Mountain View can’t outgrind Peninsula

Mountain View had the right formula Friday, but the math just didn’t add up.

The Thunder had two backs rush for more than 100 yards, put together a 99-yard drive, and had another drive of 98 yards. It wasn’t enough to avoid a 28-6 loss to Peninsula of Gig Harbor in a non-league game at McKenzie Stadium.

“They executed very well,” Mountain View junior Austin Mace said. “They had dudes; they made plays.”

Mace ran for 134 yards — including a 63-yard jaunt in the second quarter — to lead the Thunder’s 302-yard rushing attack. Carl Falls added 121 yards on the ground.

But while Mountain View (2-2) was completing two passes for a total of 23 yards, Peninsula (2-2) — which was coming off a 28-21 loss to Union — used a balanced offense to control the ball and the game.

The Seahawks scored on their first possession, turning a third-and-9 play into a 52-yard touchdown pass from Austin Filkins to Alex Weymiller. When Jimmy Price scored on a 28-yard run a few moments later, Peninsula had a 14-0 lead eight minutes into the game.

Mountain View threatened to climb back into it with a four-play 99-yard drive that followed a 52-yard punt by Peninsula’s Sam Shea.

Mace’s 63-yarder got the Thunder into Seahawks territory, and Falls followed with a 29-yard TD run. A botched snap on the extra-point attempt left the score at 14-6.

On the ensuing possession, Filkins scrambled for a first down on fourth-and-13, which led to a Peninsula touchdown that proved to be the turning point of the contest.

“It was a physical game,” Mountain View defensive back Brad Hansen said. “They block downfield. They do a good job of balancing out the pass and the run, so it’s hard to know what’s coming next.”

Filkins finished 14 of 20 for 163 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Seahawks rushed for 136 yards.

And while Peninsula didn’t rack up huge offensive numbers, it managed to control the ball with two time-consuming drives in the second half.

“That’s what we wanted,” said Ross Filkins, head coach and father of the quarterback. “We really wanted to bleed the clock.”

The first drive ended with an 18-yard TD pass from Filkins to Kyle Self. The second one resulted in another punt by Shea that was downed inside the 1-yard line.

This time, Mountain View drove 98 yards to the other 1-yard line before time ran out on them.

“We were able to get a gritty, grind-it-out, physical win,” Ross Filkins said. “Mountain View is an excellent offensive team. They make a tremendous commitment to the run, and I applaud them for that.”

Mountain View opens Class 3A Greater St. Helens League play next week against Prairie.

“Right now, we’re 0-0,” Hansen said. “We’ve got to take care of Prairie and then see what comes next.”

PENINSULA 28, MOUNTAIN VIEW 6

Peninsula 14 7 7 0–28

Mountain View 0 6 0 0–6

First quarter

Pen — Alex Weymiller 52 from Austin Filkins (Sam Shea kick)

Pen — Jimmy Price 28 run (Shea kick)

Second quarter

MV — Carl Falls 29 run (pass failed, botched snap)

Pen — Jacob Richards 1 run (She kick)

Third quarter

Pen — Kyle Self 18 pass from Filkins (Shea kick)

Individual statistics

RUSHING — Peninsula — Jimmy Price 7-46, Jacob Richards 7-39, Austin Filkins 7-28, Nate Carlson 5-20, Will Hopkins 1-2, Max Reyes 3-1; Mountain View — Austin Mace 14-134, Carl Falls 14-121, Eddie Richardson 5-30, Russel Culverwell 8-25, Luke DuChesne 3-(-8).

PASSING — Peninsula — Austin Filkins 14-20-163-0; Mountain View — Luke DuChesne 2-12-23-0.

RECEIVING — Peninsula — Kyle Self 5-56, Alex Weymiller 1-52, Max Reyes 3-21, Jimmy Price 1-13, Connor Walch 2-12, Kevin McPherson 1-6, Will Hopkins 1-3; Mountain View — Phillip Rudolph 1-17, Jesus Familia 1-6.