By Pete Borello

Mountain View High knew it could hold up for only so long against a much bigger San Lorenzo Valley squad in last Saturday’s Central Coast Section Division IV semifinal at Santa Clara High.

After an inspired half of football, the Spartans simply wore out and the top-seeded Cougars came away with a 33-21 win.

“We started off with the ability to play with them,” said Mountain View coach Dan Navarro, whose fourth-seeded team jumped out to a 21-6 lead. “Then our poor kids got pushed back and it was hard to execute.”

Navarro said the Spartans’ line, averaging just over 200 pounds per player, was “physically outmatched” by a San Lorenzo line featuring a pair of 300 pounders.

Beyond the size factor, turnovers and penalties also hurt Mountain View.

The Spartans (9-3) committed eight penalties, the most costly coming on the Cougars’ second drive. Mountain View jumped offsides as San Lorenzo lined up to punt, resulting in a first down.

Eight plays later, Mike Crisler tossed a perfect 5-yard lob to Waylon Prather in the end zone to pull the Cougars within 14-6.

The Spartans responded with a 15-play, 80-yard drive capped by Sean Manson’s 3-yard touchdown toss to receiver Jeff Eckenhoff on fourth down.

San Lorenzo countered with a TD drive of its own, then seized the momentum right before halftime by scoring on a Mountain View turnover. Brad Read’s snap sailed over punter Cody Himes’ head and into the end zone, where David Dahl recovered for the Cougars. The two-point conversion evened the game at 21.

“Brad’s never had a bad snap all year,” Himes said. “I was going to pick it up and run it out of the end zone, but I should have just fallen on it.”

The once-hot Spartan offense, which produced two touchdowns in the opening quarter, faltered in the second half. Manson, under constant pressure, tossed an interception to open the third quarter. Fullback Tariq Bright, who scored his team’s initial TD on a 2-yard scamper, lost a fumble late in the third.

Mountain View mustered just 56 net yards in the second half.

San Lorenzo, meanwhile, took control of the game behind the arm of Crisler (9 of 10 passing in the final half) and a run-by-committee approach that churned out 112 yards and two scores in the half.