not by our opponents,” Mountain View coach Adam Mathieson said. “We’re excited to get back to practice on Monday. That’s all I’ve got.”
Then there was Prairie coach Terry Hyde.
“Our kids can walk off the field with their heads high,” Hyde said. “We got better as a football team.”
From that, it might be surprising that Mountain View pulled out a 20-13 win Friday at District Stadium. But the Thunder (2-1, 1-0) did just that, managing to hold on in their Class 3A Greater St. Helens League opener.
Sterling Reynolds rushed for 163 yards, including 119 yards and two touchdowns in the second half, and P.J. Jones ran for 125 yards as the Thunder overcame a 12-7 fourth-quarter deficit.
A 2-yard run by Reynolds with 10:26 to play left Mountain View with a 13-12 lead after the extra-point attempt was blocked. Reynolds added another score with 3:05 to play, pushing the lead to eight points.
But Prairie wasn’t finished.
Following Reynolds’ second touchdown, Prairie’s Jesse Zalk returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards to the Mountain View 6-yard line. The Falcons were in position to tie the game.
“At that point, we were thinking what our 2-point play would be,” Hyde said.
Zalk, who opened the scoring in the second quarter with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Colin Seitz, said: “I try to get one every game, either a punt return or a kickoff return.
“We thought if we got inside the red zone we could punch it in. I don’t know what happened.”
What happened was an interception by Mountain View’s Janos Camacho in the end zone on second down.
“I saw him looking at that big tight end,” Camacho said of Seitz. “I said, ‘I’m getting in front of him.’ ”
When the pass came toward him, Camacho managed to tip it into the air and then make a diving catch for the game-clinching turnover.
Right from the start, Prairie showed that it would be in the game.
Starting at their own 20 , the Falcons drove 74 yards to the Mountain View 6 before stalling. Prairie came away with no points when the snap went awry on a would-be field-goal attempt.
After Zalk opened the scoring and Prairie missed the extra-point attempt, Mountain View answered with a 74-yard drive capped by a 9-yard scoring run from Jones.
Prairie took a 12-7 lead midway through the third quarter when Seitz found Avi Slifer for a 12-yard score.
But Mountain View answered with Reynolds’ two fourth-quarter scores and held on with Camacho’s interception.
“Well, it was a battle,” Jones said. “It’s good we got this one done.”
MOUNTAIN VIEW 20, PRAIRIE 12
Mountain View 0 7 0 13—20
Prairie 0 6 6 0—12
Second quarter
P—Jesse Zalk 26 from Colin Seitz (kick failed)
MV—P.J. Jones 9 run (Chavo Camargo kick)
Third quarter
P—Avi Slifer 12 from Seitz (pass failed)
Fourth quarter
MV—Sterling Reynolds 2 run (kick blocked)
MV—Reynolds 3 run (Camargo kick)
Leaders
Rushing: MV—Sterling Reynolds 28-163, P.J. Jones 21-125, Jeff Carmody 1-17; Prairie—Jesse Zalk 5-29, Chad Michaud 4-20.
Passing: MV—Ryan Hansen 2-7-20-1; Prairie—Colin Seitz 6-15-81-2.
Receiving: MV—Ryan Johnson 1-17; Prairie—Ansel Cecil 3-39, Jesse Zalk 1-26, Avi Slifer 1-12.
