What We Saw: Mountain View Prep 40, Woodruff 38

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NEWBERRY |</strong> The play that secured Mountain View Prep's wild 40-38 win over Woodruff on Friday was kind of a strange one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='349806' first='Bryson' last='Drummond']</strong>, who missed on just one pass all night for the Stars, said he was just trying to let one of his playmakers make a play. So, he kind of floated a third-and-a-mile pass after a penalty in the direction of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1395046' first='KD' last='Hainsworth']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hainsworth called it "a dime", despite the fact that the ball looked to be sailing well wide of him and dangerously close to a couple of Woodruff defenders. It wasn't a problem for Hainsworth. He snatched the ball out of the air with one hand, tucked it away, and raced 82 yards for a touchdown that gave the Stars a 40-31 lead, one they'd make hold up despite a late Woodruff touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I just threw it up and he went and grabbed it," Drummond said of the play. "I'm just trying to let my playmakers make plays."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hainsworth ended the night with five catches for 143 yards and a pair of scores, while rushing three times for 50 yards. He said instincts took over on the big play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Any time the ball's in the air, I just want to go get it," he said. "It's just that mentality. And after that, it's to the crib."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Hainsworth and Drummond provided plenty of flash. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473001' first='Jaylen' last='McGill']</strong> brought the hammer. Mountain View's standout junior RB was brilliant, with 253 yards on 35 touches. He scored three times, including a 67-yarder on MVP's first offensive play of the second half to stake the Stars to a 24-10 lead and give them a true measure of control of the game for the first time all night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McGill said he could feel the big gain coming.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I just knew we were going to break loose soon," he said. "In the first half, it seemed like we were one block away. That one I broke, the long run, that was a well-blocked play. I kind of blacked out for a while. I felt that one. I knew I had to get in."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So facing a near-perfect QB performance, a monster game from a WR, and a workhorse RB, how did Woodruff stay in it? The Wolverines made big play after big play. There was a goal-line stand to limit MVP to three points on the first drive of the game, which Woodruff answered with a FG of its own. There was an 80-yard wheel route from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1253917' first='TJ' last='Morris']</strong> to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036753' first='Aiden' last='Gibson']</strong>, a play on which Gibson was never touched and one which immediately answered the Stars' first score. Gibson added a TD on the ground for the Wolverines, while Morris finished the night with three TD passes, including a 61-yarder to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1823666' first='Rhylan' last='Renfrow'] </strong>and a five-yard score to <strong>Dre Jenkins</strong> with 13 seconds left that gave Woodruff one last home, before MVP was able to recover an onside kick attempt and kill the clock.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And even with a ton of big offensive plays, the Wolverines' defense helped keep them in it as well, particularly in the first quarter. Their first true stop of the night ended up being one of the biggest plays, as Drummond tried to shovel the ball away after being hemmed up on a third down attempt. Instead, Woodruff's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592621' first='Jordan' last='Hood']</strong> ended up with the ball and rumbled 20 yards for a score, pulling the Wolverines to within three and setting up Hainsworth's heroics.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mountain View's defense did plenty as well. After a seesaw first half, the Stars got a couple of crucial stops to begin the second. Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1253952' first='Eli' last='Smith'] seemed to be all over the place all at once, demanding constant attention. [player_tooltip player_id='595830' first='Quay' last='McCauley'] made play after play, giving Morris chase and bringing him down for a couple of huge losses. <strong>Jet Hodge</strong> added a ton of pressure and a sack, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1149050' first='Kaevon' last='Washington']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1253999' first='Shamon' last='Black'] </strong>played well in the defensive backfield.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The win kept Mountain View perfect on the season, and gave them the inside track to a favorable playoff draw. But all that's down the road, and Hainsworth was celebrating the present after the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"This is one of the best teams I've ever been a part of," he said. "It's going to go down in the books. Without them, I couldn't do anything. I love this team, man."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->