Mountain View seniors get ‘sense of closure’ with win over Heritage

Mountain View senior Kevin Chen took a knee on the sideline as his Thunder put the finishing touches on a 49-7 win over Heritage on Friday afternoon at McKenzie Stadium. The victory sealed the 3A Greater St. Helens League title for Mountain View, but a reflective Chen wasn’t thinking about the result.

“It was just a sense of closure,” Chen said. “We’ve come a long way. It’s been a long 17 months. I’m just glad it happened.”

Chen is one of 15 Thunder (5-2) seniors whose high school football careers came to a close Friday. Few will go on to play sports in college, including Chen. He will attend the University of Washington next season and hopes to go into pre-med.

As a freshman, Chen was a backup quarterback. He evolved into one of the league’s best defensive backs and a strong runner. On Friday, he had first-quarter touchdown runs of 1 and 8 yards that gave Mountain View an early 21-0 lead.

“To me, Kevin is the bedrock of high school sports,” MV coach Adam Mathieson said. “That’s why we’re playing. We’re playing for Kevin Chen; we’re playing for Nathan Wooley. We’re playing so they can have an experience when they’re 25 and 30 years old to look back on.”

Chen was a consistent participant of the 6 a.m. outdoor workouts through the winter. In the snow and rain, Chen always showed up. He wanted to be an asset to the Thunder. 

“You call them optional workouts but it’s everything you have to do,” Chen said. “You do it for the better of your team. It’s not about you.”

As Friday’s evening sun washed over a green-clad Mountain View team, atop the 3A GSHL once again, Chen hugged each of the seniors. Players laughed. Some had tears well in their eyes.

“It’s just so special,” Chen said. “I remember back when we were freshman and growing up together. … I just want to say thank you. It means a lot.”

The senior group set the stage for the Thunder’s fall season. With the delayed start of football this year, Mathieson knows a traditional summer is unrealistic. This year was a chance to build toward the next, he said.

On Friday, the Thunder did its work early to get the younger guys on the field late.

Riley McCarthy, a Portland baseball commit, threw for 129 yards and ran for 143. He had touchdown runs of 12 and 9 yards, and connected on a pair of touchdown throws — of 13 and 10 yards — to Davis Delmage. JJ Thompson capped the scoring with a 9-yard touchdown run.

Heritage’s lone score came on 12-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 4-yard Kedyn Bolds’ run. Bolds finished with 75 yards on 11 carries. The Timberwolves finish the season 3-5.

Mountain View 49, Heritage 7

Heritage 0 7 0 0—7

Mtn. View 21 14 14 0—49

First quarter

MV — Davis Delmage 13 pass from Riley McCarthy (Jude Mullette kick)

MV — Kevin Chen 1 run (Mullette kick)

MV — Chen 8 run (Mullette kick)

Second quarter

H — Kedyn Bolds 4 run (Pablo Barbosa Sanchez kick)

MV — McCarthy 9 run (Mullette kick)

MV — McCarthy 12 run (Mullette kick)

Third quarter

MV — Delmage 10 pass from McCarthy (Mullette kick)

MV — Porter Drake 9 run (Mullette kick)

Individual statistics

RUSHING — H: Kedyn Bolds 11-75, Aiden Miller 2-24, Kaleb Lamere 2-2, Bodee Parker 2-12, Andre Cowley 9-14. MV: Riley McCarthy 20-143, Kevin Chen 5-19, Zach Gable 4-21, Porter Drake 9-53, JJ Thompson 5-31, Valike Tmakloe 2-4, Mekhi Parker 5-14.

PASSING — H: Khalil Osbin 3-11-0-24; MV: Riley McCarthy 7-10-0-129.

RECEIVING — H: Aiden Miller 1-14, Kaleb Lamere 1-5, Bodee Parker 1-5. MV: Xavier Mayo 1-10, Davis Delmage 4-81, Howard Hawk 1-22, Aiden Nicholson 1-16.