He fumbled at the goal line. Moments later, he led Mountain View to a last-second win.
Mountain View quarterback Dawson Wahl nearly spent the rest of Friday night kicking himself.
Instead, he ended it as the hero, throwing the game-winning touchdown with 14 seconds left to cap a second-half comeback and lead the No. 2-ranked Mavericks to a 28-21 win over Eagle.
Working with a backup center, Wahl fumbled a rare snap under center at the Eagle 3-yard line with 3:57 left as the Mavericks (4-0) drove for the winning score. Eagle (2-2) recovered for what appeared to be a momentum-shifting play. But Mountain View’s defense pitched a three-and-out, handing the ball back to its junior quarterback.
He didn’t miss a second time.
Wahl executed the Mavericks’ two-minute offense to perfection, orchestrating an eight-play, 69-yard drive to break the 21-21 tie. He pump faked, then found Dominic Sotomayer on a pivot route for a game-winning, a 5-yard touchdown pass with just 14 seconds remaining.
“We were able to get a stop, he came right back in and never missed a beat,” Mountain View coach Judd Benedick said. “He put the ball right where it needed to be, marched right down the field and threw the winning touchdown.
“So that’s a big confidence builder for him. And then also as coaches, that gives us confidence in him.”
Wahl finished the night 13-of-23 for 199 yards and two TDs, including 4-for-6 for 62 yards and the decisive score on the final drive. One of those incompletions was a spike to kill the clock after an 11-yard pass to Sotomayer set up first-and-goal.
Wahl didn’t have much time to clear his head after the fumble. But he said he did his best before taking the field one last time.
“I just pushed it aside, and we just went out and we were determined we were going to win the game,” Wahl said. “... The experience of being a quarterback, you know that you’ve got to have a short memory. You can’t focus on anything for too long.”
MOUNTAIN VIEW AVENGES THREE LOSSES
The Mavericks started last year 0-3, the worst start in program history, with losses to Rocky Mountain, Eagle and Meridian. Mountain View completed a sweep of those same three West Ada teams with Friday’s victory.
The Mavericks opened with a 14-13 win against Meridian, snapped Rocky Mountain’s 29-game conference winning streak on the Grizzlies’ home turf and then exorcised the demons from last year’s 45-6 blowout loss to Eagle on Friday.
“It really means a lot,” Sotomayer said. “Last year, obviously it was very difficult to do that. We just knew we couldn’t let what happened last year happen again.”
Mountain View came from behind again Friday. It trailed 21-13 after Eagle quarterback Jack Benson pulled the ball on a zone read and found 42 yards of open space for a touchdown to open the third quarter — the first second-half points the Mavericks have allowed this season.
But Benedick pointed out the Mavericks kept their cool much better than he did. He was flagged for arguing a pass interference call, a crucial 15-yard penalty that set up a Benson-to-Ian Duarte touchdown 27 seconds before halftime.
“I’ve learned they’re a lot tougher than me, because I about had a heart attack a couple times,” Benedick said. “And tonight, I almost cost us.
“... So tons of credit to the kids for not losing their minds and not freaking out and coming back and battling through it.”
STAT LEADERS
Sotomayer caught five passes for 53 yards and two TDs. In addition to his game-winning touchdown catch, he also made a diving, full-extension catch for a 20-yard score in the second quarter.
Quintez Evans led Mountain View on the ground, running for 128 yards and a TD. Dallas Slocum also ran for 53 yards and a TD.
Benson had a hand in all three of the Eagle’s touchdowns. He finished 20-of-31 for 212 yards and two TDs, and he ran for 74 yards and a 42-yard score.
UP NEXT
Both teams return to their 5A SIC division schedules next week.
Mountain View hosts Owyhee (0-4, 0-3) in a 5A SIC River Division matchup. Eagle hosts Meridian (3-1, 1-0) in the Foothills Division, a must-win if the Mustangs are to qualify for the 5A SIC championship game.
This story was originally published September 17, 2021 at 11:32 PM.
