Highlights from Week 2 of high school football

WHAT WE LEARNED

1. Southern Nevada football continues to make big strides. It wasn’t really that long ago that even mighty Gorman didn’t fare well against out-of-state opponents, especially on the road. While that’s certainly no longer the case, the rest of the area’s teams have continued to struggle against teams from other states.

But Liberty’s 21-14 victory over Westlake (Texas) proves that Gorman isn’t the only area team that can compete on a national level. The Chaparrals came into the game ranked No. 16 in the nation by USA Today. Even though they played without starting quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who underwent knee surgery on Tuesday, Liberty’s win was about as big as they come.

It was probably bigger than Gorman beating Cedar Hill (Texas) in Week 1, because fewer people expected the Patriots to compete with a Texas power. They won’t make that mistake again.

2. Gorman’s talent is staggering. The Gaels played Friday without reigning state player of the year Biaggio Ali Walsh, who was nursing an ankle injury. Star receiver Tyjon Lindsey is injured and still hasn’t been cleared to play after transferring back to Gorman from Centennial (California) last month.

It didn’t matter, as the Gaels rolled to a 46-10 win over Cocoa (Florida), a team that has advanced to the state semifinals in a football-crazed state for the past four seasons.

3. Basic’s games are going to be fun to watch, as long as you don’t care much about defense. The Wolves put up 65 points on Friday, and have scored 120 points in two weeks.

They’ve also given up 92 points, including 44 to Chaparral on Friday. Cowboys quarterback Santiago Vialpando actually had the biggest night, topping 300 yards passing and throwing five TD passes. But Basic was better overall, producing points on eight of nine drives.

Frank Harris continues to be a nightmare for opposing teams. He’s now returned three kickoffs for touchdowns to go along with three TD receptions.

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UPSET OF THE WEEK

Liberty 21, Westlake (Texas) 14 — Kenyon Oblad and Darion Acohido put on a show as the Patriots knocked off the Chaparrals, who were Texas’ top-ranked team in the Class 6A Associated Press poll and were ranked No. 16 in the nation by USA Today.

Oblad passed for 281 yards and three TDs, and Acohido had 10 catches for 183 yards for Liberty, which had been 0-5 on the road against out-of-state opponents since 2012.

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STANDOUT PERFORMANCES

Passing

Santiago Vialpando, Chaparral – 25-41 passing, 344 yards, 5 TDs

Kenyon Oblad, Liberty – 20-31 passing, 281 yards, 3 TDs

Tate Martell, Bishop Gorman – 13-21 passing, 273 yards, 4 TDs

Micah Gayman, Agassi Prep – 17-33 passing, 265 yards, 2 TDs

Rushing

Tyree Riley, Cimarron-Memorial – 13 carries, 176 yards, 2 TDs

Jayden Perkins, Virgin Valley – 36 carries, 172 yards, 2 TDs

Jason Sanders, Desert Oasis – 21 carries, 155 yards

Receiving

Kentrell Petite, Chaparral – 12 catches, 227 yards, 2 TDs

Darion Acohido, Liberty — 10 catches, 183 yards, 1 TD

Corwin Bush, Cheyenne – 8 catches, 145 yards, 1 TD

Frankie Garcia, Needles — 4 catches, 143 yards, 4 TDs

Zeivaun Ned, Agassi Prep – 5 catches, 137 yards, 2 TDs

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QUOTABLE

“The best thing I can say about No. 7 (Kenyon Oblad) is that he moved the chains. He converted and read the plays right on a lot of long third downs. I think he’s only a junior, so that’s pretty scary for the rest of Nevada.”

— Westlake (Texas) coach Todd Dodge after Oblad threw for 281 yards and three TDs to lead Liberty to a 21-14 win over the Chaparrals.

“I can’t say enough about (Diamante) Burton. This team fights every day. We are just trying to channel that energy. When you get faced with adversity, you have to play as a team, not just as individuals.”

— Canyon Springs coach Gus McNair on quarterback Diamante Burton, who threw a 20-yard TD pass to Keyon White with 15 seconds left to give the Pioneers a 28-22 win over Cheyenne.

“Everybody was fired up for this game. That upset last week really hurt, a lot of that stuck with a lot of our guys, it’s going to stick with us throughout the whole season. I wouldn’t be surprised if we can finish (games) like that every single week. Now we’re focusing on Foothill.”

— Arbor View defensive lineman Greg Rogers after his team beat Orem (Utah) 31-6, bouncing back from a loss to Liberty in Week 1.

“We knew we had to contain him. And the best way to contain him is to run the ball. He can’t score if he’s on the sidelines.”

— Virgin Valley coach Yori Ludvigson on Sunrise Mountain quarterback Stephen Wright after his team rushed for 232 yards on 42 carries in a 21-14 victory over the Miners.

“I don’t know if that’s the play we wanted, but that’s the play we called. And that’s the play we live with. I would have liked to have thrown it into the end zone, but we were running the ball well with that kind of motion.”

— Desert Oasis coach Michael Ovens after Rejon Osborne was stopped for a 3-yard loss inside the 10-yard line on the game’s final play in a 6-0 loss to John Muir (California).

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HOW THEY FARED

A look at how the top 10 teams in the Southern Nevada Football Coaches Poll fared in Week 2

1. Bishop Gorman (2-0) beat Cocoa (Florida), 46-10. Next: at St. John Bosco (California), Friday.

2. Liberty (2-0) beat Westlake (Texas), 21-14. Next: vs. No. 3 Desert Pines, Thursday, Sept. 15.

3. Desert Pines (2-0) beat Rancho, 51-0. Next: at Clark, Friday.

4. Arbor View (1-1) beat Orem (Utah), 31-6. Next: vs. No. 7 Foothill, Friday.

5. Centennial (1-1) beat No. 8 Green Valley, 49-31. Next: at No. 6 Las Vegas, Friday, Sept. 16.

6. Las Vegas (1-0) was idle. Next: at Cimarron-Memorial, Thursday.

7. Foothill (1-1) lost to Desert Hills (Utah), 27-0. Next: at No. 4 Arbor View, Friday.

8. Green Valley (1-1) lost to No. 5 Centennial, 49-31. Next: at Palo Verde, Friday.

9. Basic (2-0) beat Chaparral, 65-44. Next: vs. Clark, Friday, Sept. 16

10. Legacy (1-0) beat Mojave, 22-0. Next: vs. Moapa Valley, Friday.

For complete coverage of all of the games from Week 2, visit nevadapreps.com.