By Rich Whittington
(El Monte) -The El Monte Lions took advantage of some Senior Night magic Thursday evening, defeating the visiting Mt. View Vikings, 34-20, in what all but guarantees them a third-place Mission Valley League finish and an outside chance at an “At-large” playoff berth.
The Lions scored the first points of the contest. After a scoreless first quarter, the Lions went to work, scoring three times in the second period. The first score came on a 15-yard connection from Quarterback Alex Aleman to Wideout David Flores. The PAT was added by Kicker Bryan Gomes, making the score 7-0 with 7:27 remaining in the half.
The Lions added their second score just two minutes later. After a Mt. View fumble was recovered by Linebacker Aaron Rivera, Running Back David Ibarra found the endzone on a 1-yard TD blast. A second Gomes PAT made the score 14-0, with 5:11 remaining before halftime.
The Lions added their third score of the quarter when Aleman found Wide Receiver Noah Munoz for a 14-yard score. The PAT attempt was unsuccessful, making the score 20-0 as the first half ended.
The Vikings opened the scoring in the third quarter. Defensive Back Everardo Nunez intercepted an errant Brandon Do pass and returned it twenty-five yards for a defensive score. The PAT was added by Nathan Robles, making the score 21-7 with 7:37 remaining in the period.
El Monte countered, as Do scored on a 3-yard TD jaunt. The addition of another successful Gomes PAT made the score 27-7 after three-quarters of play.
Mt. View added its second score of the evening at the beginning of the game’s final quarter when Nunez scored on a 46-yard touchdown rush. A second Robles PAT moved the score to 27-14 with 11:46 remaining in regulation.
El Monte added its final score of the contest at the halfway point of the game’s final stanza when Do connected with Munoz for a game-sealing touchdown. A fourth successful Gomes PAT made the score 34-14 with 5:11 remaining in the game.
The Vikings found the endzone one more time as the game neared its end. Nunez scored his second rushing TD of the evening on a 2-yard dash. The 2-Point PAT attempt was unsuccessful, making the score 34-20 as time expired.
El Monte improved to 3-6, 2-2 in Mission Valley League play. The Lions conclude their MVL season play next Friday, 10/27/23 when they travel to Gabrielino to play the Eagles. Mountain View falls to 6-3, 2-2 in the MVL. The Vikings finish their league season next Friday as well when they host the South El Monte Eagles. The location for this meeting is to be determined. Kickoff for both contests is scheduled for 7:00 PM.
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MV’s coaching staff was out coached all night. They were one dimensional all game, that’s not going to cut it. If a 10 yr old kid from the stance knows what you’re going to call, there’s a problem. For a 6-2 team I was expecting to see more of a balanced offense. You made it easy for EM to beat you, all they had to do was stack the box all night. No outside threat whatsoever. I’m starting to question the teams you beat, they must of been horrible? Not impressed at all. Let’s hope you make the necessary changes next week against South.