Spartans open with 34-7 rout of Titans
By Pete Borello, Town Crier Staff Writer
 Joe Hu/Town Crier Mountain View High’s Brandon Hamilton tries to escape the clutches of Gunn’s Stephan Campbell. |
The Mountain View High football team still has a decision to make at quarterback, but there’s no controversy at running back.
Returning starters Brandon Hamilton and Alec Nelson are firmly entrenched in the backfield, and their play in Friday’s 34-7 season-opening rout of Gunn only solidified their standing as one of the top tandems in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. Junior halfback Hamilton ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns - adding another score on a reception - while senior fullback Nelson rushed for 44 yards and sprung Hamilton on several big runs.
“They did very well,” Mountain View head coach Dan Navarro said. “They blocked well for each other and they ran hard. They’re a good combination.”
Navarro wasn’t as enthusiastic about the combination at quarterback, where he’s been rotating Jason Griego and Jeff Jalaba since practice began. Neither player did enough Friday to be anointed the Spartans’ starter, according to the coach, though both had their moments. Senior Griego completed five of his eight passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Jalaba threw only one pass, but it was a 69-yarder to Trevor Campbell that set up a touchdown.
“We planned to switch them more, but Jason got a little bit of a hot hand in the first half and we stayed with him,” Navarro said. “He was a little shaky in the second half, but overall he was OK - he did a good job.”
So did Campbell at receiver. The 6-foot sophomore totaled 121 yards and a touchdown on four catches. Every one of his receptions proved important to Mountain View.
With the Spartans facing third-and-6 on the game’s opening drive, Campbell made a 15-yard diving catch at the Gunn 26. Hamilton reached the end zone a down later, following his blocks perfectly before using a spin move to elude Gunn’s second line of defense.
On Mountain View’s next series, Campbell turned a slant pass from Jalaba into a 69-yard play that ended at the 15. Six plays later, Griego fired a 10-yard scoring strike to Campbell, who bobbled the ball before clutching it to his chest at the back of the end zone. The Spartans then ran a reverse to Shane Buonos for a two-point conversion that made up for an earlier blocked extra-point try, giving them a 14-0 lead a minute into the second quarter.
Campbell saved his best catch for last. On Mountain View’s next drive, he hauled in a soaring 27-yard pass along the sideline despite falling backward from a bump by a Gunn defensive back that appeared to be pass interference. The third-down grab put the Spartans on Gunn’s 10, and Hamilton soon scored from that mark with a nifty reception of his own. Griego found him in the right flat, and Hamilton did the rest with a burst that ended with him toppling a Gunn defender to land in the end zone.
Alex Shefveland’s extra-point attempt hit the cross bar and bounced over, putting Mountain View ahead 21-0 with 4:38 left in the half.
Gunn answered back on its ensuing possession, thanks largely to the arm and feet of quarterback Tucker Laurence. The junior connected with receiver Bryan Ziebelman on a 41-yard pass, then capped the drive by snaking through the middle for a 9-yard touchdown run.
That was as good as it would get for Gunn. All three of the team’s third-quarter drives ended in punts, and it turned the ball over twice in the fourth - including a fumble Spartan defensive back Shane Cooney returned 82 yards for a score. The Titans moved the ball well in the first half, but their first two series fizzled deep in Mountain View territory when they failed to convert on fourth down.
Laurence ended up rushing for the same number of yards he passed for, 68, and completed just three of his 11 throws.
Mountain View and its more balanced offense gave the Titans fits. The Spartans outgained Gunn 362 yards to 277, and they didn’t punt until midway through the third. Hamilton put the game away in that quarter by scoring his final touchdown, a 6-yard dash that gave Mountain View a 27-7 lead with 2:25 remaining.
“The offensive line came through,” said Hamilton, who was also quick to credit Nelson for his success. “We have a much bigger line (this year) and some good sophomores.”
Hamilton predicted the Spartans would go 8-2 this season, a lofty goal for a team moving back into the daunting De Anza Division of the SCVAL.
Mountain View will try to improve to 2-0 on Saturday when it faces Menlo School. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Menlo College.
