Highlights from Week 3 of high school football
Here’s a look at what happened during Week 3 of the high school football season.
WHAT WE LEARNED
1. No one wants to take over the No. 1 spot.
Bishop Gorman’s 13-7 loss to Centennial (Arizona) dropped the Gaels to 0-2 and opened the door for one of the area’s other top teams to replace the Gaels at the top of the area’s rankings.
But second-ranked Liberty wasn’t able to move the ball after starting quarterback Noah Faoa was injured in the second quarter, and the Patriots lost 21-10 to Lone Peak (Utah).
That could have given Arbor View a shot at the top spot, but the Aggies couldn’t shake Hamilton (Arizona), losing 23-17 to the Huskies.
2. It would be nice if area teams could go more than a couple weeks without an ugly on-field incident.
Last year’s season was marred by a postgame fight that led to a school police officer unleashing pepper spray on the field during a nonleague game between Basic and Canyon Springs.
On Friday, the game between Basic and Clark was suspended before halftime after a fight that involved multiple players from both teams.
The fight started after Basic quarterback Paul Myro was hit late after a 10-yard run near Basic’s sideline. Players from both teams were involved in the scuffle that resulted in an overturned bench on the sideline.
The Wolves led 35-13 at the time of the fight, but there’s a pretty good chance it will end up as a double forfeit. The Southern Nevada Officials Association will make that determination.
3. Green Valley’s running game is looking pretty good.
The Gators racked up 323 rushing yards in a 26-21 win over Sierra Vista, and Green Valley appears to have a nice one-two punch in Noah Hawthorne and Maaliek Duncan.
Duncan rushed for 216 yards and three touchdowns, and Hawthorne had 121 yards and a 14-yard touchdown for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.
The Gators also can turn to Julian Hulse, who was the team’s leading rusher last season, but is playing primarily at linebacker. He did have one of the game’s biggest carries Friday, picking up 9 yards on a fourth-and-1 play during the go-ahead scoring drive.
Green Valley has had a 100-yard rusher in each of the first three games, with Hawthorne and Dixon each topping 100 yards twice. Hulse also had 71 yards in the team’s opener.
The Gators have 700 rushing yards in three games.
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UPSET OF THE WEEK
Centennial 36, Legacy 0 — The Longhorns came in ranked No. 8 among Class 4A teams with Centennial No. 10, but the Bulldogs left no doubt about which team was better on Thursday night.
Jordan Smith rushed for 80 yards and three touchdowns and caught a 25-yard TD pass to lead the Bulldogs on offense. Centennial’s defense did the rest, holding Legacy to 58 yards of offense and forcing three turnovers.
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STANDOUT PERFORMANCES
Passing
Jordan Solomon, Sierra Vista — 17-36 passing, 281 yards, 1 TD
Micah Bowens, Bishop Gorman — 14-28 passing, 249 yards, 1 TD
Koy Riggin, Foothill — 16-27 passing, 235 yards, 2 TDs
Ja’Shawn Scroggins, Las Vegas — 10-18 passing, 204 yards, 2 TDs
Meb Hollingshead, Virgin Valley — 10-18 passing, 172 yards, 2 TDs
Colton Zobrist, Desert Oasis — 8-16 passing, 169 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Jordan Norwood, Cimarron-Memorial — 21 carries, 284 yards, 5 TDs
Maaliek Duncan, Green Valley — 20 carries, 216 yards, 3 TDs
Thorston Balmer, Boulder City — 22 carries, 214 yards, 2 TDs
Christian Vaughn, Desert Oasis — 14 carries, 202 yards, 4 TDs
Kyle Graham, Arbor View — 26 carries, 190 yards
Receiving
Atunlerao Asifun, Western — 4 catches, 146 yards
Darrin Akau, Las Vegas — 6 catches, 123 yards, 1 TD
Rome Odunze, Bishop Gorman — 6 catches, 120 yards, 1 TD
Clayton Suiter, GV Christian — 3 catches, 107 yards, 2 TDs
Laakea Mulivai, Desert Oasis — 3 catches, 86 yards, 1 TD
Peyton Thornton, Faith Lutheran — 6 catches, 86 yards, 2 TDs
Jordan Wilson, Foothill — 5 catches, 85 yards, 1 TD
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QUOTABLE
“People who want to be super heroes got to know how to play their role. If you’re going to be The Avengers, you got to know what your powers are, and not go out there on your own and try to take on whoever.”
