Friday recap: Desert Pines snaps skid; realignment underway
Desert Pines football coach Jose Flores admitted things were down around his program.
The Jaguars were on a four-game losing skid as they started to get into the swing of Class 5A Division I league play.
But the tide turned in Desert Pines’ favor Friday night. The Jaguars won a 50-31 shootout against Basic on their homecoming game.
“It was very much needed,” Flores said. “We needed some positivity in the building. … I could just feel it if we didn’t win this game, it could have gone really bad, but having this win was huge.”
Sophomore running back Marcus Williams rushed for two touchdowns, and defensive lineman-turned-quarterback Zeyshawn Martin passed for two touchdowns for Desert Pines (2-4, 1-1 5A Division I). Majik McMillion had an interception on defense.
Basic (1-5, 0-1) scored first, but Williams quickly answered with a long touchdown run, and Desert Pines started to pull away. The Wolves cut into the lead 36-31 in the second half, but the Jaguars added two more scores and buckled down defensively.
“We finally came together,” Flores said. “We’ve had some hard losses, but we finally came tougher. And it showed a little bit (on Friday).”
Flores said he noticed a lot more positivity leading up to the game. The biggest sign of that was when he saw the whole team bonding together during the pregame meal in the weight room. Things were going so well that he had to break it up so the Jaguars wouldn’t fall behind schedule before their pregame walkthrough.
“That was just a difference in the game and what we’ve been dealing with is just guys being more positive,” Flores said. “At the end of the day, negativity never works.”
It hasn’t been easy for Flores in his first season. Several standout players from last year’s team transferred to out-of-state schools. The Jaguars have relied heavily on freshmen and sophomores, and most of their top contributors play both ways.
Martin, a senior, was put into the toughest position when former quarterback AJ Stowers transferred just a few weeks before the season. Flores praised Martin for battling through the frustration and embracing the role he’s in.
“I’m proud of that kid for how much he’s grown up,” Flores said. “We basically forced (Martin) to play quarterback. … He showed a lot (Friday). There were times where he had bad throws, but there are times where he showed his poise and made the right reads and had two great deep balls.”
Things won’t get easier for Desert Pines. The Jaguars play at Arbor View at 1 p.m. Saturday and host Liberty on a short week Oct. 10. Flores said he’s focusing on the positive of having an extra day to review and show his team “good film” of what they’re capable of when they play their best and eliminate mistakes.
“Let’s try our best to play a clean game and let’s see what happens,” Flores said. “That’s where my mindset is at.”
Realignment update
It feels like the saga that led to the current football alignment has just concluded, but everyone’s favorite process is getting back underway. The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association has begun the process for realignment in all sports for the upcoming three school years, 2025 to 2028.
At an NIAA Board of Control meeting Tuesday in Las Vegas, the board approved policies and procedures for the Realignment Committee to move forward on proposals for soccer, girls volleyball, cross country, tennis and girls golf.
But (unsurprisingly) there was some pushback on football’s structure.
While the board approved policies and procedures for 3A, 2A and 1A football, the board sent back the policies and procedures for 5A and 4A football to the Realignment Committee to review and come up with a proposal with fewer than seven state championship games.
An NIAA spokesperson said the Realignment Committee will meet again in October to come up with a proposal for 5A and 4A football for the board to consider at a special meeting before a Dec. 3 realignment meeting.
The current football alignment has split 5A into three divisions and introduced promotion and relegation. It’s also created seven state championship games, which has created issues in finding venues for all the title games.
Title game venue change
Also at the meeting, the board said it could move this season’s 5A Division III state title game to Bishop Gorman so the 1A state title game could be played at Allegiant Stadium. The Raiders have allowed the NIAA to play its state title games at their stadium for no cost, but the NIAA can only host up to four games in one day.
Southern Nevada is scheduled to host five state championship games — 5A Division I, 5A Division III, 4A, 3A and 1A. The 2A state title game could also be played in Southern Nevada if two Southern teams reach the title game, but 3A and 1A could move up north if two Northern teams advance to the title game.
The 5A Division II title game is scheduled for Damonte Ranch in Reno.
Up next
Local high school football teams will have an extra day of rest. The Rosh Hashanah holiday has pushed all games this week to Saturday, with a mixture of afternoon and night games.
Legacy hosts Shadow Ridge at 6 p.m. in a 5A Division II Southern League showdown that is the top game of the week. Foothill (5-0, 1-0 5A Division I) puts its perfect record to the test at Bishop Gorman at 6 p.m. At 1 p.m., Arbor View hosts Desert Pines, Coronado plays at Basic, and Sunrise Mountain hosts Durango.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.