After coming off a loss to Mountain View, the Pumas were looking forward to rebounding and getting a win against Mountain Ridge at home last night. However, they fell short again losing 45-26 in an extremely emotional game.

Late in the second quarter, quarterback Austin Nightingale scrambled out of the pocket for a minimal gain, but more came out of it than just a first down.

The junior QB took a hard hit at the end of the play and was down on the sidelines for ten minutes in tremendous pain. Nightingale was unable to walk off the field on his own power and was carted off the field. According to a source, Nightingale suffered a torn ACL on the hard-hitting play and will likely miss the remainder of the season.

To start the second half, junior wide receiver Alec Monte came onto the field to play quarterback. The team rallied around Monte and although they could not get the passing game going, the offense began to run the ball well.

The PHS defense had no answers for Mountain Ridge’s running game, however. MRHS running back Zach Miiller had a record-breaking day, running for over 300 yards and 5 touchdowns – both of which are new school records for the Mountain Lions.

Next up for the Pumas is the pivotal Val Vista Rivalry game against Basha. The Pumas will host the game Oct. 4. The game is more than a rivalry game, however. The Arizona Cardinals selected the CUSD schools to be a “Pink Out” to support breast cancer awareness.

Perry Prime Time Sports will be broadcasting the game online as well.