Highlights from Week 11 of high school football
Here’s a look at what happened during Week 11 of the high school football season.
WHAT WE LEARNED
1. The Northeast League continues to belong to Canyon Springs.
The Pioneers defeated Legacy 24-16 on Thursday to claim a third consecutive league title.
Senior running back Jayvion Pugh saved his best for the final contest of the regular season, rushing for 123 yards to lead Canyon Springs, which has won 13 consecutive Northeast League games.
The Pioneers defense should make them dangerous in the postseason, especially if Pugh or fellow running back Martin Blake can give them a consistent offensive threat.
2. The “Henderson Bowl” rivalry always is one of the best in town. Next week’s version of the game between Green Valley and Basic figures to be a little more intense.
That’s because neither team is yet assured of a playoff berth. Green Valley is especially desperate, as the Gators sit at 1-3, a game behind Basic and Coronado for the Southeast League’s final two playoff spots.
Basic can clinch a berth with a win, but should the Gators win and Liberty beat Coronado, it would force a three-way tie, with tiebreaking procedures deciding the final two spots.
3. Sierra Vista’s freshman class is special.
D’Andre Washington showed that on Thursday. Washington rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries, caught a TD pass, intercepted a pass and returned a punt 66 yards to set up another score.
And he’s not the only freshman standout for the Mountain Lions. Quarterback Jayden Maiava has passed for 1,068 yards and 15 TDs with just three interceptions while sharing time with senior Jordan Solomon.
Solomon’s younger brother, Jett, is the team’s leading receiver with 31 catches for 403 yards and three scores. That trio should give opposing defenses fits for the next three years.
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UPSET OF THE WEEK
Clark 45, Desert Oasis 30 — The Chargers entered the game winless, while Desert Oasis still harbored playoff hopes.
Clark ended those, racking up 518 yards of offense to come from behind and beat the Diamondbacks. It ended Clark’s 13-game losing streak. The Chargers last won on Sept. 15, 2017.
Quarterback My’Quel Johnson and receiver Isaiah Veal both had huge games for Clark. Johnson passed for 347 yards and three TDs, and Veal had eight catches for 214 yards and two scores.
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STANDOUT PERFORMANCES
Passing
My’Quel Johnson, Clark — 18-29 passing, 347 yards, 3 TDs
Garrett Castro, Green Valley — 24-38 passing, 339 yards, 4 TDs
Koy Riggin, Foothill — 23-37 passing, 320 yards, 5 TDs
Andre Nevarez, Del Sol — 24-41 passing, 285 yards, 3 TDs
Sagan Gronauer, Faith Lutheran — 15-18 passing, 244 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing
De’vann Underwood, Mojave — 26 carries, 188 yards, 1 TD
Thorsten Balmer, Boulder City — 27 carries, 182 yards, 3 TDs
Aginae Cunningham, Sunrise Mountain — 17 carries, 165 yards, 1 TD
Amod Cianelli, Bishop Gorman — 9 carries, 148 yards, 2 TDs
Tau Fotu, Durango — 10 carries, 147 yards, 1 TD
Ikaika Ragsdale, Bishop Gorman — 7 carries, 138 yards, 2 TDs
Kyle Graham, Arbor View — 16 carries, 138 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving
Isaiah Veal, Clark — 8 catches, 214 yards, 2 TDs
Maalik Flowers, Del Sol — 10 catches, 168 yards, 1 TD
Ricci Patillo, Green Valley — 5 catches, 134 yards, 2 TDs
Jordan Blakely, Foothill — 9 catches, 132 yards, 2 TDs
Noah Geeser, Desert Oasis — 3 catches, 124 yards, 2 TDs
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QUOTABLE
“There’s a lot of great things waiting to happen. We play the game to compete against the best. You want to see where you are. That’s what we want to do.”
— Canyon Springs coach Gus McNair after his team’s 24-16 win over Legacy clinched the Northeast League title.
“We showed who we really are. Last week, it was one of our worst games and Liberty had one of its best games. We all had to play better.”
— Foothill senior Jordan Blakely after the Falcons bounced back from a loss to Liberty with a 46-25 victory over Green Valley.
“It has been hard. But coach teaches us always to have short term memory. So, we don’t dwell on the past each week. We acknowledge we lost, but we come back with a different motivation each week. Every game is a new week, every play is a new play.”
— Clark quarterback My’Quel Johnson after the Chargers snapped a 13-game losing streak with a 45-30 road win over Desert Oasis.
“Our defense was outstanding tonight. I’ll put our defense against anyone in the state. I told them at halftime that defense sometimes has to win games, and they came through.”
— Liberty coach Rich Muraco after the Patriots held Basic to 59 offensive yards in a 12-0 home win.
“I’m so happy for the kids. This is certainly what I came out of retirement for. Hopefully, we can play like this for three more games.”
— Cheyenne coach Pat Ward after the Desert Shields beat Sunrise Mountain 42-6 for their first playoff win in six years.
“We told our kids that they would have to give a perfect effort. I felt like a lot of people wrote us off this year, but we’re here and we made it.”
— Mojave coach Abraham Gonzalez after the Rattlers defeated Las Vegas 20-17 to clinch a postseason berth.
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HOW THEY FARED
A look at how the teams in the Nevada Preps rankings fared in Week 11.
Class 4A
1. Bishop Gorman (6-3) beat Spring Valley, 63-13. Next: at Clark, Friday, Nov. 2
2. Arbor View (9-1) beat Palo Verde, 49-0. Next: vs. Mojave, Friday, Nov. 2.
3. Liberty (4-4) beat No. 9 Basic, 12-0. Next: at Coronado, Friday, Nov. 2.
4. Desert Pines (7-2) beat Eldorado, 42-6. Next: vs. No. 7 Centennial, Friday, Nov. 2.
5. Foothill (8-1) beat Green Valley, 46-25. Next: vs. Chaparral, Friday, Nov. 2.
6. Faith Lutheran (6-4) beat Bonanza, 41-12. Next: vs. Legacy, Friday, Nov. 2.
7. Centennial (7-3) beat Cimarron-Memorial, 35-10. Next: at No. 4 Desert Pines, Friday, Nov. 2.
8. Canyon Springs (6-3) beat Legacy, 24-16. Next: vs. Palo Verde, Friday, Nov. 2.
9. Durango (5-5) lost to Sierra Vista, 41-19. Next: Desert Region playoffs, Friday, Nov. 9.
10. Basic (4-5) lost to No. 3 Liberty, 12-0. Next: vs. Green Valley, Friday, Nov. 2.
Class 3A
1. Moapa Valley (9-1) was idle. Next: vs. No. 4 Cheyenne, Friday, Nov. 2.
2. Pahrump Valley (6-3) was idle: Next: vs. No. 3 Boulder City, Friday, Nov. 2.
3. Boulder City (7-3) beat No. 5 Del Sol, 28-20. Next: at No. 2 Pahrump Valley, Friday, Nov. 2.
4. Cheyenne (9-2) beat Sunrise Mountain, 42-6. Next: at No. 1 Moapa Valley, Friday, Nov. 2.
5. Del Sol (5-6) lost to No. 3 Boulder City, 28-20. Next: season complete.
More preps: Follow all of our Nevada Preps coverage online at nevadapreps.com and @NevadaPreps on Twitter.
Contact prep sports editor Damon Seiters at dseiters@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4587. Follow @DamonSeiters on Twitter.
