Game of the Week: Montgomery halts St. Vincent’s unbeaten run

The crazy and outrageous things that Mason Hallin does on the football field have become mundane to Montgomery head coach Vertis Patton. When you see something so often it tends to have that effect.

So, what was going through Patton’s mind as Hallin broke free from the pile at Montgomery’s two-yard line and took off for a 98-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter of the Vikings’ game against St. Vincent?

“That’s Mason,” Patton said. “That’s what he does.”

The Mason Hallin Show was in full effect at Jason Franci Field on Friday night as he nearly single-handedly willed the Vikings to a 30-21 win over the Mustangs. It was the first loss of the season for St. Vincent, dropping it to 6-1 overall and 1-1 in the North Bay League-Redwood.

Other than putting the game away with his 98-yard scoring run, the Vikings’ two-way star finished with 115 rushing yards on four carries and a pair of rushing touchdowns and hauled in the game-clinching interception, his eighth of the season, on the heels of his long TD run.

“That’s what Mason does every game,” Patton said. “He plays big and he comes up with plays for us every game. He’s always wherever the ball is. I never expect anything crazy out of him because it’s just normal now.”

The win was huge for the Vikings, who improve to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in the Redwood Division. Coming off their disappointing 28-14 loss to Santa Rosa last week, Friday’s matchup was a must-win if they wanted any chance at the league banner.

Heading into their last two games of the season, those hopes are still alive.

“I don’t see us losing another game,” said Montgomery receiver Keegan Peterson, who finished with five catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns. “We’re going to get the pennant and we’re going to playoffs. That’s our mentality. We want a championship, we want a pennant. That’s our goal.”

St. Vincent, the top-ranked Division VII school in the North Coast Section, gave the Vikings a battle till the end.

Montgomery raced out to a 17-0 lead in the first half and appeared to have the visitors on the ropes early. But St. Vincent entered the game 6-0 for a reason: This team can flat-out play.

A five-yard touchdown run from star running back Kai Hall got them on the board late in the second quarter and then star wide receiver/defensive back Dante Antonini picked off Montgomery quarterback Lucas Foye as the Vikings tried to extend their lead. Antonini then hauled in an impressive 21-yard touchdown grab in double coverage to suddenly make it 17-14 just before the half.

The Mustangs got the ball out of the half and their first drive ended on a turnover on downs at Montgomery’s 37. But then Jake DeCarli stepped up, picking off Foye and returning the interception 35 yards for a score to give St. Vincent its first lead of the game at 21-17.

The Vikings were unable to answer on their next two possessions as the game entered the fourth quarter with the scoreboard still reading 21-17.

Then, they got their break. A few bad snaps from St. Vincent forced the Mustangs to punt from their end zone. It wasn’t a great punt, netting only 12 yards and giving the Vikings possession at the 17-yard line.

Hallin put Montgomery back on top with a three-yard score four plays later.

However, St. Vincent wasn’t finished. A few chunk plays got the Mustangs back within Montgomery’s 20 with about three minutes left in the fourth. They got down to the six and needed five yards on fourth down to keep the possession alive. They only got four.

A play later, Hallin was streaking down the field for his backbreaking score.

“I didn’t even know what happened,” he said. “I was just in a pile and then next thing I know I’m out of the pile running 98 yards for a touchdown. Great blocking from our offensive line.

“It felt like a movie, honestly,” he added. “It felt like I was in slow motion, everybody just screaming. Incredible, just crazy.”

For St. Vincent, Antonini finished with 91 rushing yards on 18 carries and had two catches for 38 yards and a score. Hall ended with 90 rushing yards on 22 carries with a touchdown.

St. Vincent now controls its own destiny in the league race going forward. They still have a date with Santa Rosa (4-3, 1-0) to end the season. A win over the Panthers could cause a logjam at the top of the Redwood standings if both Santa Rosa and Montgomery don’t drop another game.

“We hope St. Vincent can take down Santa Rosa, or somebody can, and if they do we’ll see where we’re at at the end of the year,” Patton said. “But we have to take care of us first and that’s all we can do.”