Jack Kartsonis is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Mesa High School for AZPreps 365.com

The Mesa football team fought hard, but ultimately fell 63-30 in a rivalry matchup at Mountain View High School Friday.

The story of the night was Mountain View’s offense. The Toros gained 607 yards and scored nine touchdowns. Mesa’s defense struggled by giving up explosive plays.

“We let up a lot of big plays that we should have done better on,” Mesa junior linebacker Ezekiel Estep said.

The Mountain View rushing attack gained 423 total yards on the ground and averaged 11.75 yards per carry. Senior running back Reese Bodily totaled 318 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries.

“Our defensive line, they just got to do a better job at putting hands on the front line so we linebackers can scrape over and fill our gaps easier,” Estep said. “From Mountain View, we were seeing a lot of outside zones. We were practicing for that all week, but they were just beating us on it.”

“We gave up 63 points on defense,” Mesa head coach Chad DeGrenier said. “We got to get better. But we didn't do a good job on offense either. We got to help the defense out.”

Mesa’s offense converted only three of its 17 third- and fourth-down conversion attempts. This inability to extend drives kept the struggling Mesa defense on the field for long stretches of time.

Mesa’s effectiveness in the running game paled in comparison to Mountain View. The Jackrabbits gained 106 yards, averaging only 3.31 yards per carry.

What stifled the Mesa rushing attack was the heavy use of blitzing by Mountain View’s defense.

“Because they were blitzing everybody and sending seven to come in the box, it was harder to run,” Mesa senior quarterback Adrik Reed said. “We had to throw, and we had to get the ball out quick.”

Despite the blowout loss, there were a number of positives that came from Mesa’s performance. According to DeGrenier, Reed is continually improving at throwing from the pocket and making good decisions. The senior quarterback threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns, without committing any turnovers.

Senior wide receiver Griffen Yamamoto caught 12 of his 13 targets, for 139 yards and two touchdowns.

The Mesa special teams unit also looked strong, as senior Kelvin Holland's kickoff return for a touchdown provided a highlight play for the Jackrabbits.

“Special teams did a really good job tonight besides the missed extra point,” DeGrenier said. “But they were solid. Kick return and field goals were great.”

Although the loss came in a contested rivalry matchup, DeGrenier made it clear that this game doesn’t sting more than any other defeat this season.

“A loss is a loss. [It] hurts no matter what, no matter who you play,” DeGrenier said.

There will be little rest for the Jackrabbits, as Mesa looks toward facing Cesar Chavez High School at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25.

“We’ve got to come to practice tomorrow and just talk it through,” Estep said. “We’ve got to communicate better, because we obviously let up a lot of touchdowns from not communicating.”