Highlights from Week 1 of the high school football season
Here’s a look at what happened during Week 1 of the high school football season.
WHAT WE LEARNED
1. The “W” in Western finally stands for win again, and that’s something the players and school deserve. Friday’s 20-0 victory over Rancho ended what was officially a 43-game losing streak that was actually much longer.
The last win for the Warriors came via forfeit against Shadow Ridge on Aug. 31, 2012. The last time Western won on the field was Nov. 5, 2010.
“It was just an amazing night for our staff, our school, our student body, and our band is (still) rocking,” first-year coach Tyler Tuiasosopo said. “It was just awesome atmosphere at Western High School tonight.”
Twenty years ago, Western was a power in Nevada, and the Warriors won the state title in 1996. The Warriors won a league title in 2006, but haven’t really been relevant since, and haven’t made the postseason since 2007.
2. Virgin Valley’s Jayden Perkins might have become a little more dangerous. Perkins bulled his way to a huge junior season in 2016, rushing for 1,369 yards and 16 TDs on 276 carries.
He topped 100 yards on the ground again on Friday, but his receiving numbers were what stood out. Perkins had four catches for 168 yards and three TDs. Not bad for a player who caught nine passes for 113 yards last season.
3. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson won’t be the reason Bishop Gorman fails to win a fourth consecutive mythical national title.
Getting his first start after the graduation of state player of the year Tate Martell, Thompson-Robinson had a hand in five touchdowns in leading the fourth-ranked Gaels to a 35-23 win over No. 6 DeMatha Catholic (Maryland).
Thompson Robinson completed 19 of 23 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns and added two rushing scores.
But what might keep the Gaels from that national title is the lack of a running game and a deficiency in the secondary, where they have no returning starters. Gorman managed only 60 rushing yards on Friday, and allowed 243 passing yards against a quarterback making his first start.
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UPSET OF THE WEEK
Mojave 36, Del Sol 0 — This may not seem like a huge upset, considering Del Sol only won four games last season.
But the Dragons returned standout running back Taariq Flowers, and that alone seemed to be enough for them to be favored against a Mojave team that was 1-8 in 2016.
Instead, the Rattlers routed Del Sol, which was ranked No. 4 in the RJ’s Class 3A rankings. Tawee Walker rushed for 147 yards, but got plenty of help as 10 ball carriers finished with 270 rushing yards.
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STANDOUT PERFORMANCES
Passing
Sagan Gronoauer, Faith Lutheran — 30-41 passing, 340 yards, 2 TDs
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Bishop Gorman — 19-23 passing, 288 yards, 3 TDs
Paul Myro, Basic — 15-25 passing, 242 yards, 1 TD
Joshua Rose, Cheyenne — 13-29 passing, 242 yards, 1 TD
George Tribble, Cimarron-Memorial — 12-19 passing, 228 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing
Isaac Oliva, Foothill — 13 carries, 161 yards, 2 TDs
Thorston Balmer, Boulder City — 21 carries, 150 yards, 3 TDs
Tawee Walker, Mojave — 11 carries, 147 yards, 1 TD
Jaquari Hannie, Arbor View — 8 carries, 140 yards, 1 TD
Kevin Benoza, Spring Valley — 23 carries, 140 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Jayden Perkins, Virgin Valley — 4 catches, 168 yards, 3 TDs
Richard Lewis, Pahranagat Valley — 3 catches, 145 yards, 2 TDs
Antoine Clipper, Legacy — 6 catches, 140 yards, 2 TDs
Zack Grismanauskas, Basic — 4 catches, 125 yards, 1 TD
Derek Rose, Moapa Valley — 2 catches, 116 yards, 1 TD
Marcus Poole, Cimarron-Memorial — 3 catches, 113 yards, 1 TD
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QUOTABLE
“Man, I’m so happy right now. I couldn’t have done it without these coaches, man. I want everybody here, everybody who doubted us, to know we finally did it. We finally did it.”
