Down 13-12 in overtime to Ben Franklin, the coaching staff of Mountain View Marana went for the win at home and senior quarterback Lillian Gradillas hit senior standout Hunter Don for the conversion to give the Mountain Lions a 14-13 win and a perfect 3-0 record. The Chargers came in with an impressive 3-1 record but the team was the underdog, although one would never know it after the team took control of the game in the first half.

Olivia Lamont. (Andy Morales/AZPreps365)

 

Franklin sophomore QB Olivia Lamont ended the game with 72 yards passing and her first touchdown came on a 20-yard strike to junior Madeline Falls to put the Chargers up 6-0 with 11:45 in the second quarter with the missed kick. Falls missed a 37-yard field goal attempt by only a couple of feet to the right a few minutes later but her leg strength was on full display and Franklin led 6-0 at the half.

A series of interceptions came in the third quarter with Alyssa Valencia picking off Lamont, only to have Madison Sigourney return the favor for Franklin a few minutes later. Mikayla Gleeson came up with an interception for Mountain View on the next play and it turned out to be the game-changer with Gradillas hitting Don for 20 yards to set up a 5-yard scoring run from Gradillas to tie the game up 6-6 with the failed attempt.

The game went to overtime and Lamont hit Falls just short of the line but she battled Holly McLemore for the ball and Falls went into the end zone for the score to put the Chargers up 12-6. Falls kicked the extra point and Mountain View took the ball next down 13-6.

Gradillas wasted no time and she hit Don from 10-yards out to cut the deficit down to 13-12. It came down to that successful 2-point score for the win.

Gradillas finished 13-27 for 116 yards and a TD to go along with a rushing TD and a 2-point conversion, Dyani Stoddard had 30 yards catching, McLemore had 29 and Don had 38 with the TD and 2-point catch. Lamont went 11-17 for 72 yards and two TDs, Elisabeth Adams also took some snaps and she went 2-5 for 18 yards, Alyssa Castaneda had 19 yards receiving and Falls had 45 yards receiving with two TDs and eight yards rushing. Lamont added 33 yards rushing.

Priot to tonight, Mountain View outscored opponents 58-0 and Franklin was the first team to score on the Mountain Lions.

“I saw them kind of get frustrated because we were down, and we're not used to that,” Mountain View head coach Jane Nova said. “They had to rise to the occasion, to bring the energy I believe that they could do it and they did. I could definitely see it change after the half and they started walking out with their heads up higher.”

The Chargers will host Mesquite (3-1) next Tuesday and Mountain View will host Crismon (1-2) on the same night.

NOTE: This was the first varsity game on the new Mountain View artificial turf and the first flag football game played in Southern Arizona this inaugural year.