— Bonanza coach Dion Lee after consecutive offsides penalties led helped keep Chaparral’s game-winning drive alive in the Cowboys 26-21 win.
“It’s just the fact that I was tired of losing. I’m just proving that Cimarron-Memorial is not going to be trash.”
— Cimarron-Memorial running back Jordan Norwood, who rushed for 284 yards and five TDs in a 42-25 victory over Silverado.
“He’s kind of got a little second gear that some of our bigger guys don’t have. When he does break a tackle, he’s got the speed to go a little bit.”
— Green Valley coach Brian Castron on Maaliek Duncan, who rushed for 216 yards and three touchdowns in a 26-21 come-from-behind win over Sierra Vista.
“Feels real great coming from the city. I played with most of them, so I knew almost half the team. It was a fun game.”
— Centennial (Arizona) running back Tawee Walker, who transferred from Mojave, after his team beat Bishop Gorman 13-7.
“We were moving the ball. And we were doing what we do. But we kind of shot ourselves in the foot a few times.”
— Arbor View coach Dan Barnson after his team’s 23-17 loss to Hamilton (Arizona).
“Sagan played extremely well in the first quarter. He created with his feet … something we don’t necessarily ask him to do. His mobility tonight extended some plays.”
— Faith Lutheran coach Vernon Fox on quarterback Sagan Gronauer, who had a 30-yard TD run, then completed 8 of 11 passes including a 10-yard TD on the team’s 95-yard scoring drive on its next possession.
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HOW THEY FARED
A look at how the teams in the Review-Journal rankings fared in Week 3.
Class 4A
1. Bishop Gorman (0-2) lost to Centennial (Arizona) 13-7. Next: vs. Orem (Utah), Friday.
2. Liberty (1-1) lost to Lone Peak (Utah) 21-10. Next: vs. IMG Academy (Florida), Friday.
3. Arbor View (2-1) lost to Hamilton (Arizona) 23-17. Next: at No. 8 Legacy, Friday.
4. Desert Pines (1-0) was idle. Next: at Bishop Manogue, Friday.
5. Faith Lutheran (1-1) beat Bakersfield Christian (California) 42-28. Next: vs. Chandler (Arizona) at Liberty, Saturday.
6. Foothill (2-0) beat Palo Verde 24-6. Next: vs. Durango, Friday.
7. Green Valley (3-0) beat Sierra Vista 26-21. Next: at No. 9 Canyon Springs, Friday.
8. Legacy (1-2) lost No. 10 Centennial 36-0. Next: vs. No. 3 Arbor View, Friday.
9. Canyon Springs (0-1) lost to Orem (Utah) 41-14. Next: vs. No. 7 Green Valley, Friday.
10. Centennial (2-1) beat No. 8 Legacy 36-0. Next: vs. No. 3 Arbor View, Friday, Sept. 21.
Class 3A
1. Virgin Valley (3-0) beat No. 4 Del Sol 32-26. Next: at Western, Friday.
2. Moapa Valley (2-1) beat Valley 42-6. Next: at Eldorado, Friday.
3. Cheyenne (3-0) beat Rancho 48-0. Next: vs. Clark, Friday.
4. Del Sol (1-2) lost to No. 1 Virgin Valley 32-26. Next: vs. Chaparral, Friday.
5. Democracy Prep (1-2) lost to Boulder City 23-8. Next: at Sunrise Mountain, Friday.
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.