Sierra Vista remains unbeaten with win over Clark

For the first time in 10 years, Sierra Vista is 4-0 and truly the Mountain Lions faithful have plenty to smile about.

Sierra Vista beat Clark 17-6 on Friday night.

The Mountain Lions scored on their opening possession and iced the game with touchdown late in the fourth quarter after a fumble recovery.

“We knew it was going to be a fight,” Sierra Vista coach John Foss said. “Hey, they (Clark) showed plenty of heart and didn’t quit. Yes, we missed some big play chances down the field but to get a win on the road is always a good feeling.”

That feeling started early for Sierra Vista, as the Mountain Lions drove for their first touchdown four minutes into the opening quarter. Bryan LaGrange did the honors with a 3-yard touchdown run.

The Chargers played tough, though, and came up with a key fourth-down stand and two third-and-short stops in the opening half.

Clark coach Don Willis reached into his bag of tricks, and called for a reverse pass late in the half. Receiver Nick Kinnard hit a wide-open Angel Storms on a 33-yard score just ahead of the two-minute warning, and the Chargers pulled within one, 7-6.

But the Mountain Lions answered right before halftime and Trevor Gentner connected on a 28-yard field goal.

Sierra Vista’s defense was all over Clark quarterback Isiah Bigby, who completed just five of 13 passes for 84 yards and rushed for 33 yards on 18 tries. Bigby, fighting Mountain Lion pressure, went down with a slight leg injury early in the fourth quarter and Justin Aguilar took over.

But Sierra Vista swallowed him up, too. He fumbled with three minutes left and Luis DeLaRosa recovered for Sierra Vista.

Mountain Lions quarterback signal caller Oscar Aliaga scored on the next play to keep Sierra Vista’s perfect record in tact.

“It was a battle,” said Foss. “You’re going to have some adversity at times and its how you respond that measures a person. We have a chance to do something really special, we just have to keep working hard and keep improving.”