Week 1 kicks off: Mountain View defeats James Monroe

Not a bad time for your first one. That was the case for Mountain View’s Greg Outlaw. The Wildcat kicker was a member of the junior varsity team in 2008, but he hadn’t attempted a field goal in his football life.

That was until he drilled the game-winner from 25 yards out against James Monroe, last year’s Division 3 state champions. The boot gave Mountain View a 19-16 victory last Friday.

“I didn’t have a bad feeling about (the kick),” head coach Eric Cooke said. “I felt like everything was going to work out. The procedure looked good in the pre-game and in the week’s practice. We felt pretty confident going into it.”

The Yellow Jackets nearly completed a fantastic comeback. They trailed 16-0 in the early part of the fourth period. The offense came alive, sparked when Mike Latney scampered for a 10-yard touchdown with 10:54 to go. Quarterback Farkeem French connected via the air with star receiver Greg Edwards for a two-point conversion.

“I knew that they were capable of (coming back),” Cooke said. “They’re very talented. They have a winning tradition. It was definitely a concern. Before the game, I didn’t think that 16 points would hold up and keep them at bay.”

Edwards proved key on the next scoring drive with two receptions over 15 yards. Soon after, with just 1:16 remaining, Latney found the end zone again with a 36-yard run. He then knotted the contest with the two-point conversion.

The Wildcats could have easily been rattled by the Monroe uprising. However, it proved to be a spark.

“It was more of a rally,” quarterback Jordan King said. “We came together as a team.”

Mountain View, though, finished off the victory when its quarterback, Jordan King, led a two-minute drill. He found Aaron Williams for a critical 25-yard completion, which put them at the eight-yard line. That set up the clinching kick by Outlaw from the right hash.

Although King and his offense was in a pressure spot, he certainly wasn’t uncomfortable. After all, the Wildcats normally conduct a fast-paced, two-minute offense and were well prepared for late-game circumstances.

“We had been practicing that all week,” King said. “We knew it was going to come down to the wire. So, we were real confident when they tied it up.”

Massaponax rarely broke a sweat in its season opener against Spotsylvania.

The Panthers ran wild with 12 different ball carriers gaining 326 yards on the ground in a 69-0 home win.

A majority of the distance was covered by running back Najee Harris, who had 78 yards and three touchdowns on just five carries. All three scores came in the early going and contributed to Massaponax compiling a 28-0 lead after one period.

In fact, all facets of the game were working for the Panthers. The defense held the Knights to just three first downs, -19 rushing yards and 30 passing yards. Massaponax blocked Spotsylvania’s initial punt attempt. When the Panthers did let one get off, return man Jauan Latney returned it 58 yards for a third quarter touchdown.

Up next on Massaponax’s docket is a meeting at Courtland, another Division 4 opponent. The Cougars will be kicking off their 2009 season.

Brian Wright is a contributing writer for the Stafford County Sun and the content coordinator for CoachesAid.Virginia. Reach him at info@staffordcountysun.com.