RUMFORD — It has been a season of ups and downs for the Mountain Valley football team, but the Falcons were well aware the momentum could shift in their regular-season finale Saturday night.

The Falcons had something to prove, and were not going to be denied.

Quarterback Ryan Nicols threw three touchdowns — including two to Jake Theriault — and the Falcons defense came up big on several occasions in a 32-6 win over Cape Elizabeth at Chet Bulger Field.

Mountain Valley and Cape Elizabeth were each assured of qualifying for the Class B Campbell Conference playoffs, so the “rivals” knew this tilt was a matter of pride.

“I’m very proud of our seniors,” said Mountain Valley coach Jim Alyward. “They’ve dealt with adverse situations all season.”

Mountain Valley (3-5) was forced to punt on its first series, but then scored on three of the next four possessions in the first half. The defense set up the biggest momentum buster, stopping Cape in the red zone on the Falcons’ 9-yard line. On the ensuing play, Nicols threw a high-archer to Theriaut for a 33-yard touchdown with 16.4 seconds left in the first half. Caleb Gauvin caught the two-point conversion to give the Falcons a 20-0 lead.

“That was really big for us,” said Nicols, who had a career best 7-of-8 for 142 yards passing and three TDs. “I saw Jake line up with man-to-man coverage and thought, yes. So, I let it fly. “

Cape Elizabeth (3-5), seeded No. 7 for next week playoffs, relied on the running of Nick Moulton (80 yards, 19 carries) and Tony Moulton (30 yards, nine carries) through out the first half. The tandem had success off tackle, but was bottled up by Falcon tackles Scott Nicols, Benjamin Ploude and Santos Rodriguez. Capers’ QB Noah Wolfinger was 5-for-15 for 62 yards, the longest being a 39 yarder to Cam Wilson in the third quarter. The 84-yard drive was caped off by Nick Moulton diving over from a yard out. 

On the ensuing possession, the Falcons answered with Matt Hosie (125 yards, 19 carries), who broke loose for a 61-yard TD. Hosie also scored from five yards in the second quarter. Colin Merrill gained 60 yards on 19 carries.

“I’m thrilled to watch them raise their helmets in victory,” Aylward said. “Especially at their last home game. They earned it.”

Dom Haines who intercepted a Wolfinger pass, then caught a pass in full stride for a 45-yard TD.

Nicols and Theriault hooked up for a 22-yard TD to open the scoring. The Falcons had gambled on fourth down and Tyler Smith caught a 15-yard pass for first down. 

“This was senior night and every one was pumped up,” said Theriault, who caught five passes for 80 yards. ”Granted the seniors played well, but even the underclassmen were into the game and it helped.”