Kyle McCartney is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Mountain View for APreps365.com

The Mountain View Toros fell to the Basha Bears 55-10 on Friday.

The game was just about all Basha, as visiting Mountain View struggled to get defensive stops and generate much offense. 

The atmosphere at Basha was electric from the moment the stadium lights came on, as they had a pregame parachutist drop and land on the 50 yard line. It was the school's homecoming game. The band played loud, and the student section was louder.

The environment produced immediate results as Basha’s Cole Martin returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. As the home crowd erupted, the Toros reeled, and tried to regroup after the opening miscue. 

“It’s a bad way to start the game, for sure. But it was a lot more than just that kickoff, it was a tough night for us,” said Mountain View coach Joe Germaine. 

The special teams struggles carried over to the defense for the Toros, as they allowed 27 points and six first downs in the game's first 13 minutes. Success came early through the air for the Bears, as the Toros struggled to find a defensive answer.

There were several instances where a play could have been made, but a shifty move from a Basha player or a defensive miscue turned what should’ve been negative plays into positive gains. 

“It’s tackling. We get there but we just don’t finish,” said senior linebacker Wilson Kerr.

As the first half drew to an end, the Toros defense allowed an 81-yard passing touchdown with just 1:10 left in the half, making it 34-3. Basha’s air attack gave Mountain View defensive backs trouble, as it continued to give up big plays due to broken coverages. 

The story of the second half was more of the same, but this time, Basha was determined to establish the run. Senior running back Deshaun Buchanan came out hot, and had several 10-plus yard runs that eventually led to touchdowns, which he had two of in the first six minutes of the second half. 

“The way that they ran the ball on us tonight, they pretty much could do whatever they wanted to do on offense,” Germaine said.

The Toros put up only two defensive stops against Basha's hurry-up offense. The defensive line failed to generate consistent pressure, which the Bears did well on the other side of the ball. 

“We went into this game expecting to get some big shots, but with the pressure we were facing, we just didn’t get that,” said senior wide receiver Zack Gaumont. 

The Mountain View Toros will face off against Chapparal next Friday, which will be their final non-section matchup. The Basha Bears will take on Cactus High School.