Rocky Mountain’s quarterback was unsung. Then he erupted for 5 TDs to top Mountain View
On a team loaded with future Division I players, a stacked defense and a dominant offensive line, quarterback remained the only position in question for No. 1-ranked Rocky Mountain entering the season.
Tegan Sweaney answered those questions, and then some, with five total touchdowns Friday night.
The senior completed 15-of-22 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns, and he added two more scores on the ground to lead the Grizzlies to a 37-21 win at rival and No. 5-ranked Mountain View.
“We all know he can play like that,” Rocky Mountain (3-0) junior receiver Jaryn Ikebe said. “It was just a matter of time. He’s a baller.”
Sweaney started the season completing 44% of his passes through the first two weeks. Then he began Friday 3-for-7 as the Grizzlies took a five-point deficit into halftime.
But Sweaney and the Grizzlies’ passing attack exploded in the second half. He went 12-for-15 for 232 yards and two TDs after the break, and he ran for touchdowns of 1 and 49 yards.
“It showed he can do it, on a big stage, against a really good football team,” Rocky Mountain coach Chris Culig said. “That’s championship football. And you’ve got to be able to make those throws and make some plays.”
Rocky Mountain and Sweaney both received a heaping dose of luck to start the second half. One of Sweaney’s first passes appeared headed straight for a Mountain View (0-2) defender, who had no one ahead of him to prevent a pick-six. Instead, the ball went through his hands and into the arms of Ikebe, who broke free for a 67-yard touchdown and a 17-14 lead.
“I thought that really swung the whole momentum of the game,” Mountain View coach Brian Compton said. “We were kind of playing catch-up from that point on.”
But with luck and confidence on his side, Rocky Mountain opened the playbook for Sweaney. The normally run-heavy Grizzlies took shot after shot downfield, using his big arm and touch to challenge the Mavericks’ secondary and rack up chunk plays.
Rocky Mountain scored twice on drives that took only three plays. It also scored on drives of four and six plays.
“With the run game, we were mostly just focusing on getting those outside backers in (the box),” Sweaney said. “And then as soon as we got those backers in, the safety started coming down, and we just went over the top.”
Luke Luchini hauled in three catches for 95 yards and two TDs. And Ikebe, a 5-8 junior, added five catches for 181 yards and a touchdown.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN TAKES RIVALRY TROPHY
Friday’s victory recaptured the Battle of the Mountains trophy for Rocky Mountain. The Grizzlies have now won the 3-foot ax four times since it was created five years ago.
“It means everything,” Ikebe said. “Last year, when the seniors lost, that was a big impact for us. We just took it personally this year. We made it our one goal to get a win right here, and that’s what we did.”
The game also served as a possible 5A SIC championship preview. The two met last year, where the Mavericks ended Rocky Mountain’s run of three straight league titles. And they started this fall as the favorites to win their divisions and meet again the final week of the regular season.
Rocky Mountain has now won 38 of its past 40 games against teams in the 5A SIC. Its only losses came to Mountain View last year.
MOUNTAIN VIEW FALLS TO 0-2
The night got off to an ugly start for the Mavericks, when starting running back Grayson Flatten had to be carted off the field with an injury on the third play from scrimmage.
Justin McGee stepped in and ran for 70 yards and two TDs on 28 carries. But Mountain View missed Flatten’s explosiveness.
“I don’t know the full report on it yet, but I think he’s gonna be out for a while,” Compton said.
The loss marks Mountain View’s second in a row to start the season. But they came against two of the toughest teams in the state — No. 1 Rocky Mountain and No. 3 Meridian. And Compton pointed out neither game counts in the 5A SIC River Division standings.
Winning that division would earn Mountain View a spot in the league title game, as well as a first-round bye in the playoffs and home game in the state quarterfinals.
“Right out the gate you get, I would say it’s not just the two best teams in the conference, but arguably the entire state,” Compton said. “I mean, they’re right up there. And we were right in both those games with chances to win both of them.
“So we‘ve just got to keep our heads up; understand that we played some really good teams; understand that we can get better; and there’s things that we can improve on that are definitely within our control.”
UP NEXT
Rocky Mountain hosts Eagle in another rivalry game, the Herb Criner Bowl, next Friday in a cross-division game.
Meanwhile, Mountain View looks for its first win and opens its 5A SIC River Division schedule at Owyhee (3-0, 1-0) the same night.
This story was originally published September 2, 2022 at 11:26 PM.
