Prep football: Mountain View 42, Hudson’s Bay 0

They were a little late, but by the end of the game the Mountain View Thunder were in full force and looked more than ready for their playoff deciding game next week against Columbia River.

The Thunder scored with a punt return, pass, interception return, and even a few runs en route to a 42-point blowout of Hudson’s Bay Friday night at Kiggins Bowl. It was Mountain View’s third straight shutout victory.

Their balanced attack was led by Michael Rivers, who ran for 142 yards on 13 carries for three second-half touchdowns.

But for most of the first half, Hudson’s Bay defense contained Mountain View offense. The Thunder managed to score in the first quarter from a Conner Atchison 55-yard punt return to take the early 7-0 advantage.

Without their running game early, Mountain View countered with a 37-yard air strike from quarterback Riley O’Dell to tight end Cory Creagan for 14-0 lead late in the second quarter.

“Everybody knows we like to run the ball,” O’Dell said. “So when we do get the opportunity to pass, we make it look like it’s going to be a run.”

O’Dell finished with 147 yards on five completions and no interceptions.

“I think Riley’s getting more comfortable reading the schemes out there,” Mountain View coach Adam Mathieson said. “Hudson’s Bay was putting a lot of guys in the box to stop the run, so at some point we’ve got to be able to hit those plays downfield.”

Mountain View was slow to move the ball in the third, but with Hudson’s Bay offense sputtering, the Thunder broke through and Rivers snaked 52 yards through the Eagles defense for a touchdown late in the third quarter to extend the 21-0 lead.

In the third, O’Dell connected with Creagan on another long pass of 40 yards that immediately set-up a another long Rivers touchdown run. His 30-yard run gave Mountain View the 28-0 lead.

Any chance for a successful Hudson’s Bay drive ended in the fourth when Mountain View defensive back Javon Hilliard intercepted quarterback Andrew Strappazon and returned the ball 40 yards for a touchdown and 35-0 lead.

By the end, Mountain View was firing on all cylinders. Running back Eddie Richardson had 74 yards on 16 carries, while Atchison contributed 66 yards on just four carries. Creagan finished with 122 yards receiving on three catches.

It was the Thunder’s third straight shutout victory as they turn their attention to Columbia River next week for a chance to secure a playoff spot.

“This is going to be a long hard, hard week of preparation and practice,” O’Dell said. “So hopefully we come out with a good week of practice, play hard, and be prepared to play (Columbia) River.”

It was the fourth straight shutout loss for the Eagles, who have not scored since Sept. 23.

Next up: Mountain View vs. Columbia River; Hudson’s Bay at Fort Vancouver

MOUNTAIN VIEW 42, HUDSON’S BAY 0

Mountain View 7 7 7 21—42

Hudson’s Bay 0 0 0 0— 0

First quarter

MV — Conner Atchison 55 punt return (Chavo Camargo kick)

Second quarter

MV — Cory Creagan 37 pass from Riley O’Dell (Camargo kick)

Third quarter

M — Michael Rivers 52 run (Camargo kick)

Fourth quarter

MV — Rivers 30 run (Camargo kick)

MV — Javon Hilliard 40 interception return (Camargo kick)

MV — Rivers 12 run (Camargo kick)

Individual statistics

Rushing — Mountain View — Rivers 13-142, Eddie Richardson 16-74, Atchison 4-66, O’Dell 2-6, Justin Ritna 1-5. Hudson’s Bay — Jahmile Sipaia 11-69, Richard Carter IV 15-42, Andrew Strappazon 9-20, Emilio Alcantar 6-(minus 11).

Passing — Mountain View — Riley O’Dell 5-12-0-147. Hudson’s Bay — Strappazon 3-8-1-21.

Receiving — Mountain View — Creagan 3-122, Atchison 2-25. Hudson’s Bay — Alcantar 1-21, Sipaia 1-4, Carter IV 1-(minus 4).