Wildcats' size advantage too much for Falcons

YORK -- Every team has to deal with adversity and it seemed that the Mountain Valley football team encountered different issues on a weekly basis. The trials and triutions eventually take its toll and that was evident in a Class B Campbell Conference quarterfinal playoff tilt last Friday night.

Mountain Valley lined up and held its own in the first quarter, but York had a clear size advantage and it proved to take its toll. Once the Wildcats ignited their running game the Falcons simply didn't have any answer and ended the season with a 43-0 loss.

York had a solid ground game that gained 305 yards, led by Sean Kelly, who gained 192 yards on 19 carries. Kelly's first of two touchdowns was a 37-yard run with 37 seconds left in the first quarter.

"We match up well with a lot of teams, but I never thought we matched up well with York at all," said MV coach Jim Aylward, well aware that York presented a bigger challenge. "I said it back in August and I'll say it again now; if you can get (Sean) Kelly up and running behind that (massive) line nobody is going to stop them. We just don't match up with them.''

During the regular season, the Falcons also traveled to York and encountered heavy rain with standing water on the field, but despite the inclement weather, Jake Theriault ran in a four-yard touchdown and Dom Haines returned an interception 52 yards for a TD, for a 12-0 lead. York was too much and rallied for a 14-12 win.

MV quarterback Ryan Nicols and the offense couldn't generate a sustained drive in the quarterfinal. It was the third time the Falcons had been shut out in four games.

York (7-2) opened things up by scoring 21 points in the second quarter, including an 80-yard run by Kelly. QB Ross Hogan threw his first of two TD passes and the Wildcats led 21-0 at halftime.

"You go in our locker room and cut the pads off, and we're really not a big team," said Aylward. "We have one kid that's 300 pounds, but that's about it. Because of their front, we were concerned about that."

York beat the Falcons in their first-ever Western Regional final in 1989 and also again in the 2007 Regional final, both games were played in Rumford.