DIVISION III FOOTBALL: Mountain View stifles Battle Mountain, sets up state title date with Yerington

Mountain View’s football team struggled to sustain things offensively in the second half on Saturday.

But the team’s defense made sure it didn’t matter.

The Saints forced four second-half turnovers in a 24-6 home victory over Battle Mountain in the Division III state semifinals.

Mountain View (10-1) will face Yerington (10-0) in the title game Saturday at Damonte Ranch High in Reno.

Mountain View held Battle Mountain quarterback Daniel Itza, who entered the game with 719 rushing yards and 10 TDs, to just 15 yards on the ground. The Saints also picked Itza off twice.

“I felt confident after the first series,” Mountain View coach Mike Valenzuela said. “I could tell that the kids were prepared. The defensive coaches came up with a good plan, and it was something that we could really contain that stud Itza.”

Battle Mountain’s Arturo Serrano fumbled on the first play of the second half, and Ian Locke recovered it for the Saints. The Longhorns (5-6) next play also ended in a turnover when Jacob Duldulao intercepted an Itza pass. Mountain View recorded another fumble recovery, and Dylan Duggan had an interception with 14.9 seconds to play.

Mountain View wasn’t able to turn any of the turnovers into points, but it didn’t need to. The Saints had moved the ball well in the first half, rushing for 183 yards and taking a 24-6 lead.

“We saw something on film,” Valenzuela said. “They were giving us a couple types of runs off tackle. They made some adjustments in the second half, but we had already put 24 points off our film work.”

Running back Matthew Larson led the charge, rushing for 114 yards and two TDs on 20 carries. Larson had a 3-yard TD run with 6:56 to go in the first quarter to cap the team’s 12-play, 80-yard opening drive. He added a 1-yard scoring plunge with 51 seconds left in the half.

Quarterback Ian Locke added 102 yards on 19 carries, including a 35-yard TD run with 31 seconds to go in the first quarter. Duldulao rushed for 58 yards on eight carries, and Bernard Williams had a 22-yard TD run for Mountain View. The Saints finished with 285 yards on the ground.

Locke was also efficient in the passing game, completing 11 of 15 passes for 127 yards.

“That was the whole goal at the beginning of the season was to become a little bit more balanced,” Valenzuela said. “We’ve got a kid that I’m pretty confident in. He threw some good balls today, and our receivers are taking pride in their craft, getting some big plays down the field and extending drives.”

Itza finished 13-for-27 for 186 yards. Mountain View got good pressure on Itza, especially in the first half. The Longhorns’ lone touchdown came when Itza avoided several Mountain View defenders to keep the play alive on fourth-and-6 from the 10. He then lofted a desperation pass to Ivan Chavira, who had gotten behind his defender as Itza scrambled, for the touchdown.

“That was the whole plan was making sure the other guys were going to have to beat us and keep everything in front of us,” Valenzuela said. “Their one score is the exception to it; we let somebody behind us. He’s a terrific athlete, and he had us running around with our hair on fire.”

Larson was able to lead the team in rushing despite hobbling off the field several times. For the second straight week, Larson limped badly at the end of the game. And he wasn’t the only Mountain View player walking wounded.

“We don’t have a lot of depth, so when we get banged up, we’re used to that,” Valenzuela said. “We’re asking guys to play through some adversity, and that’s what the kids have done. They’re playing through so much pain, and at this time of year, we’re not feeling sorry for ourselves. It’s a war of attrition.”

Mountain View will be playing in the state title game for the third time in the last four years. But the Saints have come up empty on their first two tries.

“It’s something that we planned on from the beginning,” Valenzuela said of making it to the final. “We were there last year, and we anticipated to see some tough teams along the way, but we’re not going to Reno for the experience. We’re going up there for a win.”

Yerington 49, The Meadows 7 — At Yerington, the Lions sprinted to a 28-0 lead after one quarter and rolled to a victory in the other Division III semifinal.

Tylor Thomas rushed for 111 yards and two TDs on five carries for Yerington. Reese Neville returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown to start the scoring for the Lions, who also returned a first-quarter interception for a score.

“They’re physical, good and they played hard,” The Meadows coach Frank DeSantis said. “They took it to us.”

The Meadows cut the lead to 28-7 on a 1-yard run by Jacob Gleason in the second quarter, but wouldn’t score again.

Gleason completed 15 of 32 passes for 151 yards, but was intercepted twice.

Matt Biafore had eight catches for 90 yards for the Mustangs (8-3).