MOUNTAIN VIEW — Mountain View High School football coach Brent Walk wondered how his team, comprised of five sophomore starters, would react after the Buffalos had a six-game winning streak come to an end last week.

Mountain View got some early help from two veteran players, and the underclassmen didn’t disappoint as the Buffalos cruised to a 45-0 win on Friday against Thermopolis in a Class 2A quarterfinal game.

“Things happen for a reason,” Walk said. “I talk to the kids about this all the time – don’t let the same mistake defeat you twice, and it didn’t defeat them.” 

The Buffalos (No. 1 West), who lost in the opening round of the playoffs last season, will host Wheatland (No. 2 East) in a semifinal game next Friday. Wheatland, which is tied for third in Class 2A, claimed a 37-6 win against Greybull (No. 3 West) on Friday night.

Mountain View, ranked second in Class 2A, suffered a 41-15 loss to Greybull in Week 8. The loss snapped a six-game winning streak where the Buffalos (7-2) had outscored their opponents 216-27.

“It was definitely a wakeup call,” Jason Stoddard said. “I think we’re just going to get better after that loss against Greybull. We’re definitely going to keep building.” 

Stoddard had three interceptions in the first half. The senior entered Friday’s contest as the top defender in Class 2A. Mountain View junior Colby Rees was close behind at No. 2 in defensive points.

Stoddard had his first pick on the Bobcats’ opening drive. Rees followed with an interception on their second drive. Both turnovers resulted in a short field and two quick scores that gave Mountain View a 14-0 lead with 7:06 to play in the first quarter. 

The Buffalos controlled the tempo the rest of the way.

“Last year we lost in the first round,” Rees said. “We didn’t want to lose in the first round again. Now, we don’t want to lose in the second round.” 

Sophomores Braeden Walk and Kimball Madsen did a little bit of everything for the Buffalos, who have outscored opponents 276-86 this season.

Braeden Walk threw for two scores, ran for one, and caught a touchdown pass from Madsen. Madsen also threw for two scores and had a touchdown reception. The duo split time behind center.

“The kids are playing great,” Brent Walk said. “I’ve got the best job in the word and I would tell anybody that. I get the opportunity to coach this, and these kids are just absolutely amazing. I’m very proud of them.” 

Braeden Walk was 8 of 10 through the air for 136 yards. Madsen completed 8 of 8 passes for 85 yards. 

That was hardly it for Mountain View, offensively.

Briggin Bluemel ran for two touchdowns and had a touchdown reception. The sophomore had 27 yards rushing on 19 carries and caught four passes for 44 yards. He also blocked a punt a recovered the loose ball to set up one of his scores.

Stoddard added a touchdown reception and finished with a team-high seven receptions on the day for 90 yards for the Buffalos, who finished with 422 yards on offense.

“When everybody does their job, and we all work as hard as we possibly can, I don’t think anyone can stop us,” Stoddard said.

Mountain View has been successful at doing the stopping. 

The Buffalos entered the contest ranked first in team defense in Class 2A. Coming into the game, opponents were averaging 216.6 yards per games against Mountain View.

Thermopolis got less than that with 140 yards of total offense. The No. 4 team in the East ended the season with a 3-6 record.

“In our defensive scheme, there’s no holes in it,” Brent Walk said. “We have an answer for everything they do. First thing, you have to be aligned. Then, you have to take care of your assignment. The kids did that.”

SCORING SUMMARY

Braeden Walk 11-yard run. Jason Stoddard kick. Mountain View 7, Thermopolis 0. 10:26 1Q

Walk 36-yard pass to Kimball Madsen. Stoddard kick. Mountain View 14, Thermopolis 0. 7:06 1Q

Briggin Bluemel six-yard run. Kick failed. Mountain View 20, Thermopolis 0. 3:06 1Q

Walk 22-yard pass to Stoddard. Two-point attempt failed. Mountain View 26, Thermopolis 0. 11:18 2Q

Bluemel one-yard run. Kick blocked. Mountain View 32, Thermopolis 0. 8:19 2Q

Madsen 14-yard pass to Bluemel. Kick failed. Mountain View 38, Thermopolis 0. 3:45 3Q

Madsen 10-yard pass to Walk. Stoddard kick. Mountain View 45, Thermopolis 0. 7:16 4Q

SCORE BY QUARTER

Mountain View 20 12 6 7 — 45

Thermopolis 0 0 0 0 — 0