Jabari Hinson is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover AIA High School for AZPreps365.com

MESA — Passing game not getting the job done? Well, hit the ground running then. Mountain View (Mesa) did just that Friday night against Queen Creek, and every bit of it paid off.

The Toros started the season in high-flying fashion, going 2-0 and putting up 89 points across both games. But then two tough matchups saw the Toros held to 12 points against Centennial and lose a tight one to Brophy late, falling to 2-2. 

However, the Toros remained resilient, pulling off a gritty 21-19 win at Mesa High to get back in the win column and take all the momentum they needed headed into their matchup against Queen Creek Friday night. 

“I’m really proud of our kids,” coach Andy Litten said. “It’s not easy to lose two games in a row, especially with Brophy in the last second, when you drop one when you felt like you had one.”

Coach Litten had expected this game to be “really scary” for the Toros following their rivalry win.

"We knew we won an emotional game against a rival (Mesa High) and we've been beat up. Our last four games have been really tough, so we're really excited about going into the break.”

The Toros’ victory over the Bulldogs was built on the same recipe they used in their three other wins: a dominant ground display and a tough defense. 

This wasn’t the case to start the game, however. With two first-half touchdowns through the air to tight end Sterling Stapley and wide receiver Teo Weeks, giving the Toros the 14-7 lead going into halftime. With the offense not getting the production it wanted to, the balanced game plan shifted toward pure running. 

The change paid dividends.

The Toros would go on to rush for 269 yards and a pair of touchdowns from quarterback Brayden Merwin and another from running back Coy Bodily. The offense found its groove to break away from the Bulldogs, scoring 15 unanswered points to put them ahead 29-7 in the third quarter. 

“We run hard,” Bodily said when asked about the backfield dynamic between himself and Merwin. “That’s my brother; we’ve been playing together since we were 9.”

Running back Coy Bodily takes a moment pregame to pray. Bodily tallied 100 yards on the ground and hauled in 17 yards receiving, adding a touchdown on the ground as the cherry on top. (AZPreps365/Jabari Hinson)

“It just comes with the trust and the love that we have.”

Bodily also gave the offensive line its flowers, stating the unit stays in the battle and “never quits.” 

The game was initially a pure defensive battle in the early going, with no points scored in the first quarter and the Bulldog defense even winning the turnover battle by getting a tipped interception midway through the quarter. 

This would spark the Toro defense to respond quickly out of the gate in the third quarter, tallying a total of seven sacks along with three interceptions from defensive backs Ivan Valenzuela (one INT) and Kash Skousen (two INTs) in the second half. A standout performance from linebacker Emmett Hawks saw him tally three tackles for loss and a sack, helping lead the Toro defense to a suffocating second-half display.

“We were just being relentless, always focusing on the next play,” Hawks said. “Just going 100% every single time, even when you're down, you just got to get that momentum back. And that's how you win games.

“It’s always fun, tackling people and hitting people; it’s always a joy.”

The Toros didn’t want to leave any room for error late in the fourth quarter this week after the scare versus Mesa last week, with Merwin and Bodily both getting large chunk plays on the ground to close out the game and seal the 36-15 victory.

Quarterback Brayden Merwin (running the ball, #2) scrambles for an 18-yard rushing touchdown to put the Toros ahead 36-15 in the fourth quarter and stamp a seal on victory. Merwin had two touchdowns and 118 yards through the air as well. (AZPreps365/Jabari Hinson)

 

“What I really love about our guys is that they're not needy football players,” Litten said. “They don’t need to have the ball; they don't care as long as they win.”

The Toros are looking forward to continuing their winning ways in two weeks with a big rivalry game against Red Mountain for the Brown Road Trophy next on the schedule.

“I've been told by multiple people that you can go 2-8 as long as those two wins are Mesa and Red Mountain,” Litten said. “And Red Mountain is our No. 1; it's a great school rivalry.

“We're going to try to win and bring back the Brown Road Trophy.”