When Mountain View’s running game gets rolling, it’s like a fine-tuned sports car.
There’s speed, power and precision.
The defining play of Mountain View’s 42-28 nonleague win Friday over Bethel at McKenzie Stadium came late in the first half.
Running back Preston Jones weaved through Bethel’s defense for a 68-yard touchdown run. It would be his longest run on a night where he rushed for 271 yards and five touchdowns on 35 carries.
There’s your speed.
But before Jones broke into Bethel’s backfield, an intricate dance took place. Senior center Chris Mitchell knocked his opposing Bethel lineman backwards while right guard Zeke Fromel cleared away his man to the left.
There’s your power.
As that hole opened, left guard Isaiah Carbajal pulled around to Mitchell’s right. Just as Jones burst past the line of scrimmage, Carbajal blocked Bethel’s linebacker out of the play.
There’s your precision.
And while Jones burned rubber all the way the end zone, Mitchell didn’t need to see the play to know something was happening.
“I heard the crowd getting louder,” he said. “I looked off my block and just saw Preston running down the sideline. It was awesome.”
As Mountain View has started the season 4-1, Jones has collected some statistics that are worthy of a double-take. He has rushed for 1,012 yards (202.4 per game) and 14 touchdowns.
But Jones isn’t the only one taking pride in a Mountain View offense that cruised for 459 rushing yards Friday. The linemen are some big pistons that power the engine.
“Knowing that Preston got a touchdown lets us know that we did our job,” Carbajal said. “That makes us feel good.”
Jones was more than willing to share the credit for handing Tacoma-area Bethel (4-1) its first loss.
“They were just a lot more physical than the other linemen,” Jones said of his blockers. “They drove them back almost every play. They worked hard and we got the job done. Props to them.”
For Mountain View, Friday was time to recalibrate after giving up 69 points and more than 500 yards passing to Battle Ground the previous week.
In Bethel, the Thunder faced another pass-first offense. But while quarterback Bryce Missey threw for 463 yards on 46 attempts, Bethel was largely held in check for three quarters.
Mountain View led 35-14 early in the fourth quarter. The Braves tightened the final margin and padded their stats with a 51-yard touchdown run and 51 yard touchdown catch as the game wound down.
But despite those late defensive letdowns, Mountain View’s road to victory had already been paved by its offensive line.
“We made the adjustments we needed to make, pad-level especially,” Mitchell said. “Once we started getting that down, we started moving bodies and there was nothing they could do about it.”
In addition to Jones, Brandon Walker rushed for 107 yards on nine carries, including a 49-yard touchdown. Taj Albeck added 88 yards on 17 carries.
MOUNTAIN VIEW 42, BETHEL 28
Bethel 7 7 0 14 – 28
Mt. View 7 15 6 14 – 42
First quarter
B – Jarrell Anderson 9 pass from Bryce Missey (Ty Norman kick)
MV – Preston Jones 7 run (Colin Biggs kick)
Second quarter
MV – Jones 1 run (Jones run)
MV – Jones 68 run (Biggs kick)
B – Elijah McLeod 34 pass from Missey (Norman kick)
Third quarter
MV – Jones 3 run (kick blocked)
Fourth quarter
MV – Jones 7 run (Biggs kick)
B – JonJon Taimanglo 51 run (kick failed)
MV – Brandon Walker 49 run (Biggs kick)
B – Anderson 51 pass from Missey (Missey run)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Bethel: Taimanglo 5-74, Missey 8-12, Booth 7-32. Mountain View: Preston Jones 35-271, Brandon Walker 9-107, Taj Albeck 17-88, Colin Biggs 1-0, Semisi Schultz 2-3.
PASSING – Bethel: Missey 27-46-463, White 0-1-0. Mountain View: Biggs 4-10-112.
RECEIVING – Bethel: Brown 4-59, McLeod 7-157, Taimanglow 2-39, Anderson 13-205, White 1-3. Mountain View: Kimball Elliott 1-24, Darien Chase 1-65, Jones 1-12, Armen Markaryan 1-11.
