WELLS – Mountain Valley High School players and coaches walk a humble line, telling anybody who will listen that the Falcons aren’t the same team that won two of the last three Class B football championships. And the naked eye can tell, at times.

Boy, these final scores look eerily similar, though.

Justin Staires rushed for 253 yards and touchdowns of 18, 70, 65 and 44 yards Friday night, and the Falcons wore down Wells for a convincing 42-0 Campbell Conference victory at Warrior Memorial Field.

“The first quarter, I just didn’t think we were up to speed. We were lazy and everything,” said Staires, a 5-foot-8, 209-pound junior bowling ball who lined up at halfback, quarterback and even wingback for a series. “We were looking for one big play, and our team this year is not going to be able to rely on one big play.”

Maybe not, but the Falcons pecked away until it was time to enjoy the smorgasbord late in the second quarter and throughout the second half. Staires performed his handiwork on only 13 carries.

John Gorham added eight carries for 112 yards, and Matt Laubauskas hammered up the middle nine times for 56 yards and a score. The Falcons (2-0) rolled up 477 yards of total offense, all on the ground.

Mountain Valley has steamrolled its first two league opponents by an aggregate score of 108-0.

“I know some people think I’m sandbagging,” said Mountain Valley coach Jim Aylward. “I just want us to be a better football team at the end of the season than we are at the beginning. On August 13th, I was ready to jump off a bridge. Last night at practice was the first time I pulled our coaches aside and said, ‘We could become a pretty good football team.’ “

Wells (1-1) forced two punts on Mountain Valley’s first three series, and a 4-yard TD rush by Laubauskas left the Falcons on top only 6-0 late in the second quarter.

Pinned at the Mountain Valley 12 to begin the next drive, Gorham ripped off runs of 12, 14 and 38 yards to set up Staires’ 18-yard bounce to the right corner for his first TD. Keith Brennick tossed to Brady Fergola on a fake PAT attempt for two points and a 14-0 edge.

Nathan Woods stuffed Brett Moore to force three-and-out on the Warriors’ next series. On Mountain Valley’s next play, Staires stopped on a dime, shy of the Mountain Valley sideline, and then squirmed away from two would-be tacklers for his longest TD jaunt of the night with 1:57 left.

“I looked out there at one point in the second quarter and we were starting a freshman and three sophomores,” said Wells coach Tim Roche. “That’s not an excuse. That’s a great team over there. They’re very physical. Staires is a good back, no question. But no, we should be ready to play.”

Laubauskas (10 tackles), Dean McCrillis, Owen Jones, Travis Ruff, Andrew McCann and Staires highlighted a swarming defense that limited Wells to 119 total yards, and only 28 after the break. Max Sheing led the Warriors with 46 yards on eight carries.