GLENDALE — The 2024 football season came to a conclusion for the Mountain View Mountain Lions in a heartbreaking 42-13 loss to Glendale Cactus in the first round of the 5A Playoffs on Friday night. The No. 4 Cobras got off to a hot start, which proved to be too much to overcome for the No. 13 Mountain Lions. For Mountain View, it was a tough loss, but one that marks the overall success and growth of the program.
“We’re excited to see what we can build on for next year,” Mountain View coach Matt Johnson said.
For the Mountain Lions, it was the first trip to the postseason since 2019 and their fifth time meeting Cactus in the playoffs, where they are now 0-5 against the Cobras.
“It’s been five years since we’ve been to the playoffs and we feel like these seniors just gave everything to get us here,” Johnson said.
He continued, “There’s no doubt about it they’re a really good team. I mean, we knew we got a tough draw when we saw it… It was just one of those thing where we knew it was going to be tough. They’re well-coached, they’re physical, they’re fast. It’s why they were top-four in the state.”
Mountain View won the toss and elected to receive, but after a quick three and out, they were forced to punt. Cactus was able to capitalize early with on a 12-yard touchdown run by Tevin Marrufo. The Cobras struggled to get the kick off for the extra point, making it 6-0 with 7:09 remaining in the first quarter.
The Mountain Lions answered with a touchdown of their own, coming on a 4-yard run by Nicholas Horrocks with 45.5 seconds left in the first quarter. The PAT was by Lucas Nguyen, giving Mountain View the 7-6 lead.
Just four plays later, Cactus was able to reach the end zone, opening up the second quarter with a touchdown run by Julian Stubblefield. The Cobras elected to go for two and converted thanks to Tristan Varga, making it 14-7 with 11:47 remaining in the first half.
Mountain View decided to go for it on fourth down following a quick three-and-out on the following drive, which resulted in a turnover on downs at the Mountain View 42. From there, Cactus was able to keep moving the ball, finishing off the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run from Tayejion Player before a good PAT by Austin Doyle extended the lead to 21-7 with 7:30 remaining in the second quarter.
The following drive for Mountain View proved to be the turning point of the game, as it tried faking the punt but failed to convert, turning over the ball at the Mountain View 27. From there, the Cobras were able to strike again, as Antonio Casias found Julian Moncivaiz in the end zone for a touchdown on the first snap of the drive. The kick was again good, making it 28-7.
Mountain View continued to struggle against Cactus’ defense, punting the ball away after yet another quick three-and-out, which Moncivaiz returned for a touchdown. the kick was good, making it 35-7 going into the half.
Cactus got the ball coming back out of the half. After a monstrous return to the Mountain View 25, Casias was able to find Stubblefield for a 25-yard touchdown catch. The kick was good, making it 35-7. A running clock was utilized the remainder of the game.
It wouldn’t be until early in the fourth quarter when the Mountain Lions would be able to score again. The drive started at their 20 following an interception in the end zone by Diego Gomez, his sixth of the season. This time it came on a 4-yard touchdown pass from from Damien Wallace to Fernando Aguilar. The PAT, however, was blocked, making it 42-13 with 9:57 left to play.
From there, the teams traded the ball back and forth until the final horn sounded.
“We made some mistakes in the first half, but I was really proud of our kids,” Johnson said. “We always talk about not quitting and staying together. You can see the kind of family we have right over here behind us as we’re hugging it out.”
On the night, the Cobras were able to rack up approximately 177 yards in the air behind Casias, completing 11 of 16 pass attempts. Meanwhile for Mountain View, they had approximately 110 yards on the ground with around 90 in the air. Wallace was able to complete 10 of 16 pass attempts.
While the season came to an end earlier than the Mountain Lions had hoped, they have a bright future to look forward to with a majority of their team returning.
“We’ve got some great returners,” Johnson said. “Out of 11 guys on defense, nine of them are underclassmen. So, we think they’re going to be pretty good… There’s a bunch of these kids that are going to be pretty good next year if they put in the time in the weight room. There’s a lot of potential. They’ve gotta work.”
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