Highlights from Week 2 of high school football
Here’s a look at what happened during Week 2 of the high school football season.
WHAT WE LEARNED
1. We will have a new mythical national champion this season after Bishop Gorman’s 55-game win streak was snapped against top-ranked Mater Dei (California).
The Gaels, who had finished the last three seasons ranked No. 1 by USA Today, hadn’t lost since Oct. 4, 2013. Gorman struggled defensively and in the run game, two things that were not characteristic during the streak.
The Monarchs had 461 yards of offense and held Gorman to 79 yards on 29 carries (2.7 yards per rush).
Gorman’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson passed for 344 yards, but he wasn’t efficient, completing just 41 percent of his passes and throwing a pair of interceptions. The Gaels still have two games against nationally ranked opponents before entering the Nevada portion of their schedule.
2. The Class 3A is a mess right now. Top-ranked Desert Pines lost its second consecutive game, and the Jaguars still haven’t scored a point. They didn’t look good against Arbor View, but had several players not in pads as they await clearance from the Clark County School District.
If and when those players, many of whom would be starters, become eligible, the Jaguars will be a different team.
Second-ranked Virgin Valley, which won the Sunrise League title last season, dropped a stunner to Clark.
Only Moapa Valley (2-0) and Chaparral (2-0) have managed consecutive victories.
3. The Shadow Ridge running game is a monster. After rushing for 418 yards in Week 1, the Mustangs topped that with a school-record 578 yards this week in a 51-30 home win over Coronado.
Aubrey Nellems rushed for 255 yards on 20 carries and now has an area-best 396 rushing yards in two games. He finished with 341 rushing yards last season.
Kaejin Smith-Bejgrowicz has 160 yards on just four carries, and Elisha Young has rushed for 116 yards on six carries. Even quarterback Kody Presser is averaging 8.3 yards per carry and has scored five TDs.
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UPSET OF THE WEEK
Clark 49, Virgin Valley 26 — Virgin Valley entered the game ranked No. 2 in Class 3A led by Jayden Perkins, one of the area’s top running backs.
Clark, meanwhile, was coming off a road loss to a Boulder City team that dropped out of the Class 3A Sunrise League to play an independent schedule this season.
But the Chargers, who had lost nine consecutive games, were dominant against the Bulldogs. Aquantay Morris accounted for four touchdowns, rushing for 143 yards and two scores and catching four passes for 95 yards and two TDs.
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STANDOUT PERFORMANCES
Passing
Daxton Longman, Moapa Valley — 17-31 passing, 358 yards, 3 TDs
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Bishop Gorman — 16-39 passing, 344 yards, 2 TDs
Justin Aguilar, Clark — 16-29 passing, 277 yards, 4 TDs
Endy Diaz, Valley — 17-42 passing, 272 yards, 3 TDs
Dillan Otteson — Tonopah, 17-23 passing, 208 yards, 4 TDs
Rushing
Jordan Norwood, Cimarron-Memorial — 26 carries, 300 yards, 3 TDs
Aubrey Nellems, Shadow Ridge — 20 carries, 255 yards, 1 TD
Trayvon Ward, Sunrise Mountain — 22 carries, 201 yards, 3 TDs
Taariq Flowers, Del Sol — 21 carries, 189 yards, 1 TD
Bryan LaGrange, Sierra Vista — 17 carries, 188 yards, 2 TDs
Diamante Burton, Canyon Springs — 13 carries, 182 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving
Derek Reese, Moapa Valley — 7 catches, 227 yards, 3 TDs
Cedric Tillman, Bishop Gorman — 7 catches, 182 yards, 1 TD
Trayvon Mack-Escoto, Valley — 8 catches, 170 yards, 2 TDs
Ishmael Jones, Coronado — 3 catches, 160 yards, 2 TDs
Josh Wilson, Bonanza — 10 catches, 117 yards, 1 TD
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QUOTABLE
“My first thought when I first get the carry, I’m like ‘No dancing, no jiving. Kind of like boxing. First round, feel your opponent out. And the rest of the time, it’s work. Carry four or five, I’m like ‘You know what, time to take it to them.’”
— Shadow Ridge running back Aubrey Nellems, who rushed for 255 yards and a touchdown in a 51-30 home win over Coronado.
“We love to ball, and our defense just swarmed to the ball. That’s what we do.”
— Arbor View linebacker J.J. Tuinei, who had a sack and two tackles for loss in a 51-0 win over Desert Pines.
