Down 10-0, the Mountain View Spartans came back to score two touchdowns within three minutes in the fourth quarter, handing the Los Altos Eagles a 12-10 loss on Saturday at Tom Burt Field.
“They’re a very tough team,” said Mountain View head coach Dan Navarro of Los Altos. “We knew we were going to have trouble moving the ball, as we’ve had most of the season, but the defense came up and played tough football. Things just went our way finally, in the end, and we won.”
The game moved Mountain View (3-3, 2-0) into sole possession of first place in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, supplanting the Eagles (4-2, 2-1), who moved half a game behind the Spartans.
“I think we had the game, but we kind of just gave the game away,” said Los Altos head coach Bob Sykes.
The Eagles had one chance to strike back, getting the ball on their own 36 with 40 seconds left in the contest. On the first play of the drive, Eagle quarterback Erik Hansen tossed a lateral to Jose Andrade, who then threw it downfield to Eagle running back Troy Haury at the Mountain View 30. The play was called back by the officiating crew, ruling that Los Altos had a lineman illegally downfield. The call forced a quick play. Jonathan Armenta took a handoff from Hansen and ran it four yards, but the Eagles were unable to get a second play snapped in time, with the clock running to zero just as Hansen settled under center.
The Spartans made things happen on offense in the fourth quarter, putting together a five play, 74-yard drive that resulted in a 28-yard touchdown reception with 8:01 left from Spartan wide receiver Sky Reeves. The play set the score at 10-6, after a botched 2-point conversion attempt.
“Basically Sky Reeves beat us,” Sykes said of the senior receiver, who finished the game with two catches for 63 yards.
Spartan quarterback Jason Griego, in for an injured Jon Warmbrodt, got the offense rolling during the drive with a 35-yard pass to Reeves.
“Sky was the main reason,” Griego said of the drive. “He got some good catches and my offensive line held the whole time.”
For most of the second half, it seemed as if the Eagles were in control. After a scoreless first half, they came out on their first offensive series of the third quarter and put together a 69-yard drive, culminating in a 20-yard touchdown run from Armenta with 5:55 left.
Armenta, who finished the game with 144 yards rushing and a touchdown on 15 carries, was also a factor in the Eagles’ second scoring drive of the game. After an Evan Nelson punt return set the Eagle offense at the Spartan 29, Armenta pushed the offense within field goal range at the Mountain View 13. Eagle kicker Peter Moore booted through a 30-yard field goal giving Los Altos a 10-0 advantage.
