Silverado rebounds in rout of Green Valley
As part of the homecoming festivities at Green Valley on Friday, a “smash car” painted in Silverado’s school colors was parked outside the stadium, and fans paid money to hit it with a sledgehammer.
The scene didn’t go over well with the Skyhawks.
“Our guys walk by that, and they’re sitting there beating this, and it’s like that’s the Silverado Skyhawks,” Silverado football coach Randall Cunningham said. “So it kind of rubbed us the wrong way.”
Motivated by the pregame scene, the Skyhawks put the hurt on host Green Valley in a 35-7 victory before an estimated crowd of nearly 5,000.
Keikiokalani Misipeka rushed for 218 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries to lead No. 10 Silverado (5-1, 1-1 Southeast League), which bounced back from last week’s loss to Basic.
“To be able to come in here and know these guys are fired up, know it’s their homecoming … it creates a good atmosphere,” Cunningham said. “They had a lot of people here supporting them, and we just had to come and play ball.”
The Skyhawks limited Green Valley (3-3, 0-2) to 152 yards of total offense and forced three turnovers. The Gators’ longest play from scrimmage was a 15-yard pass from Kalyja Waialae to Christian Mayberry on the final drive of the game.
Julian Hulse finished with 82 yards on 25 carries for Green Valley, and Waialae went 13-for-28 for 76 yards and was intercepted once.
Green Valley’s score came on a 95-yard kickoff return by Braxton Harms in the third quarter.
“I just think our defense came out and did a great job tonight,” Cunningham said. “We were blitzing and then we were faking blitzing, and our (defensive backs) had to come up after the last game we played, and they did.”
The teams combined for 81 total yards in a scoreless first quarter, and Green Valley started two drives in Skyhawks territory in the first half but came up empty each time.
One play after Silverado linebacker Jordan Walker picked off Waialae, Misipeka jetted 65 yards for a touchdown to put Silverado on top 7-0 less than two minutes into the second quarter. On Green Valley’s next drive, Hulse was stripped behind the line of scrimmage, and Franco Rodriguez returned the ball 54 yards for a score.
“I liked what happened when Franco picked up the fumble, the scoop and go,” Cunningham said. “He scooped it up at the perfect time when the momentum had shifted our way. I told him, ‘We need a big game out of you,’ and he came out and shut the guys down.”
Misipeka’s 15-yard scoring run gave Silverado a 21-0 halftime lead, and he tacked on a 23-yard TD run early in the third quarter.
Carson Loosbrock, who replaced the ineffective Christian Baltodano at quarterback in the second quarter, tossed a 15-yard touchdown to Cameron Wiley on the first play of the fourth to give Silverado a 35-7 lead.
“Our kids, we’re not a losing team,” Cunningham said. “These kids are not losers. They win, and they like to win. That made a difference because we couldn’t drop two in a row.”
Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow on Twitter: @DavidSchoenLVRJ
Complete coverage of high school sports
