Thunder record stands at 2-1 heading into battle against Storm

Mountain View Thunder (2-1)

Week 1: Mountain View 34, Ferris 7

Week 2: Union 26, Mountain View 21

Week 3: Mountain View 55, Battle Ground 22

Next: Mountain View vs. Skyview, 8 p.m. Friday at Kiggins Bowl

The Thunder have been passing the ball a lot more in recent years, and Friday, they showcased their new quarterback’s arm to the tune of six touchdown passes.

Yes, six TD passes!

My first year as a reporter in Clark County, 2001, the Mountain View Thunder went shotgun formation almost every play. They threw the ball 30, 40 times a game. Back then, this was really different. Now, a lot of teams throw the ball dozens of times. A lot of teams are in the pistol. Mountain View kind of started all of this for this region.

Now, today’s Mountain View is not exactly an all-the-time aerial display. However, the program does have the pass as another weapon.

Mountain View running back Andrew Gulliford (35)breaks free on a run during a Thunder win over Battle Ground. Photo by Mike Schultz

Friday night, the Thunder unleashed that weapon on the Battle Ground Tigers.

Glen Perry Jr., the quarterback and the team’s leading rusher the first two weeks, completed 16 of 21 passes for 314 yards and six touchdowns.

Six!

The first five touchdowns went to different receivers, too:

30 yards to Makai Anderson
52 yards to Mitchell Delmage
12 yards to Jack Mertens
9 yards to Rodolfo Montiel
32 yards to Philip Earnhardt

Perry found Montiel on a 37-yard touchdown for his sixth TD pass.

Hey, I’m open:

The 12-yard touchdown pass to Mertens was a fine throw and a better catch in decent coverage. Perry put the ball in the right place for his guy, Mertens, to make a play. Mertens did just that.
However, the ball probably should have gone elsewhere. (Yes, it was going so well for Mountain View that even when the quarterback missed another open receiver, he still threw for a touchdown!)

Seriously, Montiel ran straight down the middle of the field into the end zone and no one from the other team went with him. It was like a route in practice with no defense.

Perry did not see him, went to Mertens instead, and it was a touchdown.

At first I felt bad for Montiel. But a few minutes later, he got his own touchdown. And by the end of the night, he led the team in scoring because he was the only one with two touchdown receptions.

Just stay patient, right?

Defense gets into it, too:

Andrew Gulliford scooped up a fumble and returned it 45 yards to make it a running clock situation in the fourth quarter.
Earlier, Alex Hegel had one of the biggest hits of the night, crushing the quarterback as he was throwing the ball.

Coach Speak:

What did Adam Mathieson learn about his team in Week 3? “We need to do a better job in practice of coaching our guys to be more physical and disciplined at the point of attack … too many times we were caught on our heels with elevated pad levels. We will coach better this week in that area, and I am confident the guys will respond accordingly.”

MVP on offense: “It takes everyone,’’ Mathieson said. “People outside of our program can be the judge of this, but we always view it from a broader lens, thus, no part is ever more valuable than another — just many spokes in a big wheel working together.”

MVP on defense: “See above.”

Thoughts on Week 4 vs. Skyview:
“Skyview is unreal … their film appears to show everyone as 6-foot-2″ or taller and sturdy; I’m continually amazed by the sure size of the folks that they roll out,’’ Mathieson said. “They are dynamic, physical and experienced; we are looking forward to the opportunity that this game presents as we work to improve ourselves this week.”