Mountain View scored touchdowns on each of its first five drives of the first half, then held off a hard-charging Hanford Falcons team to win its third straight non-league game Friday.
Hanford quarterback Eli Perkes gashed the Thunder defense for 357 yards and one touchdown, plus 104 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, including a 6-yard score with four minutes into the fourth quarter to trim Mountain View’s lead to 37-31 at McKenzie Stadium.
Mountain View attempted to run down the clock a subsequent 13-play, 83-yard drive, but a 22-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Hanford with 19 seconds remaining.
Without any timeouts remaining, the Falcons took over at their own 20-yard line. Three plays later, Mountain View’s Rylan Reineback came up with the game-ending sack as the clock expired.