Mountain Lions grind out win with 4th quarter TD
Having just thwarted a scoring chance from Mountain View with an interception, Red Mountain took over at its own 2-yard line with just under seven minutes remaining clinging to a precarious one-point lead. The Mountain Lions weren’t able to add to the scoreboard, but they did their best to defeat the other opponent in Toro Stadium on Friday night – the clock.
Red Mountain didn’t get trapped in its own end and not only kept the chains moving, but the Lions forced the hosts to use their final two timeouts. By the time the drive was completed (12 plays and 53 yards), Mountain View had the ball back, but was on its own 10-yard line with just 48 seconds remaining. There was no miracle comeback on this Homecoming night for the Toros and Red Mountain escaped with a 23-22 victory in the Battle of Brown Road rivalry.
”I challenge our kids and we need to be able to pride ourselves on being able to run the ball and have physicality and finish games like that,” Red Mountain head coach Kyle Enders said. “It helps having Dom (Carmigiano) back there. He was able to go play action and rip that ball out on third-and-long.”
Carmigiano, Red Mountain’s senior quarterback, was making his second start after transferring from Chandler (and sitting the first five games). He threw a first-quarter touchdown as the Lions staked out to a 17-0 lead.
It was a high-intensity game that had a playoff-caliber feel to it between two teams that could very well make an appearance in an Open Division play-in game (seeds 5-12 will face off in that) on Nov. 14. Neither Red Mountain (#8 in this week’s rankings) nor Mountain View (#7) have played in the Open Division bracket in the first six years of the event.
Red Mountain is now 3-0 in one-score games. For Mountain View, this was the first close game the Toros have had this year. Every other contest was decided by 17 or more points.
The Standouts
Red Mountain WR Airreon Windom
The junior receiver had his most productive game of the season in terms of both catches (8) and yards (96). Windom was running full speed and had a step on his defender when he hauled in a long pass from Carmigiano in stride for a 38-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Red Mountain RB Kai Jackson
The senior running back (pictured at the top of the article) didn’t have more than nine carries in any of the Lions’ first six games coming into Friday night. He was a workhorse getting 28 carries for 161 yards and scoring a pair of touchdowns, including a 60-yard run where he got around the line to the left and had nothing but open field. Big runs were a part of his repertoire a week earlier, when Jackson piled up 170 yards on just three carries (2 TDs) against Desert Ridge.
Red Mountain S Jackson White
The senior defensive back had the clutch interception to prevent Mountain View from retaking the lead midway through the fourth quarter. The Toros had reached the 12-yard line, but White made the biggest interception of his life and was emotional afterwards, savoring the big win with his brothers. That wasn’t White’s only big play. In the third quarter, Mountain View went on a fourth-and-five from the Lions’ 45-yard line. White was there to break up the pass for an incompletion.
Mountain View QB Brady Goodman
The senior signal caller had a pair of touchdown passes in the second quarter to give him 15 on the season. He was also the team’s leading rusher with 68 yards. Goodman cut into the 17-point deficit with a four-yard keeper to the right. A Utah State commit, his experience is invaluable to the Toros. In his career, he has 63 touchdown passes.
Mountain View WR Ziggy Galaviz
For much of the first half, Galaviz wasn’t just Goodman’s favorite target, he was his only one. Galaviz had each of the first six Toro completions and finished the night with eight catches for 106 yards and a touchdown. That score was in the second quarter, where he remained open in the end zone as Goodman had to scramble out of pressure.
Every Play Counts
- There were fireworks in the pregame for Homecoming and they continued on the opening kickoff when Tyreke Cornett brought it back to the Mountain View 20-yard line. Two minutes later, Red Mountain had a field goal, and the lead.
- Red Mountain might have obtained more than a field goal on that initial drive, but a personal foul penalty changed a third-and-two to 17 yards to go. It forced Chase Pitzer to boot his longest FG of the season (44 yards), but he hit it.
- On Mountain View’s first touchdown possession, Goodman had three first-down runs (16, 10, and 13 yards). It was an 80-yard drive to close the gap to 17-7.
- Already having scored the first three times it had the ball, Red Mountain threatened again, getting all the way to the Toro 8-yard line, but a fumble ended the drive. The Lions didn’t score again until the fourth quarter.
- Mountain View took possession on its own 6-yard line and got to the Red Mountain 32-yard line, but Cornett intercepted a pass at the 2. It was Cornett’s seventh interception in seven games!
- After Mountain View scored its second touchdown, Red Mountain jumped offside on the extra point try. The Toros opted to take the point off the board and go for two with the distance lessened. It paid off and the score was 17-15.
