The varsity football game held Friday, Oct. 23, between Mount Si and Juanita had the feel of a big final exam for both teams.

With a playoff berth on the line, both the Wildcats and Rebels knew they would have to play their best. Some observers expected a tight contest that would go down to the wire. What actually happened, though, was something no one expected.

Mount Si’s Chaz Blair scored a pair of touchdowns, and the Wildcats took advantage of two Juanita turnovers to dominate from the start to the 42-6 finish. Mount Si’s win, though, came at a big price, as star running back Matt Bankston was injured in the third quarter.

“It was 14-6 for a long time, and then we just exploded. We capitalized on their turnovers,” said Mount Si coach Charlie Kinnune. Rainy weather was key, he added.

“We call it Wildcat weather,” Kinnune said. “We feel like we should be able to do every part of our offense in all conditions.”

Mount Si got things rolling right away. After the defense forced a Rebel turnover on downs on their opening possession, the Wildcat offense went to work. A 51-yard pass from quarterback Chris Clark to receiver Jordin Kinnune set up Bankston, and he finished it off with a five-yard touchdown run. Late in the first quarter, on a third down and 23, Clark threw a 46-yard strike to Rossco Castagno that helped Mount Si to a 14-0 lead after one.

Cole Graves scored Juanita’s lone touchdown late in the second quarter, but both the Rebels and Wildcats were called for unsportsmanlike conduct penalties afterward.

Juanita’s foul sent their extra point try back to the 25-yard line, which was missed. It was 14-6 at the half.

Mount Si started on offense first in the second half, and devoured the clock. Bankston’s injury happened during this drive. He left with what looked to be a back or rib injury. After play resumed, a Wildcat fourth down conversion set up Blair’s first touchdown to make it 21-6. Mount Si used up more than eight minutes of the frame on that drive.

Juanita’s next possession ended with a fumble, which was recovered by Wildcat Alec Deichman.

“We had a pinch on, so I was slanting in toward the play,” Deichman said. “Ahmad (Korma) made a really big hit and the ball squirted out. I was just in the right position at the same time.”

That set up another Mount Si score, as Clark snuck it in for a touchdown late in the third to make it 28-6.

The Rebels got the ball back, but turned it on downs back to Mount Si at the beginning of the fourth period. Blair scored his second touchdown out of the Wildcats’ resulting drive. Following that, brothers Eric and Josh Murphy teamed up to recover Juanita’s second fumble of the game. Hendrickson finished off the scoring shortly thereafter with a touchdown, to make it 42-6 with 4:36 left in the contest.

Mount Si players, playoff berth in hand, then celebrated with the students after the final horn sounded.

“We knew that we could play with them,” Deichman said. “We knew if we played well, we could have a chance. What just happened out there, it’s huge for us.”

“The linemen, they did amazing,” added Jordin Kinnune. “They stood their ground.”

Mount Si hosts Liberty at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30.

“We’ll be ready,” Jordin Kinnune said.