Jacob Sampson didn’t need any motivational speeches on Friday night. The Mounds View senior quarterback and his teammates knew a victory over East Ridge would clinch a share of the Metro East sub-district title. And they responded accordingly. “There was a lot of motivation,” said Sampson, who threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for another to lead the Mustangs to a 35-14 road victory. “We knew what was at stake. That’s a good team we played tonight. But we had a great week of practice, and we came out and left it all on the field.” With the victory, Mounds View improves to 4-2 overall with two regular-season games to play, but closes out sub-district play with a record of 4-1. The Mustangs entered Friday tied atop the Metro East standings with both Stillwater (a team to they lost to 33-14 on Sept. 20) and Forest Lake (a team they beat 31-7 on Sept. 13). Forest Lake beat Woodbury 34-6, but Stillwater fell 24-17 to White Bear Lake on Friday – meaning the Rangers and Mounds View tie for the sub-district title, but the Mustangs hold the driver’s seat in the race for the No. 1 seed in the postseason by virtue of their head-to-head victory. “I’m really, really proud of these guys,” said Mounds View coach Aaron Moberg, whose team closes out the regular season with non-sub-district games at Park next Friday, then home against St. Michael-Albertville on Oct. 17. A 33-yard punt return by junior Ben Mugisa set the Mustangs up at the East Ridge 22-yard line on their first possession, then senior Ben Arnold scored on a 22-yard run two plays later. The Raptors had a chance to even the score after junior Blake Reutter picked off a pass on the Mustangs’ next possession, giving his team the ball at the Mounds View 35. But an interception by Mugisa got the Mustangs the ball back, setting up an eventual 26-yard screen pass to senior Mitchell Olson for a touchdown that extended the Mounds View lead to 14-0. “Every man was on the football tonight,” said Mugisa, who now has four interceptions this season. “We were able to show some physicality against this team. Last year, it didn’t go as well as we wanted it to (in a 21-14 loss to East Ridge). So, we were fired up to play them again.” The Raptors used some trickery on their next possession, gaining 29 yards on a fake punt to keep the drive alive. That set the stage for a 9-yard touchdown catch by senior Charles Green that cut the gap to seven. But the Mustangs struck again just before halftime on a 14-yard touchdown catch by junior Godson Rufus-Okomhanru that put Mounds View on top 21-7 at halftime. “They’re too good a team for us to make some of the mistakes we made early,” said East Ridge coach Dan Fritze, whose team fell to 3-3 overall. “But that’s a credit to them. They took advantage. “If you look at all their games this season, they could easily be undefeated. They’re that kind of team.” Sampson recorded his third touchdown pass when he connected with senior Jacob Jude on a 3-yard scoring strike with 5:33 to play in the third quarter. Jude also came up with a big interception in the end zone on 4th-and-goal for the Raptors from the Mustangs’ 5 in the fourth. East Ridge did cut the gap to 28-14 after an interception by senior Kyle Frendt set up a 1-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback Cedric Tomes with 6:11 to play. But Sampson scampered up the middle on a 24-yard touchdown run that closed out the scoring with 2:48 remaining. “He’s so dynamic in the way that he plays,” said Moberg of his starting quarterback. “He can hurt you on the ground or through the air. We have a number of skill players that he can distribute the ball to. “He’s in year two of this offense now and it’s like having another coach on the field.” That combination of experience and ability has already carried Mounds View to big things. But Sampson said his team isn’t planning to slow down now. “The last couple of years in this program have been a little shaky, but now we’re proving what we’re capable of doing,” he said. “It’s an awesome feeling. We’re really excited as a team. But we still have a lot of season to go.” Related Articles High School Sports | High School football roundup: White Bear Lake surprises Stillwater High School Sports | Stillwater sophomore goes into cardiac arrest during football practice; family raises money for CPR training High School Sports | High school football: Week 6 predictions High School Sports | High School Football Roundup: Forest Lake upends Stillwater in overtime High School Sports | Long late drive keys Lakeville North 36-33 win over Eagan