After celebrating a 47-point win at their homecoming game against Los Altos last week, the Mountain View Spartans (2-2) were unable to duplicate the effort.
Instead, the visiting Santa Clara Bruins (4-0) clawed their way to the top, with running back Adam Garza scoring two touchdowns in a 35-13 victory.
Santa Clara led throughout against Mountain View, which did not score until the second quarter.
A blocked Mountain View punt in the first quarter put Santa Clara on the Spartans’ 16-yard line for the start of their first offensive drive. That set up a touchdown pass by quarterback Daniel Chipres to Garza.
Santa Clara added another score with five minutes left in the first quarter on a 29-yard Chipres pass to receiver Dajon Thomas.
The Bruins made extended their lead to 21-0 early in the second quarter on a 36-yard scoring toss from Chipres to tight end Patrick McCaffrey. tofirst quarter aerly it a hat trick of first-quarter scores.
With less than three minutes to go in the first half, Mountain View finally started moving, beginning from its own 44. Spartans quarterback Will Fischer-Colbrie completed passes to receivers Marcus Jones and Austin Johnson, and an offsides penalty committed by Santa Clara blasted Mountain View to the Santa Clara 39-yard line. A Fischer-Colbrie 19-yard hookup to running back Frank Mires and a 20-yard scoring pass to Jones completed the drive.
Santa Clara led 21-7 at halftime.
“We came out flat in the first half, but we played pretty well in the second,” Spartan receiver Anthony Avery said. “If we had replicated our second-half performance in the first half, things could have been better.”
The Spartans hoped to make a second-half comeback. But incomplete passes, two sacks and two interceptions scuttled their effort. Even Jones’ fourth-quarter 95-yard touchdown kickoff return with one minute, 39 seconds left was not enough.
“We played hard. The outcome wasn’t in our favor, but we improved as the game progressed,” Kapp said.
Earlier in the quarter, the Bruins had added to their lead. One score came after an interception by defensive back Mike Ruvalcaba, setting up a long touchdown run. Running back Dion Perry scored the final Bruin touchdown on a 7-yard run through a host of Spartan defenders.
“Our defense played really strong all day against Mountain View, (which) is a good offensive team," Santa Clara coach Mark Krail said. "Offensively, we scored 35, so that’s (a) highlight. We gave up some yards and we have to clean up some penalties here and there, but all in all, it was a great effort, and I’m proud of the guys.”
Krail thinks the Bruins' effort proved they can compete against De Anza League teams.
“We’re coming up from the El Camino Division, and I think a lot of people wondered whether or not we could compete at the De Anza level,” Krail said. “Today the players proved that they can. I don’t know where we will finish, but today the players competed, and that’s all I ask.”
Santa Clara will meet host Saratoga (3-1) on Friday in the Falcons' homecoming game. Mountain View will travel to Milpitas -- which just upset Palo Alto -- meet the Trojans (3-1).
