Connor Deutsch was clear about who needed praise following Friday night’s road win over the Interlake Saints: Josh Mitchell and his compatriots on the Mount Si defensive line.

“All our defensive backs… stepped it up,” said the senior co-captain.

Mount Si handled the Saints 26-14, but it wasn’t quite a domination. Mount Si defenders had their hands full with Interlake no. 22, Jordan Todd, a senior running back with a penchant for breaking through lines and breaking away from tackles and grasping hands.

“He could have turned it around, but our DBs were very contained,” Deutsch said. “It saved touchdowns and it was great!”

Mount Si held Interlake scoreless in the first half, with the game following something of a pattern. Interlake’s carriers, led by Todd, moved the ball in big bursts, but were kept out of the endzone by tenacious defense.

Deutsch happened to be first on the board, as the offense got him close enough for a one-yard touchdown run at 6:29. Then junior Cameron Van Winkle fired up his feet on the night for a point, making things 7-0. Record-smasher Van Winkle kept it up, making a memorable 42-yard field goal at 1:14.

Next, with 7:25 left in the second quarter, Mount Si quarterback Ryan Atkinson cut into the clear on his right to send a smooth 28-yard pass to receiver Tyler Button for six points. Van Winkle provided the point after.

“It’s a combination of preparation and opportunity,” Button, a junior, said of the catch.

In the locker room during the half, “We talked about tackling no. 22,” Button said. “He’s a strong running back. We’ve got to do exactly what we did in the first half—come back and win.”

Following a scoreless third, the Todd train finally arrived, hauling the ball downfield to make things 17-6. Saints kicker Rigel Kuhn made the point after at 8:15.

Mount Si kept things on rails, though. Atkinson fired another 28-yard air package to Jimbo Davis to make it 23-7 at 4:50. At the two-minute mark, Van Winkle delivered his fourth successful kick of the night, a 39-yard field goal to make it 26-7.

Interlake kept on until the end. Ryan Turman caught a touchdown reception from Kamana Adriano, then Kuhn made the kick with 37 seconds left, salvaging some of the home team’s pride.

“I’ll take a win any day of the week,” Deutsch said. Still, it took a lot of mind-over-matter on the night, with Mount Si trying out some new faces on the line.

“It was willpower,” he said. “Mentally, I think we’ve got to step it up for next week. We’ve got a big, big game. It’s Mercer. We’ve got to tackle and play our game.”

• Mount Si plays Mercer Island on the road, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7. You can follow the team at mtsihsfootball.com/.