Redemption earned. How Mountain View bounced back and shut out Nampa in 5A state playoffs
What a difference two weeks makes.
The Mountain View High football team crushed Nampa 44-0 in the first round of the 5A state playoffs Friday, triggering the running clock mercy rule and sending the Mavericks (6-4) to the quarterfinals for the 10th straight year.
The blowout win also avenges a 23-14 loss to the Bulldogs two weeks ago.
“All week, our focus was we’ve got to redeem ourselves,” Mountain View senior quarterback Dawson Wahl said. “We know that we didn’t play our best game the last time we went up against them. And it was really important for us to go prove that we are a playoff team, and we’re contenders.”
The Mavericks certainly looked like contenders Friday, dominating from the opening whistle to the final horn. Dallin Van Gieson punched in a pair of first-quarter touchdowns. A fumble then gave Mountain View the ball back, and a broken coverage left Collin Rogers all alone in the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown catch.
That made it 21-0 and effectively put the game out of reach before many Nampa fans had even found their seat.
The loss to Nampa two weeks ago represented a low point for Mountain View, spoiling the Mavericks’ senior night and leaving their postseason chances in jeopardy.
Injuries ended the seasons of five of Mountain View’s top skill position players, including preseason favorites for all-conference honors like Grayson Flatten and Justin McGee. Mountain View coach Brian Compton said he’s never seen so many season-ending injuries at so many key positions. But the Mavericks refused to settle for that excuse and an early exit.
“We’ve tweaked some things in practice a little bit,” Compton said. “But mainly, it’s just between our ears. We just decided to focus in and understood that we’re running out of chances, and we needed to dial it in and play better.”
The Mavericks certainly dialed it in on defense, shutting out the state’s leader in rushing yards and total yards. Nampa entered halftime with only a single first down, which came on a 67-yard run from Daniel Carrillo.
Subtract that play, and the Bulldogs could only muster 18 yards on 20 plays at the break.
Nampa finished with 173 total yards, 70 of which came with the clock running the entire fourth quarter and Mountain View’s backups on the field.
“They were outstanding,” Compton said. “We had a great plan. They’ve been stout against the run all year.”
Wahl led Mountain View offensively, finishing 16-of-20 for 199 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 57 yards and two more scores as the Mavericks raced out to a 28-0 halftime lead.
It marked a breakout performance for the senior who’s battled his own injury issues. A broken rib forced him to miss most of the offseason, and then a knee injury led him to miss one game this fall.
“I had a rough offseason. I wasn’t really able to do much,” Wahl said. “And, obviously, through the regular season, I haven’t performed, really. I just kind of let it all go. It’s a different season now.”
Van Gieson ran for 55 yards and the two first-quarter touchdowns. And Kelton Richmond added 80 yards as the Mavericks continue to find more weapons in the backfield.
UP NEXT
Mountain View advances to the quarterfinals, where it will travel to Highland (6-3). A kickoff time and date were not available Friday night.
The Rams had a first-round bye as the champion of Eastern Idaho.
LOSS ENDS NAMPA’S UNDERDOG RUN
Injuries also hampered Nampa on Friday. Starting quarterback Gabe Navarro broke his collarbone last week. And backup Payton Gunter wasn’t cleared to play until Thursday after a shoulder sprain, forcing Nampa to dig deep into its roster for a quarterback.
Mountain View knew the Bulldogs were no threat down the field, and it stacked the box to contain Carrillo and Dante Avjian, who ran for 116 and 35 yards, respectively.
But Nampa still wildly outperformed expectations. The Bulldogs were picked 12th out of 13 teams in a 5A SIC preseason coaches’ poll. They then finished second in the 5A SIC River Division and earned the right to host a first-round playoff game.
“It’s kind of a Meridian- and Boise-dominated league,” Nampa coach Jeff Choate said of the 5A SIC. “The teams on the outskirts are always going to be the little brother, so to speak.
“Hopefully we showed some people this year that little brother can play football, too.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2022 at 11:46 PM.
