Highlights from Week 5 of high school football
Here’s a look at what happened during Week 5 of the high school football season.
WHAT WE LEARNED
1. Desert Pines looks like the real deal.
The Jaguars entered the season with plenty of high-profile college recruits, but questions about depth lingered. So far, Desert Pines has had no problem, and they rolled on Friday night, blowing out Sierra Vista, 40-14.
The fourth-ranked Jaguars host No. 3 Liberty in an extremely intriguing nonleague matchup next week. The last time the teams played in 2016, Desert Pines wasn’t up to the task and the Patriots earned a 41-14 win.
It looks like things will be closer this time.
2. Moapa Valley is back.
For years, you had to go through Overton to win the Class 3A state title, as the Pirates advanced to the championship game 13 times from 1999 to 2015. They won four championships in that span, but bowed out of the playoffs in the first round last season.
I definitely wouldn’t count out Moapa Valley this season, as they had little trouble containing Cheyenne in handing the Desert Shields their first loss of the season, 21-6, on Friday.
With the Pirates currently No. 2 in Class 3A and Virgin Valley No. 1, the battle for the Victory Hammer on Oct. 19 ought to be a good one.
3. Centennial is a much-improved team, but the Bulldogs weren’t quite ready for second-ranked Arbor View.
Kyle Graham continues to churn out yards for the Aggies, as he rushed for 111 yards and two scores. Graham has topped 100 yards in all five games, and now has 752 rushing yards and eight TDs.
Arbor View’s defense also scored a pair of touchdowns and limited Centennial to one offensive score.
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UPSET OF THE WEEK
De La Salle (Calif.) 27, Bishop Gorman 21 — No, this isn’t a traditional upset, especially since the Spartans came in ranked No. 11 in the nation while the Gaels were unranked.
But on a week where the area’s higher-ranked teams all prevailed, this game stood out. And it stood out because Gorman lost a third game for the first time since 2006.
Gorman went 6-5 that season and lost in the second round of the playoffs. Of course, the Gaels were 14-0 the next year, winning their first state title since 1983, and they’ve lost just once to a Nevada school since.
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STANDOUT PERFORMANCES
Passing
Andre Nevarez, Del Sol — 16-22 passing, 259 yards, 2 TDs
Jalen Malone, Eldorado — 10-22 passing, 231 yards
Tyler Williamson, Desert Pines — 12-21 passing, 230 yards, 2 TDs
Jayden Maiava, Sierra Vista — 9-26 passing, 203 yards, 1 TD
Xavier DeLong, Canyon Springs – 10-19 passing, 191 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Wyatt Delano, Virgin Valley — 33 carries, 320 yards, 4 TDs
Justin Johnson, Durango — 14 carries, 173 yards, 2 TDs
Thorsten Balmer, Boulder City — 15 carries, 152 yards, 4 TDs
Hayden Redd, Moapa Valley — 10 carries, 135 yards
Charron Thomas, Palo Verde — 12 carries, 118 yards, 2 TDs
Meshach Hawkins, Chaparral — 14 carries, 115 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving
Braeden Wilson, Foothill — 8 catches, 132 yards, 1 TD
Javeion Davison, Canyon Springs — 2 catches, 121 yards, 1 TD
Victory David, Las Vegas — 4 catches, 116 yards, 1 TD
Rome Odunze, Bishop Gorman — 9 catches, 111 yards
Markell Turner, Del Sol — 5 catches, 103 yards, 1 TD
Aaron Holloway, Legacy — 4 catches, 101 yards, 2 TDs
Shamarion Bellegarde, Bonanza — 6 catches, 100 yards, 1 TD
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QUOTABLE
“I’m back, and I’m coming stronger than ever. Everybody forgot about who Cameron Wiley is, and I want to make sure my name is brought back up.”
— Desert Pines running back Cameron Riley, who sat out last season as a transfer from Silverado.
“He’s the real deal man. He thinks like a coach out there. Our conversations when he comes off (the field), I feel like I’m talking to another coach.”
— Foothill coach Marty Redmond on quarterback Koy Riggin, who passed for 257 yards and a TD in a 17-14 win over Canyon Springs.
“I’ve coached in the valley for a while, but I didn’t really know how important this game was until last year, when I was an assistant coach here. But I could see the intensity all week. We had that fight tonight, and so did Eldorado.”
— Chaparral coach Don Willis after the Cowboys’ 21-13 win over Eldorado in the annual Cleat Game rivalry.
“It’s a process and you gotta see later on down the road what we’re trying to do. We’re building a team that’s trying to win a state championship, not win a non-conference game. It’s a tough road to climb.”
— Bishop Gorman coach Kenny Sanchez after the Gaels lost 27-21 to De La Salle (California) to fall to 1-3.
“I’m scoring, for sure. There’s no other option. I have to score, it’s not a need, I have to.”
— Green Valley running back Noah Hawthorne, who scored on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line to give the Gators a 26-21 road win over Legacy.
“I was just seeing they were not fast enough to catch me. So I knew, every time, if I could get outside, they weren’t fast enough to get me.”
— Durango running back Justin Johnson after he rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-21 victory over Las Vegas.
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HOW THEY FARED
A look at how the teams in the Review-Journal rankings fared in Week 5.
Class 4A
1. Bishop Gorman (1-3) lost 27-21 to De La Salle (California). Next: at Silverado, Friday, Sept. 28.
2. Arbor View (4-1) beat No. 9 Centennial, 28-13. Next: vs. Bonanza, Friday.
3. Liberty (1-2) was idle. Next: at No. 4 Desert Pines, Friday.
4. Desert Pines (3-0) beat Sierra Vista, 40-14. Next: vs. No. 3 Liberty, Friday.
5. Faith Lutheran (1-3) lost to JSerra Catholic (California), 50-10. Next: at Cimarron-Memorial, Friday
6. Foothill (4-0) beat No. 7 Canyon Springs, 17-14. Next: at Eldorado, Friday.
7. Canyon Springs (1-2) lost to No. 6 Foothill, 17-14. Next: at Clayton Valley (California), Friday.
8. Green Valley (4-1) beat Legacy, 26-21. Next: vs. Chaparral, Friday, Sept. 28.
9. Centennial (2-2) lost to No. 2 Arbor View, 28-13. Next: at Coronado, Friday.
10. Shadow Ridge (4-1) beat Cimarron-Memorial, 29-11. Next: at Palo Verde, Friday.
Class 3A
1. Virgin Valley (5-0) beat Democracy Prep, 33-18. Next: at Boulder City, Thursday.
2. Moapa Valley (4-1) beat No. 3 Cheyenne, 21-6. Next: vs. Rancho, Friday.
3. Cheyenne (4-1) lost to No. 2 Moapa Valley, 21-6. Next: vs. Valley, Friday.
4. Del Sol (3-2) beat Rancho, 48-0. Next: vs. Western, Friday.
5. Boulder City (3-1) beat Western, 41-3. Next: vs. Virgin Valley, Thursday.
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.
