SIERRA VISTA — No. 18 Mountain View advanced to the second round of the 5A state playoffs, upsetting No. 15 Buena 27-8 in Sierra Vista.
The Mountain Lions (7-4) achieved their first playoff win since the 2012 season, when they beat Cienega 19-17 in a first-round game. The program lost six straight playoff games before Friday night’s win over the Colts (7-4).
“It’s a great feeling, and I’m proud of these kids. It’s our school’s first playoff win in over 10 years. We’re excited,” Mountain View coach Matt Johnson said.
Mountain View chewed up a little less than eight minutes off the clock on its first possession by constantly running the ball with sophomore running back Drake Davis, getting inside Buena’s 5.
Mountain View came away empty-handed, dropping a pass on 4th-and-goal, turning the ball over on downs.
Buena’s offense gained minimal yardage on its first possession, immediately going three-and-out, punting deep in its own territory. That set up Mountain View nicely at midfield.
Mountain View got in the red zone but was stopped on a third down, settling for a field goal. Getting them on the board first, 3-0 with over 11 minutes left in the second quarter.
Buena’s second drive started off promising after a third-down conversion run by senior running back Michael Lujan. A high snap gave Mountain View’s defense enough time to get a sack and end the drive.
Mountain View found the end zone on its next possession on a 51-yard run from Davis, extending its lead to double digits.
Buena’s offense continued to struggle, giving the ball back to a Mountain View offense that was starting to find its groove. That groove consisted of Davis breaking off another touchdown run, this time from 49 yards, making it a two-possession game.
Buena’s offense found some life toward the end of the half. Junior quarterback Colton Garrett, stepping in for the injured senior Kaleb Layton, let it rip to senior wide receiver Jayden Thomas for a 40-yard pass, getting into Mountain View territory. The Mountain View defense came up big again with its second sack of the game, forcing Buena to take a timeout and making them attempt a long field goal before halftime. The field goal attempt was no good, keeping the score 17-0 at halftime.
The second half was more of the same. Buena couldn’t get anything going offensively, and Mountain View capitalized on the defensive stops they forced. First senior running back Liam Lewis scored from five yards out and tacked on another field goal, pushing the lead to 27-0.
Before the end of the third quarter, senior linebacker Caden Rudy came up with an interception, hoping to add to Mountain View’s lead. The Mountain Lions came up with no points on the turnover.
“We came into this wanting to shut down the run. I think we did that pretty well. We allowed a couple of big runs, but once we got them throwing, I think that’s when we won the game,” Rudy said.
Buena got on the board early in the fourth quarter on one of the craziest plays this year.
Garrett scrambled, looking for an open receiver. He heaved it up, the ball was initially tipped, and fell into the hands of sophomore wide receiver Giovanni Henderson.
Henderson got hit, jarring the ball loose, and kicked it up in the air, where senior wide receiver TJ Walker caught it and ran it all the way to the end zone. The two-point attempt was successful.
Buena looked to swing the momentum in its favor. It looked that way after senior linebacker Cooper Kraus and senior defensive end Trenton Williams combined for a sack to get the ball back for their offense.
The momentum was halted quickly by senior free safety Mythias Holguin, intercepting the ball in the end zone, sealing the game and ending Buena’s season.
Mountain View now looks to shock the state, heading to Gilbert to play No. 2 ALA-Gilbert North (9-1) on Friday at 7 p.m.
“The kids are believing in themselves, and that’s about half the battle,” Johnson said.
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