Highlights from Week 7 of high school football
Here’s a look at what happened during Week 7 of the high school football season.
WHAT WE LEARNED
1. Liberty quarterback Kenyon Oblad might rewrite the state’s record book. According to the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association’s most recent football records, Oblad’s unofficial total of 509 yards on Friday against Foothill would be the state’s best mark in an 11-man game. Three players have topped that total, but all played eight-man. The previous 11-man mark was set by Liberty’s Tyler Newman with 496 yards in 2013 against Del Sol.
And considering Oblad is just a junior and should end up as a four-year starter for a team that has played deep into playoffs in recent years, plenty more records may fall before he’s done. Oblad has now passed for 2,056 yards and 21 TDs this season, giving him a career total of 7,402 yards and 71 touchdowns.
Bishop Gorman’s Jarrett Solomon set the career passing marks with 10,113 yards and 138 touchdowns from 2,009 to 2,012.
Newman holds the state record for passing yards in a season (3,988), and has the 11-man record for passing touchdowns in a game (nine).
2. Southern Nevada is home to some fantastic receiving duos. Liberty’s Darion Acohido and Ethan Dedeaux have helped Oblad rack up the passing yards, combining for 71 catches for 1,256 yards this season. But a couple other duos may be even more potent. Basic’s Frank Harris and DeShawn Eagles combined for 15 catches for 321 yards and four TDs on Friday in a 47-28 win over Coronado. Harris and Eagles now have 73 catches for 1,261 yards and 17 TDs.
Chaparral’s Kentrell Petite and Devin Gaddy have also been impossible to stop. They combined for five TD catches in a 57-0 win over Boulder City this week. They now have 74 catches for 1,471 yards and 21 TDs, and clearly are the top duo in Class 3A.
3. Las Vegas coach James Thurman was right about the running game being key to the outcome of his team’s game against Canyon Springs on Friday night. Unfortunately for Thurman, the Wildcats couldn’t keep star runners Elijah Hicks and DiQuan Brown on the field, and Canyon Springs took advantage to earn a 21-13 win and probably lock up the Northeast League crown.
Hicks went down on his first carry of the night. He returned and finished with five rushes for 30 yards. But he had to be helped off the field again after his first carry of the second half and didn’t return. His backup, DiQuan Brown, also hobbled off the field twice, and he didn’t play in the fourth quarter.
Without those two, Las Vegas wasn’t able to muster much offense against a strong Canyon Springs defense. Quarterback Zach Matlock finished 10-for-16 passing for 70 yards, but was intercepted twice. He had seven of those completions for 57 yards on Las Vegas’ final drive when the team emptied the backfield without Hicks and Brown.
— —
UPSET OF THE WEEK
Faith Lutheran 22, Legacy 19 — Legacy entered the game undefeated and ranked fourth in the latest coaches poll, while Faith Lutheran was sub-.500 after moving up from Class 3A (then Division I-A) to Class 4A this season.
But the Crusaders were able to hang with the Longhorns despite a 308-yard rushing performance by Legacy’s Samuel Turner. Faith Lutheran finally took the lead when Sagan Gronauer hit Elijah Kothe with a 48-yard TD pass with 1:48 to play, and Josh Hong sealed the win with an interception in the final minute.
— —
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES
Passing
Kenyon Oblad, Liberty — 24-31 passing, 509 yards, 6 TDs
Aaron McAllister, Basic — 23-27 passing, 406 yards, 6 TDs
Tabor Maxwell, Pahranagat Valley — 14-20 passing, 360 yards, 5 TDs
Cannon Reid, Bonanza — 14-34 passing, 306 yards, 2 TDs
Santiago Vialpando, Chaparral — 18-25 passing, 305 yards, 6 TDs
Rushing
Samuel Turner, Legacy — 42 carries, 308 yards, TD
Keikiokalani Misipeka — Silverado, 23 carries, 218 yards, 3 TDs
BIaggio Ali Walsh, Bishop Gorman — 12 carries, 176 yards, TD
Tyree Riley, Cimarron-Memorial — 27 carries, 173 yards
Isaiah Morris, Desert Pines — 12 carries, 170 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving
R.J. McCarter, Bonanza — 7 catches, 220 yards, 2 TDs
Frank Harris, Basic — 5 catches, 190 yards, TD
Devin Gaddy, Chaparral, 5 catches, 154 yards, 2 TDs
Ethan Dedeaux, Liberty, 4 catches, 142 yards, 2 TDs
Culen Highbe, Pahranagat Valley, 3 catches, 141 yards, 2 TDs
— —
QUOTABLE
“Our kids, we’re not a losing team. 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.”
