Hall, Pututau lead Mustangs past Bobcats in valley rivalry (With Gallery)

<strong>HYRUM—</strong> The Mountain Crest Mustangs running game came alive in a matchup of Cache Valley rivals Friday. In a game that was dominated by the offensive line, the Mustangs racked up more than 300 yards on the ground to control the game and pull away from Sky View for a 44-24 win.

The high-octane Mustang offense got off to a quick start when quarterback Jamison Webb connected with Faimafili Laulu-Pututau on a 33-yard pass on its opening drive. That scoring drive would eventually set the tempo for the remainder of the game as Mountain Crest controlled the game both through the air, as well as on the ground.

Sky View quickly responded with a touchdown of its own. Quarterback Braxton Godderidge scored on a 3-yard touchdown scamper right up the middle. That score, and the ensuing extra point, gave the Bobcats the lead as MC had missed its extra point.

The Bobcats added to their lead in the second quarter, as Nelson Griffiths converted a 22-yard field goal to put SV up 10-6.

Webb and Pututau wouldn’t be outdone, though, as the pair connected multiple times on short curls and fades that forced the Sky View’s defense to double team the wide receiver. Pututau finished the game with eight catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns.

The game went back and forth in the second quarter as each team used the ground game to put points on the board. Mountain Crest running back Eddy Hall took the ball on a 15-yard touchdown run midway through the quarter. MC converted on its 2-point conversion try and regained a 14-10 lead.

However, the Bobcats would answer again.

Sky View drove down the field and again regained the lead, 17-14, on an 8-yard touchdown catch by Dane Anderson. The Bobcats were unable to hold the lead into the half though, as MC scored right before the break. Another 2-point conversion made it 22-17 at the intermission.

The second half – and especially the third quarter – belonged to Hall and the Mustang offense. The Mustangs marched right down the field after taking the second half kickoff and handed the ball off to Hall with the first four plays. Hall led the offense to the 12-yard line, where the Webb-Pututau combo scored again on a bootleg that saw Pututau wide open in the end zone to put the Mustangs up 30-17.

Hall – the starting QB last season – even got involved in the throwing game as he tossed a 29-yarder to Jamison Webb midway through the third quarter to make it 37-17. MC used the hurry-up offense throughout the third quarter to keep the Sky View defense off guard and put the game out of reach. Hall finished the game with 33 rushing attempts for an astounding 252 yards on the ground to go along with two rushing scores.

The Bobcats tried to make it interesting when Godderidge had a one-yard run with eleven seconds left in the third quarter to make it 37-24, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace with the Mustang offense. Mountain Crest’s defense really stepped it up after making half time adjustments to keep the Sky View offense in check.

“We really focused on starting out strong. We wanted to score first,” Pututau said. “We haven’t really had a game where we scored first so this was good for us.”

MC head coach Mark Wootten was proud of the way his team played Friday.

“We had a hard fought battle in the first half and they really worked us,” he said. “We executed well and established our run game in the second half and came out on top. The running game is a team effort and Eddy ran the ball hard tonight.”

<em>Photos by Kimberly Shorts</em>

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