“We have a great team that fights the whole game. That’s a great last drive and I had no doubt in my mind that we were going to score there.”
— Green Valley quarterback A.J. Barilla after the Gators scored with 11 seconds left in a 24-21 home win over Centennial.
“I think we’re a big and physical team. In the second half, that can take effect, and it wears on a team.”
— Sierra Vista coach John Foss after his team’s 46-20 home victory over Basic.
“It feels great, because today we showed up even when everybody doubted us. I’m just going out and doing my job; doing my job for my team. I was just trying to get us the victory. That’s it.”
— Clark running back Aquantay Morris after he scored four touchdowns in a 49-26 upset of Virgin Valley.
“We knew we were going to be a little raw in our first game. We talked about staying in the fight. Keep fighting and, you never know, good things will happen. That’s how you overcome adversity. That says a lot about the character of our boys.”
— Spring Mountain coach Aaron Masden after his team rallied for a 28-24 win over Joshua Springs (California) in the team’s season opener.
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HOW THEY FARED
A look at how the teams in the Review-Journal rankings fared in Week 2.
Class 4A
1. Bishop Gorman (1-1) lost to Mater Dei (California), 35-21. Next: vs. Miami (Central), Friday.
2. Liberty (1-1) lost to American Heritage (Florida), 31-0. Next: vs. Alta (Utah) at Sam Boyd Stadium, Saturday.
3. Arbor View (2-0) beat Class 3A No. 1 Desert Pines, 51-0. Next: vs. Silverado, Friday.
4. Faith Lutheran (0-1) was idle. Next: vs. No. 7 Green Valley, Friday.
5. Foothill (2-0) beat No. 8 Palo Verde, 15-14. Next: at Class 3A No. 4 Chaparral, Friday, Sept. 15.
6. Legacy (1-0) plays Class 3A No. 5 Mojave, Saturday.
7. Green Valley (2-0) beat Centennial, 24-21. Next: at No. 4 Faith Lutheran, Friday.
8. Palo Verde (1-0) lost to No. 5 Foothill, 15-14. Next: vs. No. 6 Legacy, Friday.
9. Basic (2-0) lost to Sierra Vista, 46-20. Next: vs. Canyon Springs, Friday, Sept. 15.
10. Shadow Ridge (2-0) beat Coronado, 51-30. Next: at Class 3A No. 3 Moapa Valley, Friday.
Class 3A
1. Desert Pines (0-2) lost to Class 4A No. 3 Arbor View, 51-0. Next: vs. Las Vegas, Friday.
2. Virgin Valley (1-1) lost to Clark, 49-26. Next: vs. No. 5 Mojave, Friday.
3. Moapa Valley (2-0) beat Hurricane (Utah), 35-24. Next: vs. Class 4A No. 10 Shadow Ridge, Friday.
4. Chaparral (2-0) beat Pahrump Valley, 34-6. Next: at Eldorado, Friday.
5. Mojave (1-0) plays Class 4A No. 6 Legacy, Saturday.
Class 2A
1. Needles (1-0) was idle. Next: at Boulder City, Friday.
2. Lincoln County (1-1) beat White Pine, 20-0. Next: at Battle Mountain, Friday.
3. The Meadows (0-2) lost to Battle Mountain, 45-0. Next: at Laughlin, Thursday, Sept. 14.
4. Democracy Prep (0-1) lost to Yerington, 15-6. Next: vs. Calvary Chapel, Friday, Sept. 15.
5. Lake Mead (0-0) was idle. Next: at Indian Springs, Friday.
Class 1A
1. Pahranagat Valley (1-0) was idle. Next: vs. Independence, Friday.
2. Spring Mountain (1-0) beat Joshua Springs (California), 28-24. Next: at No. 5 Beaver Dam, Friday.
3. Beatty (0-0) was idle. Next: vs. Mammoth (California), Friday.
4. Tonopah (1-1) beat Independence, 72-31. Next: at No. 3 Beatty, Friday, Sept. 15.
5. Beaver Dam (0-1) was idle. Next: vs. No. 2 Spring Mountain, Friday.
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VIDEO COVERAGE
See the following stories for some of the RJs video coverage from Week 2.
Bishop Gorman’s 55-game win streak ends at Mater Dei
Arbor View runs over Desert Pines, 51-0
Aubrey Nellems leads Shadow Ridge to school record in victory over Coronado
Sierra Vista uses strong second half to rally past Basic
Roundup: Final drive leads Green Valley over Centennial
For complete coverage of all of the games from Week 2, visit nevadapreps.com.
