Mountainside holds a top-10 spot in the OSAA 6A football coaches poll after back-to-back wins pushed the Mavericks to 2-1.

The Bethany-area school sits at No. 8 in the Week 2 poll, slipping one spot from No. 7 the week before. Mountainside collected 35 poll points, down from 43 in Week 1, according to the Beaverton Valley Times. North Medford, previously unranked, jumped into the poll at No. 7 with a 2-1 record.

The Mavericks weren't even ranked in the preseason poll. They received just 17 votes in August, landing in the "others receiving significant votes" category, according to the Hillsboro News-Times.

Two other 2-1 teams, Oregon City and Lakeridge, dropped out of the poll entirely after Week 2. Mountainside held on.

Head coach Keanon Lowe's squad opened the season with a 52-13 loss at No. 3 Tualatin on Aug. 28 but has won two straight since. The Mavericks beat Glencoe 28-17 on Sept. 4 and topped West Salem 39-27 on Sept. 11.

Senior running back Reece Ballew has been the engine. In the season opener against Tualatin, Ballew carried 15 times for 104 yards and caught three passes for 94 yards, according to the Hillsboro News-Times. He scored first in that game, breaking a 41-yard touchdown run up the middle in the first quarter.

Quarterback Mason Severson went 21 of 41 for 242 yards. Receiver Kai Paler caught seven passes for 77 yards.

Ballew, a 5-foot-9, 175-pound two-way player, made the all-Metro League second team as a sophomore with 522 yards and six touchdowns. A shoulder injury cut his junior season short after three games.

He returned in the spring to qualify for the 6A track and field state meet in the 100 and 200 meters, anchoring the 4x100 relay to a third-place finish. He ran a 10.76-second 100 meters.

"He is poised to be one of the top backs in the state with his elusive running style and home-run ability," Lowe said of Ballew in an Aug. 27 OregonLive preseason feature.

Lake Oswego leads the 6A poll at No. 1 with a 3-0 record and 14 first-place votes. West Linn sits at No. 2 and Tualatin at No. 3.

The coaches poll is unofficial. It has no impact on the OSAA's RPI and Colley ratings that determine playoff seedings.

Mountainside travels to Lakeridge on Friday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m.