Basic physics lesson puts Mountain View football back in the 5A SIC race

With his blazing speed, Jaymon Barrus is a touchdown threat each time he touches the ball, and everyone in the 5A Southern Idaho Conference knows it.

But Mountain View coach Judd Benedick has struggled to get Barrus to understand the importance of the tough, gritty yards inside the tackles. So the art teacher turned to a physics argument, one that led to a breakout performance by Barrus in the Mavericks’ 38-14 win Friday over Capital.

“I had the moving car, parked car (analogy) with him,” Benedick said. “I was like, ‘Dude, you are so fast. A moving car running into a parked car that’s sitting there waiting for you, you’re going to win that battle every time.’

“It’s physics, man.”

Message received. Barrus broke loose Friday, turning just 14 carries into 179 yards and three touchdowns. He flashed his breakaway speed on touchdown runs of 54 and 49 yards, hitting the edge and leaving Capital defenders in his dust. But he also showcased the toughness Benedick preached when he buried his head and plowed through the defense for a 4-yard TD in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

“That’s all my coaches kept saying, run full speed and hit the holes,” Barrus said. “And it worked. I’ve just got to keep trusting in the process.”

Mountain View (1-1) bounced back from a 16-6 loss to Rocky Mountain a week ago to avoid its first 0-2 start since the school opened in 2003. But more important is that the win keeps the Mavericks in the hunt for a 5A SIC title.

Mental mistakes, not physical ones, haunted the Mavericks in their season-opening loss. So instead of turning to the whip, Benedick said his coaching staff kept it positive in practice this week.

“To just tear them down would have been a mistake,” Benedick said. “They knew they didn’t play well. And to use an old term, we didn’t want to beat a dead horse.”

The move paid off as Mountain View erupted for 499 yards of offense, including 350 on the ground. Barrus took top billing, but junior running back Ace Gibson added 104 yards on 21 carries.

Mountain View raced out to a 24-0 lead in the second quarter. Capital rallied to cut the deficit to 24-14 with 6 minutes left in the third when Jonah Blackham leapt over two defenders for a 25-yard TD catch. Then Barrus iced the game with his final two TD runs.

“Jaymon, he’s an amazing athlete,” Mountain View quarterback Noah Bryant said. “I trust him with anything I do. I give him the ball, and I know something good is going to happen.”

First quarter

MV — Jaymon Barrus 49 run (run failed), 11:09

Second quarter

MV — K.J. Lynch 5 pass from Noah Bryant (Seth Jones run), 7:15

MV — Caden Thomas safety, 7:07

MV — Blake Jablonski 30 pass from Bryant (Jones run), 5:22

CAP — Ryan Hibbs 2 run (Chase Miller kick), 0:08

Third quarter

CAP — Jonah Blackham 25 pass from Hibbs (Miller kick), 6:00

MV — Barrus 54 run (run failed), 2:11

Fourth quarter

MV — Barrus 4 run (Bryant to Kaden Chan pass), 7:32

RUSHING — Capital: Alec Bindner 2-12, Sam Sessou-Djokoto 11-9, Ryan Hibbs 10-19, Jake Jones 8-22. Mountain View: Jaymon Barrus 14-179, Joey Elwell 8-32, Noah Bryant 5-42, Ace Gibson 21-104, Team 1-(-7).

PASSING — Capital: Hibbs 25-42-0 247. Mountain View: Bryant 13-21-0 149.

RECEIVING — Capital: Bindner 8-64, Michael Holley 3-18, Sessou-Djokoto 2-(-3), Gavin Piva 1-5, Jonah Blackham 5-88, Matt Ruhl 6-75. Mountain View: Barrus 1-5, K.J. Lynch 2-12, Keaton Horn 1-12, Elwell 3-19, Kaden Chan 1-(-1), Blake Jablonski 3-82, Colby Peugh 1-16, Mustapha 1-4.

This story was originally published August 31, 2018 at 10:57 PM.