Queen Creek 22, Mountain View 20
At Mountain View, in a game that looked like it could get out of hand early, Queen Creek (4-2) left with a valuable division win over Mountain View (4-2).
The Mountain Lions fell behind early, trailing 22-0 early in the second quarter after two punt returns by Zane Whiting that netted 128 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter. "Our defense played tough," Queen Creek coach Travis Schureman said. "Mountain View had been scoring a lot of points. 69 one week, 49 another, our kids played tough. We gave them a couple big plays but didn't really let them march the ball."
One of those big plays was an electrifying 54-yard touchdown run by Stan Berryhill Jr. that seemed to get the Mountain Lions' offense going. In the end, it was a slow start that was too much to overcome. "We can't afford to start like that," Mountain View coach Bam McRae said. "Too many little mistakes just killed us. That being said, I don't take anything away from Queen Creek. They're a very talented and disciplined team that got the better of us tonight."
Highlight reel
Whiting returned the first Mountain Lions punt of the night 70 yards for a touchdown. The 6-foot-4-inch, 205-pound senior showed off his athleticism, getting outside and shedding tacklers on his way to the end zone.
Player of the game
Whiting. His first punt return gave the visitors the lead, and his second put his team in great field position to set up the second touchdown.
By the numbers
10. The Bulldogs recorded 10 tackles-for-loss and their pressure throughout the game didn't leave Mountain Lions quarterback Justice Summerset with many opportunities to sit back in the pocket.
He said it
"I told my kids I was proud of them. For us to go down that much, that early in the game and still have an opportunity to win it at the end says a lot about the type of guys that are on this team." — McRae
Tim Towle
