Mountain View is back in the 6A semifinals for the first time in 16 years.
The No. 4 Toros got there in style with a 41-10 thumping of No. 5 Salpointe Friday night in a quarterfinal matchup at Mountain View. 
They did so with a balanced offense and by controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. 
Tailback Reese Bodily ran rampant all night for 197 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Brady Goodman continues to make his case as the state's best, throwing for 247 yards and one touchdown, while adding 66 yards on the ground, giving him 49 TD's on the year (38 passing, 11 rushing).  

Defensively, safety Jasper Lake collected three of the Toros five interceptions. Salpointe was held to season lows in points and rushing yardage (59).
After flying under the radar through the first nine weeks, Mountain View (11-1) picked up an impresssive win over rival Red Mountain in week 10, but the manner in which it dismantled a great Salpointe team likely surprised many across the state.

 "All season long people have doubted us," Lake said afterward. "No one thinks we're really up there with the big leagues...we were picked to lose tonight. We just wanted to show Arizona how we play and how we do things."

Mountain View will face top seed Brophy (10-2) next week at Central High (Brophy's home field). The Toros last semifinal appearance came in 2008 against Brophy, when they lost 27-16. 

How it Happened

Mountain View's offense moved the ball efficiently from its second series throughout the first half, with a huge advantage in total yards, time of posession and two of Lake's three interceptions. But after taking a 14-0 lead by the early second quarter, redzone miscues and Salpointe resilience left the Toros with a disappointing 17-10 lead at halftime.

After Lake's second INT, Goodman found Talan Arnett streaking across the shallow middle of the field before he ran 20 more yards and found the corner pylon for the first touchdown. Goodman engineered another solid drive that ended with a four yard scoring run from Bodily early in the second.

Salpointe fought back, as sophomore quarterback Matthew Avelar led a 54-yard scoring drive that he finished with a three-yard touchdown run, cutting the lead to 14-7. Mountain View's offense continued to move down the field, reaching the three and 11-yard line of Salpointe over its next two drives, but the net result was only three points and a 17-7 lead.
 

Avelar was able to complete three passes just before halftime, allowing kicker Kyah Francone to boot a 47-yard field goal to end the half, cutting the Toro lead to 17-10.

"We left some points out there in the first half and that was frustrating," Mountain View coach Andy Litten said. "But we got better in the second half."

Play of the Game

Bodily would quickly shift the tone and momentum on the second play of third quarter. The 5-7 senior burst through the line of scrimmage before finding open space in the Salpointe secondary before fighting off safety Nathan Spivey for a 69-yard scoring jaunt that ignited Mountain View's sideline.

The Toros dominated the rest of the way. Goodman scored on a short touchdown run later in the third quarter and Bodily scored his third touchdown from eight yards out, as Mountain View scored 21 straight points in the third quarter for a 38-10 lead.

Cannon Raban and Brody Andersen picked up second half interceptions before Lake got his third in the fourth quarter. John Girard his second field goal near the end of the game.

Bodily of Work

Reese Bodily entered the season No. 3 on the running back depth chart, but 11 weeks later, he's put together one of the best seasons in school history. He's already broken the school single game rushing record, and after Friday's performance, the senior is within striking distance of the single season record, as he's nearing the 1,400 yard mark. 
However, his biggest concerns are praising his offensive line and the next opponent.

"I'm just so grateful to run behind an O-line that blocks for me and makes those gaps open up," Bodily said. "In my mind they're the heart of our team. Mountain View has a rich tradition and I'm just happy to be a part of it...now it's time to prepare for next week."

Quotable

"Mountain View came out and they wanted to run it down our throats, and they did it especially in the second half." -Salpointe safety Richard Archuleta.

The Lancers finished 8-3, with their signature win coming in week 10 against Brophy.

"We had our moments in the first half," added Archuleta. "But they did what they wanted to do."

 

Ben Stapley is a staff writer for AZPreps365. For story ideas, he can be reached at bstapley@azpreps365.com or by cell @ 480 295-9125.