Mountain View running backs just do it

BATTLE GROUND — Carl Falls just might have a future in marketing:

“We work hard. We train hard. We hit hard. Mountain View running backs,” the junior said.

OK, so it’s not as catchy as “Just Do It” or “Where’s the Beef?” but Falls’ mantra perfectly summed up the Thunder’s overwhelming performance Friday at District Stadium.

In the second half of a 49-21 win over Prairie, Mountain View rushed for 384 yards en route to a Class 3A Greater St. Helens League victory. The Thunder finished with 483 yards on the ground, led by 234 from Austin Mace and 166 from Falls.

The numbers? They tell the story:

• Mace carried 13 times for 199 yards in the final two quarters, including runs of 42, 20, 44, 20, and 49 yards.

• Falls scored on runs of 17 yards and 59 yards in the fourth quarter.

• Eddie Richardson powered up the middle for a pair of 3-yard TDs in the second half.

• Mountain View, which had no carries longer than 15 yards in the first two periods, had nine such runs in the final two.

• Mountain View had the ball six times in the second half. The only time it didn’t score a touchdown, it reached the Prairie 1-yard line before losing a fumble.

• After completing 4 of 7 passes for 79 yards in the first half, the Thunder did not put the ball in the air the rest of the way.

Then again, they didn’t need to.

“I’m A-OK with not passing the ball as long as we win,” quarterback Luke DuChesne said.

The surprise was that the second-half dominance followed an evenly played first half.

Mountain View took a 14-0 lead in the first six minutes. Mace scored on a 7-yard run, capping an 18-yard drive that started when Brad Hansen recovered a Prairie fumble. The second TD, a 5-yard run by Russel Culverwell, capped a drive that was aided by two Prairie penalties.

“If we stop spotting teams points, we can win,” Prairie coach Terry Hyde said. “We gave them a short field; they hadn’t earned anything.”

Prairie battled back with an 80-yard drive that culminated in a 17-yard scoring pass from Jacob Austin to Jason Bracken.

Midway through the second quarter, the Falcons launched a 71-yard drive that ate up 6:58 on the clock and ended with Austin scoring from inches away on a fourth-down quarterback sneak.

The game was tied and Prairie had momentum. Until it didn’t.

“The coaches, they called us out and they challenged us,” Mace said of the locker-room pep talk. “Our line did what they kept on doing, kept pounding them.”

DuChesne said: “I’ve got 100 percent faith in my O-line, but that was pretty awesome.”

Hmmm, sounds like another marketing slogan for Mountain View’s offense: “That was pretty awesome.”

MOUNTAIN VIEW 49, PRAIRIE 21

Mountain View 14 0 14 21–49

Prairie 7 7 0 7–21

First quarter

MV — Austin Mace 7 run (Jordan Montenegro kick)

MV — Russel Culverwell 5 run (Montenegro kick)

P — Jason Bracken 17 from Jacob Austin (Max Reimer kick)

Second quarter

P — Austin 1 run (Reimer kick)

Third quarter

MV — Mace 42 run (Montenegro kick)

MV — Eddie Richardson 3 run (Montenegro kick)

Fourth quarter

MV — Carl Falls 17 run (Montenegro kick)

P — Bracken 7 from Austin (Reimer kick)

MV — Richardson 3 run (Montenegro kick)

MV — Falls 59 run (Montenegro kick)

Individual statistics

RUSHING — Mountain View — Austin Mace 18-234, Carl Falls 12-166, Eddie Richardson 11-56, Russel Culverwell 6-27. Prairie — Jacob Austin 14-51, Nick Gawley 7-32, Tyler Duncan 7-16.

PASSING — Mountain View — Luke DuChesne 4-7-2-79. Prairie — Jacob Austin 16-31-1- 194.

RECEIVING — Mountain View — Carl Falls 2-46, Patrick Woodson 2-33. Prairie — Jason Bracken 6-85, Nick Gawley 3-64, Mario Gonzalez 5-36, Preston Brooks 2-9.