— Western senior quarterback Joseph Medley after the Warriors beat Rancho 20-0 to snap a 43-game losing streak
“That’s always in the back of your head. You never want to really think about it. You’re never going to make the game as big as it is. You just kind of play your game, and that’s what I did tonight.”
— Bishop Gorman quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson on continuing the team’s 55-game win streak.
“Coming in for a junior, his first varsity game, he kept his poise and threw some good balls. Logan is still very young … I think in two years, when Logan has two years in the weight room, he’ll probably look like (Hayden).”
— Arbor View coach Dan Barnson on junior quarterback Logan Bollinger, who passed for 114 yards and three TDs in his first varsity start, replacing graduated older brother Hayden.
“Everyone thought we were going to do bad, but we came in here and proved them wrong. I think that shows what we’re about.”
— Palo Verde senior Jonathan Carpenter after his team’s 24-7 road win over Sierra Vista.
“That’s how I planned it, to set the momentum for the team. I got it going. That was something I wanted to do.”
— Foothill running back Isaac Oliva, who scored on a 70-yard run on the team’s first play from scrimmage in a 26-0 home win over Centennial.
“I didn’t expect so much running coming in since we passed a lot last year. From the flow of the game, our running game was working so we stuck with it. We got a lot of big bodies up front this year, so we used them.”
— Chaparral running back TyRay Collins, who rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries in a 14-6 road victory over Bonanza.
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HOW THEY FARED
A look at how the teams in the Review-Journal rankings fared this on the first Friday of the season.
Class 4A
1. Bishop Gorman (1-0) beat DeMatha Catholic (Maryland) 35-23. Next: at Mater Dei (California), Friday.
2. Liberty (0-0) was idle. Next: vs. Saguaro (Arizona), Saturday.
3. Arbor View (1-0) beat Las Vegas 59-7. Next: vs. Desert Pines, Friday.
4. Faith Lutheran (0-1) lost to Valor Christian (Colorado) 30-21. Next: at St. Pius X (Texas), Friday.
5. Sierra Vista (0-1) lost to Palo Verde 24-7. Next: vs. Basic, Friday.
Class 3A
1. Desert Pines (0-1) lost to Bishop Diego (California) 9-0. Next: at Arbor View, Friday.
2. Virgin Valley (1-0) beat Canyon View (Utah) 31-12. Next: at Clark, Friday.
3. Moapa Valley (1-0) beat Sunrise Mountain 13-12. Next: vs. Hurricane (Utah), Friday.
4. Chaparral (1-0) beat Bonanza 14-6. Next: vs. Pahrump Valley, Friday.
5. Del Sol (0-1) lost to Mojave 36-0. Next: at Cimarron-Memorial, Friday.
Class 2A
1. Lincoln County (0-1) lost to Dayton 44-38. Next: vs. White Pine, Friday.
2. Needles (0-0) was idle. Next: at Odyssey Institute (Arizona), Saturday.
3. The Meadows (0-1) lost to West Wendover 32-6. Next: at Battle Mountain, Friday.
4. Lake Mead (0-0) was idle. Next: at Indian Springs, Friday, Sept. 8.
5. Democracy Prep (0-0) was idle. Next: vs. Yerington, Friday.
Class 1A
1. Pahranagat Valley (1-0) beat Wells 50-8. Next: vs. Independence, Friday, Sept. 8.
2. Spring Mountain (0-0) was idle. Next: vs. Joshua Springs (California), Friday.
3. Beatty (0-0) was idle. Next: vs. Mammoth (Calif.), Friday, Sept. 8.
4. Tonopah (0-1) lost to Mineral County 82-56. Next: vs. Independence, Friday.
5. Beaver Dam (0-1) lost to Fredonia (Arizona) 51-6. Next: at El Capitan (Arizona), Friday.
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VIDEO COVERAGE
See the following stories for some of the RJs video coverage from Week 1.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson lifts Bishop Gorman to 55th straight win
Arbor Veiw junior QB impresses in varsity debut
Isaac Oliva sets tone as Foothill rolls past Centennial
Roundup: Palo Verde defense leads upset at Sierra Vista
For complete coverage of all of the games from Week 1, visit nevadapreps.com.
