Prairie rallies for 36-33 win over Mountain View

BATTLE GROUND — Following a lopsided loss to Dallas of Oregon last week, the Prairie Falcons faced a two-touchdown deficit to Mountain View at halftime Friday.

That’s when the Falcons took it upon themselves to turn their season around.

Prairie scored three touchdowns in the final 16 minutes and held Mountain View to just two first downs to rally for a 36-33 win in a 3A Greater St. Helens League game at District Stadium.

“We came in at halftime and heads were down,” senior captain Judah Bullock said. “Then the leadership counsel, we got together. We just got our heads up. We came in and got the energy up. Then we came out and got this (win).”

Mountain View took a 33-14 lead with 7:51 left in the third quarter after Jaden Brown rushed in to score from six yards out.

From that point on, the Prairie defense held the Thunder to just two first downs, giving the Falcons offense time to rally.

Deven Vigue’s 2-yard touchdown run cut the deficit to 33-21 with 3:41 left in the third quarter.

Tommie Vick’s 34-yard touchdown run got Prairie within 33-28 with 9:59 left in the game.

Prairie got a fourth-down stop at its own 22-yard line with 5:52 left.

Riley Burke got an 11-yard pass on fourth-and-7 from the Prairie 29 to keep the Falcons going. Alex Blakeslee later pulled in a 30-yard reception to get the Falcons to the Mountain View 20.

Vigue’s 12-yard run got the Thunder to the 5-yard line, and Preston Hill ran it from there to put the Falcons in front for the first time all game.

“It was just excuting, right?” Vigue said. “We practiced this all week. We just need to know what we’re doing, run it correctly and go a 110 percent.”

Prairie then forced a four-and-out with Taylor Gause coming up with a tackle on Mountain View quarterback Cashton Liedtke on fourth down.

And it all started at halftime. And it wasn’t a speech from coach Junior Miller that got the Falcons going.

“Honestly, it’s all up to the players,” Miller said. “As coaches, we can’t want it more than they do. And that was the message at halftime. … We let them know at halftime ‘this is on you.’ We left four minutes on the clock at halftime for them to talk it out. They came out — yeah (Mountain View) got one score. But we turned the page, then we were lights out the rest of the game.”

Mountain View opened the game looking like it was very much in control, as the Thunder marched to touchdowns on their first two possessions.

Prairie sprung to life in the second quarter when Vigue hit Vick on a 41-yard touchdown pass on fourth down, cutting the Falcons deficit to 14-6 in the second quarter.

But then every time Prairie scored, Mountain View responded.

The Thunder had an 11-play drive that was capped by Brown’s 1-yard touchdown run to put Mountain View back up 20-6.

But a couple of penalties gave Prairie a short field. Then Vigue made it a short drive, scoring on a 36-yard touchdown run to make it Mountain View 20-14.

But the Thunder answered quickly before half, with Liedtke hitting Huber for a 27-yard touchdown pass for a 27-14 halftime lead.

Then the Falcons turned it on in the second half. But Miller would like to see that for an entire game.

“We haven’t played a full game yet,” Miller said. “That’s what we’ve been preaching to them. We’ve got to have a full game from top to bottom. We can’t just have an offensive half, or a defensive half.

“I don’t want more games like this, where my heart is beating out my chest and I don’t know what’s going to happen. I want to have a game with a little bit of relaxation. I love great football, but not when my team has to come from behind.”

PRAIRIE 36, MOUNTAIN VIEW 33

Mt. View            14          13          6             0—33

Prairie                 0             14          0             0—36

First quarter

MV—Dallas Hobbs 17 run (Charlie Hill kick)

MV—Dylan Huber 10 pass from Cashton Liedtke (C. Hill kick)

Second quarter

P—Tommie Vick 41 pass from Deven Vigue (run failed)

MV—Jaden Brown 1 run (kick blocked)

P—Vigue 36 run (Alex Blakeslee pass from Vigue)

MV—Huber 27 pass from Liedtke (C. Hill kick)

Third quarter

MV—Brown 6 run (kick blocked)

P—Vigue 2 run (Preston Hill kick)

Fourth quarter

P—Vick 34 run (P. Hill kick)

P—P. Hill 5 run (Vigue run)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Mountain View: Brown 23-112, Dallas Hobbs 4-39, Dylan Huber 2-20, Christaan Meushaw 2-17, Cashton Liedtke 7-(-25), team 1-(-16). Prairie: Vigue 12-99, P. Hill 14-25, Vick 2-36, Isaac Watson 1-(-10), team 1-(-4).

PASSING — Mountain View: Liedtke 17-21-0-188. Prairie: Vigue 12-19-1-127; Watson 2-2-0-14.

RECEIVING — Mountain View: Huber 9-142, Tre’von Hughes-Farmer 1-3, Ayden Cummings 2-4, Hobbs 1-(-3), Dominic McNeal 2-26, Caden Reinebach 1-4, Brown 1-12.  Prairie: Vick 6-60, P. Hill 2-2, Riley Burke 2-30, Watson 1-3, Jackson Kimball 1-6, Alex Blakeslee 2-40.