— Silverado coach Randall Cunningham after his team’s 35-7 win over Green Valley.
“I don’t want to say it’s a different Arbor View, because we do what we do, but him and the guys that he throws to allows us to change things up. We work (the passing game) a lot more than people think we do, and it’s showing.”
— Arbor View coach Dan Barnson after quarterback Hayden Bollinger passed for 157 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-7 win over Centennial.
“Isaiah, I think, is the best player in the city. You give him the ball, he’s electric. He makes magic happen.”
— Desert Pines coach Tico Rodriguez on running back Isaiah Morris, who had 170 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a 31-14 win over Cheyenne.
“The coaches are more comfortable, the kids are more comfortable, they understand the expectations, and they’ve accepted the grind. The kids were anxious to get back on the field after last week’s loss. Anytime you play Arbor (View), it’s a big game for us. For it to end the way it did, it was disappointing. But the kids got after it this week and came out with the ‘W.’ ”
— Shadow Ridge coach Travis Foster, whose team bounced back from a loss against Arbor View to defeat visiting Cimarron-Memorial, 21-10.
“Anytime you have multiple touchdowns, it’s a great game. Our receivers just have pure speed and (Foothill’s corners) couldn’t match up with them.”
— Liberty quarterback Kenyon Oblad, who passed for 509 yards and six touchdowns in a 62-14 win over Foothill.
“I have great confidence. I trust them and they have trust in me. As long as I keep getting them the ball, they trust me more and more.”
— Basic quarterback Aaron McAllister on his team’s receivers. McAllister completed 23 of 27 passes for 406 yards and six touchdowns in a 47-28 win over Coronado.
“When we play our brand of football and stay after it, we see that we can compete against this level of talent,. Leading up to tonight we have not played a full game. Against teams of this caliber it’s hard to dig out of hole.”
— Faith Lutheran coach Vernon Fox after his team’s 22-19 upset win over No. 4 Legacy.
— —
HOW THEY FARED
A look at how the top 10 teams in the Southern Nevada Football Coaches Poll fared in Week 7.
1. Bishop Gorman (7-0) beat Spring Valley, 69-13. Next: vs. Clark, Friday
2. Liberty (5-1) beat Foothill, 62-14. Next: vs. Coronado, Friday.
3. Arbor View (5-1) beat No.9 Centennial, 28-7. Next: vs. Palo Verde, Friday.
4. Legacy (5-1) lost to Faith Lutheran, 22-19. Next: vs. No. 3 Arbor View, Thursday, Oct. 20.
5. Desert Pines (6-1) beat Cheyenne, 31-14. Next: at Sunrise Mountain, Friday.
6. Basic (5-1) beat Coronado, 47-28. Next: vs. Green Valley, Friday.
7. Canyon Springs (6-1) beat No. 8 Las Vegas, 21-13. Next: vs. Eldorado, Friday, Oct. 21.
8. Las Vegas (4-2) lost to No. 7 Canyon Springs, 21-13. Next: at Eldorado, Friday.
9. Centennial (2-4) lost to No. 3 Arbor View, 28-7. Next: at Shadow Ridge, Friday.
9. Silverado (5-1) beat Green Valley, 35-7. Next: vs. Foothill, Thursday.
For complete coverage of all of the games from Week 7, visit nevadapreps.com.
