By Pete Borello

High School Football Report

Just when it seemed Mountain View High would overcome four turnovers to save homecoming by beating Cupertino last Friday, along came No. 5.

Trailing by a point with just under two minutes left, fullback Nick Hilger lost a fumble at Cupertino’s 5-yard line. The Pioneers then ran out the clock to secure a 28-27 SCVAL El Camino Division victory.

“(Cupertino) definitely played very hard,” Spartans quarterback Sean Manson said, “but we lost to ourselves in this game.”

Manson’s career passing day (25 of 37 for 321 yards and four touchdowns) was tainted by two interceptions returned for scores.

The first pick came on the Spartans’ initial drive, which spanned 16 plays. Guillermo Moreira bobbled a goal-line pass and Cupertino’s Jonathan Price snatched the ball, returning it 95 yards for a touchdown.

“That was a key play,” Manson said. “It’s something we work on a lot - it should be like ABC - but Guillermo was playing hurt.”

Mountain View (1-2, 4-2) went back to that play on its next series. Tariq Bright snared the ball out of the backfield for a 9-yard TD, capping a 13-play drive that put the Spartans up 7-6.

After trading touchdowns before halftime, Cupertino capitalized on another turnover midway through the third quarter. Ben Reynolds deflected a Manson pass and Thomas Hammond intercepted it, rumbling 40 yards to the end zone.

Shonte Jiz de Ortega blocked the extra point, holding Cupertino’s lead to 20-14.

Before the quarter was over, Manson found Jeff Eckenhoff on a 4-yard scoring pass to tie it up. This marked the second TD of the afternoon for Eckenhoff, who finished with a career-high 10 catches for 180 yards.

The Mountain View defense stymied Cupertino’s next four possessions, two of them snuffed out by turnovers forced by defensive back Jonathan Lam (interception, fumble recovery).

With 3:42 left, the Spartans went up 27-20, thanks to Manson’s 7-yard pass to Cody Himes and Alan Davis’ extra point.

Cupertino responded with a 35-yard TD run by David Poole, who finished with 145 yards. Price’s two-point run gave the Pioneers (2-0, 5-1) the lead and eventually the game.

Mountain View takes on rival Los Altos at 7:30 p.m., Friday, at Foothill College. Los Altos Hills.

In other local action Friday:

St. Francis mustered just 110 yards of offense in a 15-13 West Catholic Athletic League loss to St. Ignatius. The host Lancers (0-2, 2-4) scored on Kyle Spraker’s 7-yard keeper and Scott Russell’s 25-yard interception return.

Los Altos sunk to 1-5 with a 49-0 non-league loss at Los Gatos, ranked No. 1 in the CCS.

Gunn defeated visiting Santa Clara 33-12, improving to 3-0 in the SCVAL De Anza Division and 6-0 overall.

Homestead (3-0, 5-1) stayed atop the El Camino with a 36-21 home win over Lynbrook. Will Faules ran for 104 yards and returned a kick for a 95-yard TD.