By Mason Byers
Flag Football Writer
The defending 6A champion Mountain View Toros made a statement in their season opener against the Eastmark Firebirds.
Both teams had to knock off some rust to begin the year after a long off-season. However, the Toros knocked more of it off, showing why they are the reigning champions of the 6A title.
Mountain View took the win, 14-9, in an opening game against a top contender in the 4A Conference, Eastmark. The win was predicated on the defense holding their ground multiple times throughout the game.
The head coach of the Toros, Jesus Arzaga, knows this is just the beginning of a long season and knows they need to get better on the offensive side.
“It doesn’t get easier with Red Mountain on Friday,” Arzaga said. “We’re just going to go to film and make sure we’re in the right positions offensively. We got some new girls, and they just got to find their ways, and slowly but surely we’ll start scoring some points.”
One of those new players was senior Lucee Lamoreaux, who scored a 20-yard rushing touchdown to give Mountain View a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter.
Lamoreaux was a threat on the ground and even made some huge plays through the air, proving to be a versatile weapon for the Toros offense. She was a huge reason they won and is happy to help the team in any way she can.
“I think I just need to play my part, to be able to keep up the energy and to continue to play with this really good team,” Lamoreaux said. “We gotta keep up our game so we can keep winning.”
Something that wasn’t new was Mountain View going back to the defensive identity it had last season in their first game making sure Eastmark couldn’t get in a rhythm.
Eastmark ended up scoring a field goal in the first quarter which was made by junior kicker Kaylee Markle. The Firebirds scored the first points of the game. However, after that drive, they couldn’t get much of anything going on offense.
After multiple turnover on downs by the Firebirds in the first half, the Toros were able to put together a methodical drive late in the second quarter. This drive would result in a 1-yard rushing touchdown by sophomore quarterback Tierah Metcalf and extend the Mountain View lead.
The second half became a defensive matchup, as even though Eastmark couldn’t get a good flow going on offense, they did not allow any more points for the rest of the game.
Multiple forced punts and two interceptions helped keep the Firebirds in this game.
With less than five minutes in the game, Eastmark knew they had to get something going. Being on Mountain View’s 30, the Firebirds gave the ball to sophomore Kinsley McCarty who maneuvered her way into the end zone to give Eastmark life.
After a failed 2-point conversion, the Firebirds only trailed by five points with only a couple of minutes left in the game.
Mountain View struggled on offense in the second half. Despite this, however, the Toros defense led by sophomore captain Ginny Wilson made multiple stops to close out the game.
Wilson was a big part of their championship run last season and understood what she and her team needed to do to secure the win.
“It’s just important to focus on one play at a time,” Wilson said. “Not worry about the last one and keep moving forward.”
Mountain View did just that as they made one last stop on defense as Eastmark tried running it in and only came up a couple of yards short as time expired.
Beginning the year with a statement on defense should prove to be motivating for the Toros, as Arzaga has the utmost faith anytime it is on their hands to win the game.
“If we’re the last ones to defend we are going to win this game,” Arzaga said. “Complete trust in the defense.
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