- The flurry continued as the Lions fumbled on their next play from scrimmage. Mountain View turned the great field position (RM 20-yard line) into a touchdown for a halftime lead.
- Mountain View punted from deep in its own end in the third quarter, but the Lions fumbled the kick. The Toros got another chance from the RMHS 45 (but didn’t score).
- Mountain View used its first timeout in the second half midway through the third quarter to ponder what to do on fourth-and-five from the RMHS 45. The Toros tried a pass, but it was incomplete. With the shorter field, the Lions only had to go 55 yards to score the ultimate game-winning touchdown.
- In the fourth quarter, Mountain View faced a fourth-and-three near midfield. Goodman completed a pass to Talan Arnett for 11 yards and a first down.
- The Toros got to the 12-yard line on that drive, but Jackson White intercepted a pass at the 2.
- On Red Mountain’s final drive, the Lions converted a first down on third-and-three from their own 30-yard line (Jackson for a 4-yard run). That came with 4:35 left and Red Mountain went on to use up almost four more minutes of the clock.
Box Score
Mountain Lions 23, Toros 22
| RM | 17 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
| MV | 7 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
First Quarter
RM – Chase Pitzer 44 yard FG, 10:04
RM – Kai Jackson 60 yard run (Pitzer kick), 6:19
RM – Airreon Windom 38 yard pass from Dom Carmigiano (Pitzer kick), 4:14
MV – Brady Goodman 4 yard run (John Girard kick), 2:06
Second Quarter
MV – Ziggy Galaviz 9 yard pass from Goodman (Goodman run), 2:32
MV – Talan Arnett 6 yard pass from Goodman (Girard kick), 1:39
Third Quarter
No Scoring
Fourth Quarter
RM – Jackson 2 yard run (pass failed), 11:15
Team Statistics
| Red Mountain | Mountain View | |
| First Downs | 16 | 17 |
| Rushes-Yards | 33-176 | 31-98 |
| Comp-Att-Int | 17-23-0 | 14-27-2 |
| Pass Yards | 164 | 186 |
| Total Yards | 340 | 284 |
| Fumbles Lost | 3 | 1 |
| Penalties | 9-68 | 7-45 |
Individual Statistics
Rushing
Red Mountain – Jackson 28-161, A. Windom 1-14, Carmigiano 2-1, Courts 2-0. Mountain View – Goodman 19-68, Arnett 3-15, Bodily 9-15.
Passing
Red Mountain – Carmigiano 17-23-0, 164 yards. Mountain View – Goodman 14-27-2, 186 yards.
Receiving
Red Mountain – A. Windom 8-96, J. Windom 3-30, Robinson 3-29, Williams 2-12, Cornett 1-(minus 3). Mountain View – Galaviz 8-106, Weeks 3-57, Arnett 3-23.
Sound Off
Red Mountain WR Airreon Windom on the impact of the energy from the fans and the rivalry: “We were coming into this game high-headed from everybody. Our school, the day of the game, we’re always hype about the Mountain View one.”
Mountain View head coach Andy Litten: “It came down to who made less mistakes. Our kids weathered the storm (from 17 down). If we don’t throw the picks on the 2, it could have gone the other way.”
Red Mountain RB Kai Jackson on the last drive: “We knew we had to ride the clock out. Big shout out to the O-Line. They did their thing today. It was a big team win tonight. We needed that.
Red Mountain head coach Kyle Enders about the abilities of Kai Jackson: “Selfless player. The beginning of the year, we were really deep in the running back room and he was our starting corner. We’ve had two season-ending injuries and two collarbone injuries and he went back to running back. Selfless. That’s what this team is about.”
Next Week
Red Mountain (6-1 overall, 2-0 6A East Valley Region) will host Gilbert in a non-region game next Friday. The Tigers (4-4) have had an up-and-down year, getting a big win earlier this month at Campo Verde, but GHS has allowed more than 40 points in five straight games. It’s an opportunity for the Lions to crank up the offense before the last two region games. At 6-1, will Red Mountain finally emerge among talking heads from being under the radar?
Mountain View (4-3, 0-1) has a tough task next week traveling to ALA-Queen Creek for a non-region game. While on the surface, the Patriots (2-5) don’t have a gaudy record, it is deceiving. The first five for ALAQC included Open teams Hamilton and Liberty. With a young defense, they struggled. But with a few impact transfers, namely WR Khalil Bender, the team has gotten notably better. This was on display on television Thursday night in a 41-8 win over Queen Creek. Could this be the team like 2024 Centennial that goes on a postseason run. Could ALAQC (ranked #20) make it all the way up to 12?
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