Blink, and you missed it. Rocky Mtn needed just 3 plays to pull away from rival
A tight rivalry game turned on a dime as Rocky Mountain’s explosive running game broke loose over a 2-minute stretch Friday in the Battle of the Mountains.
The Grizzlies ran away with a 31-21 home victory over Mountain View, riding a stretch of three straight offensive plays that saw Rocky Mountain (3-0) quarterback Kalean Custer break free for a 78-yard run, Rasean Jones take an end around for a 21-yard touchdown, and Oakley Baxter escape for a 70-yard touchdown scamper.
“We went from 7-7 to all of a sudden it was 21-7,” Rocky Mountain coach Scott Criner said. “You could see some of the wind come out of their sails.”
The momentum swing proved even more devastating as Mountain View (1-2) looked poised to take an early lead moments earlier, mounting a 14-play, 78-yard drive. But Maverick running back Logan Pichardo coughed up the ball as he fought for extra yards inside the 5-yard line, and Drake Peterson recovered the fumble at his own 1.
The poor field position didn’t faze the No. 2-ranked Grizzlies. Custer took a keeper up the gut for 78 yards, and the Grizzlies were off to the races.
Rocky Mountain finished the night with 389 total yards, including 354 rushing yards while averaging 8.8 yards per carry. Baxter led the way with 169 yards and two TDs on 16 carries, and Custer added 145 yards and a score on 10 carries.
“I feel like we’re the best scoring offense in the whole state, honestly,” Baxter said. “We sent a statement vs. Orem (Utah). We sent a statement vs. Provo (Utah). We sent a statement vs. Mountain View.”
Mountain View actually out gained its rival, amassing 499 yards. But after scoring on their first possession, the Mavericks didn’t find the scoreboard again until the fourth quarter and the game all but decided.
Five straight possessions saw Mountain View lose a pair of fumbles, turn the ball over on downs twice and punt the ball away to fall into a 28-7 deficit.
Mountain View quarterback Hank Nelson finished 23-for-37 for 348 yards and two touchdowns. But he spent the night running for his life as the Grizzlies collapsed the pocket and racked up five sacks.
“My interior (line) made it real easy,” Rocky Mountain linebacker Owen Weatherly said. “They took on two at a time. They let me and my edge get the one-on-one. So that made it really nice.
“I won most of my one-on-ones. My other edge won most of his one-on-ones. We had constant pressure, and it made it really hard for him to get the ball out.”
The victory makes Rocky Mountain 6-2 in Battle of the Mountain games against the Mavericks, ensuring the fireman’s axe trophy stays with the Grizzlies for another year. It also continues an impressive start to the season that saw Rocky Mountain take down a pair of highly-ranked teams from Utah.
Combined with Rigby’s 29-15 loss to Bishop Kelly on Friday, Rocky Mountain will almost certainly rise to No. 1 in the next state media poll Tuesday.
“I always felt like we were No. 1,” Baxter said. “But we just got to play it game by game, and see where we go from there.”
UP NEXT
Rocky Mountain: Hosts Capital for homecoming and the 6A SIC Foothills Division opener for both teams next Friday.
Mountain View: Travels to Kuna for its first 6A SIC River Division matchup.
This story was originally published September 12, 2025 at 11:41 PM.
