Last game at Poletti Field is a Mount View win

A very historic football...This football, found in a trophy case at Big Creek High School, was used in a 1931 game in a 0-0 deadlock against Williamson, in the first season that the stadium that is known now as Mario Poletti Field was used. (Staff photo by Brian Woodson)

WAR - Excitement and sadness filled the air as the Mount View Golden Knights defeated the Big Creek Owls 28-24 Friday night in the final game ever to be played on Mario Poletti Field.

Unpredictable would be the only word to describe the first half of play.

Mount View moved the ball 43 yards on a five-play drive, only to fumble in the end zone, giving Big Creek a touchback, but the Owls could not capitalize. With 4:03 left in first quarter a bad snap would put Golden Knights on their own 27-yard line. With 2:27 on the clock, Brandon Cunningham would find his way into the end zone, giving the Knights a 6-0 lead.

“Big Creek played with a lot of emotion, we knew coming in here they would lay it on the line,” said Mount View head coach Leon Gravely. “We prevailed in the end even though it was tough. A game like this should get us ready for the playoffs.”

Mount View's lead would not last for long. As time expired, a personal foul penalty against the Knights would allow Big Creek one final play in the quarter. A holding penalty against the Owls moved them back 10 yards, but Shawn Golden was able to complete a 38-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Cooper to tie the game.

“I was on a scramble and stepped up into the pocket and saw Cooper open, and he caught the pass like he always does,” Golden said. “The touchdown gave us a lot of momentum, and at that point we knew we could play with them.”

With only 20 seconds gone in the next quarter, Cunningham would answer back with a 63-yard touchdown for the Knights, giving Mount View an eight-point lead. It didn't last long. After a 50-yard reception and a 7-yard run by Ricky Dunford, the senior back would find his way into the end zone from one yard out, decreasing the deficit to 14-12 at the break.

“I thought we had it. No one thought it would be that close but us,” Dunford said. “A play here and there and we would've had them.”

Shannon Thomas put Mount View on the board again in the third quarter on a three-yard scoring run and added two more with the two-point conversion. Golden would then complete a 30-yard touchdown pass to Nick Patterson for the Owls to decrease the Knights' lead to four points.

With four minutes left in the quarter, Cunningham scored against, busting through the Big Creek line to give the Knights another 10-point lead. Big Creek added a score in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run by Derek Bailey, but Mount View held on for the win.

Big Creek finished its final season on Poletti Field with a 5-5 record. Mount View improved to 7-3, and will participate in the Class AA playoffs next week. The opponent, time and place will be determined later this weekend.

- Contact Jessica Davis

jdavis@bdtonline.com

At Mario Poletti Field

Mount View (7-3)..............6 8 14 0 - 28

Big Creek (5-5)................6 6 6 6 - 24

First Quarter

MV-Cunningham 1 run (kick failed)

BC-Cooper 38 pass from Golden (kick failed)

Second Quarter

MV-Cunningham 63 run (run good)

BC-Dunford 1 run (run failed)

Third Quarter

BC-Patterson 30 pass from Golden (run failed)

MV-Cunningham 35 run (run failed)

Fourth Quarter

BC-Bailey 1 run (run failed)