Fans in the stands during Mountain View's 12-3 loss to Salpointe Catholic last Friday could be excused for wondering if noted high-kicker Chuck Norris was doing the coaching.
The reason for the possible confusion? Kicks made up the majority of the offense on both sides of the field, as neither team could establish an offensive rhythm, and stout defenses turned the contest into a battle of field goals.
Salpointe, 7-1 and taking on Tucson High on Friday, succeeded in doing what no team had been able to do previously – stifle Mountain View's standout senior running back Myles Williams.
The Lancers held Williams to his lowest yardage total of the season, 20 yards on 15 carries, and held the Mountain Lions (2-6 and on the road against Sierra Vista Buena on Friday) to 79 yards of total offense.
While Salpointe was able to rack up 271 yards of total offense, a gritty performance by Mountain View's defense kept the score close.
"We were within one big play," said Mountain View head coach Paul Schmidt. "I'm proud of our defense, the kids fought hard."
The Mountain Lions threw the first punch, scoring on a 33-yard field goal from junior kicker Chris Delgado with 7:16 remaining in the first quarter.
Those would be Mountain View's final points of the game, but they never trailed by more than a touchdown until junior kicker Kyle Bakewell of Salpointe aimed a 22-yard field goal through the uprights with 1:24 left to play.
Mountain View travels to Sierra Vista to take on Buena this Friday before hosting neighborhood rival Ironwood Ridge on Nov. 6. Schmidt said that the effort of his defense is something the Mountain Lions will try to build on.
"We are proud of our defense," said Schmidt. "We've just got to keep working hard."
