Article by Kevin Johnson / Photo by Christy Newton
The Mountain View Yellowjackets won their second straight 3A/4A 8-Man State Championship with a come-from-behind 28-18 victory over the Corning Bobcats.
The Yellowjackets scored first, following a Drew Shelton interception of a Bobcat pass. Mountain View drove 80 yards on 11 plays, scoring on a 6-yard run by Levi Rorie. The two-point conversion was good on a run by Shelton to give Mountain View an 8-0 lead. Corning closed the gap midway through the second quarter with a 15-yard touchdown run by Hayden Cox, two-point conversion failed, and Mountain View led 8-6.
Corning gained the lead early in the third quarter with a pass from Seth Smith to Jason Liau. Again, the two-point conversion failed, and the Bobcats led 12-8.
After the Bobcats forced a turnover on downs for the Yellowjackets, Corning wasted no time going 55 yards on four plays, increasing their lead on a 35-yard touchdown run by Hayden Cox. The two-point conversion failed, and Corning owned an 18-8 lead as they headed to the fourth quarter.
Mountain View rallied in the fourth quarter, first scoring on an 8-yard touchdown run by Shelton to close the gap to 18-14 with 9:43 to go in the game. On Corning’s next possession, they drove to the Yellowjackets’ nine-yard line with 2:05 to go in the game before the Yellowjackets defense forced a turnover on downs. Mountain View would need only one play to take the lead as they scored on a double pass from Shelton to Jack Newton, who found sophomore Ladd Cook, who raced 91 yards down the sideline to give Mountain View the lead 20-14.
Corning still had an opportunity with 1:52 to go in the game, but Mountain View junior Rush Sullivan intercepted Smith’s pass and took it in for the score. The two-point conversion was good on a run by Shelton, and that sealed the 28-18 victory for Mountain View.
Shelton led the Mountain View offense with 57 yards rushing on 20 carries and one rushing touchdown. He also passed 10-18 for 87 yards. Cook had three receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown. Newton was 1-1 passing for 91 yards, and a touchdown. He also had two receptions for nine yards. Corning was led by Hayden Cox with 26 carries for 136 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively for the Yellowjackets, Sullivan led the team with 17 tackles, one interception, and a defensive touchdown. Moose Tinkle added 12 tackles and one sack. Quinley Whitaker added 11 tackles, and Maverik Woods 10 tackles.
For the second straight season, Mountain View finished the season with a 10-0 record and is the 3A/4A 8-Man State Champions. Corning finished the season 6-4, with two of their losses coming to Rector, and two to Mountain View, who defeated Corning 28-0 on Oct. 6.
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