By Matt Jocks
Correspondent
HEMET >> In a classic battle between football lightning and thunder, score one for thunder.
Rolling behind its massive offensive line and bulldozer running back Justin Keeling, Valley View was able to withstand the big-play attack of Hemet, scoring a 49-22 victory Friday.
The numbers told the story, as Keeling piled up 326 yards and five touchdowns on 43 carries. On the other side, Hemet passed for 330 yards and scored all of its touchdowns on plays of 50 or more yards.
Valley View (2-1) served notice early that there would be little subtlety to its attack. The Eagles fed Keeling 15 times, producing 180 yards, in the first quarter alone.
Running an up-tempo pace with an offensive line dotted with 300-pounders puts constant pressure on a defense. It paid off in the second half, when Keeling scored four of his touchdowns.
“They’re young and they’re still developing,” Valley View coach Dan Barlage said of his offensive line. “We work them very hard at this pace in practice.”
Keeling had one big burst, a 75-yard score in the first quarter that put the Eagles ahead to stay at 14-7. The rest was station to station, as Valley View piled up 30 first downs.
Hemet (2-1) hung around in the game with explosive plays.
The Bulldogs also set the tone for their offense early, unleashing a 65-yard flanker pass from receiver Jay’lon Moore to Carl Mallett on their first play.
Mallett also pulled in a 50- yard scoring pass from Max Lundgren to pull Hemet within 28-16 late in the third quarter. The Bulldogs appeared to have momentum when they followed that score with a three-and-out defensive stand. Valley View’s Luke Baxter killed the momentum with a sack and forced fumble.
With multiple running backs nursing injuries, Hemet took to the air.
“Having that capability is huge,” he said. “I tell them that having a balanced offense doesn’t necessarily mean being 50-50 that night.”
(Story from The Press Enterprise, Saturday, September 8, 2017/Sports, Photos' by Hemet High Students from Yearbook, Multi-Media, and Broadcasting.)