Highlights from Week 9 of high school football
Here’s a look at what happened during Week 9 of the high school football season.
WHAT WE LEARNED
1. Faith Lutheran might have improved more since Week 1 than any other area team. The Crusaders, who played at the Class 3A level (then Division I-A) last season have proven to be more than capable of competing in the rugged Northwest League.
Faith Lutheran got off to a 1-3 start, but has won four straight, and Vernon Fox seems to have his team clicking down the stretch after a 37-6 win over No. 9 Shadow Ridge on Friday.
The Crusaders forced five turnovers against the Mustangs.
2. If Faith Lutheran isn’t the area’s most improved team, Moapa Valley might be. The Pirates got off to a rough start, and it looked like Moapa Valley might finally be in rebuilding mode after advancing to the state title game in nine of the last 10 seasons.
The Pirates started 1-2, and were destroyed 45-7 by Legacy. But they’ve bounced back to win five of their final six games, and the 53-40 win over Chaparral on Friday locked up the Sunrise League’s No. 2 playoff seed. Moapa Valley will host Pahrump Valley in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs next week. And the Pirates are never a team to be taken lightly in the postseason.
3. Continuing with the theme of improved teams, Durango has to be the program that’s shown the most improvement since last season. The Trailblazers entered the season on a 16-game losing streak, and had gone 1-26 over the previous three years. Friday’s 10-7 loss to Sierra Vista knocked Durango from the ranks of the unbeaten, but the Trailblazers (6-1) were competitive throughout and still had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final two minutes.
They aren’t likely to give Bishop Gorman much of a test next week, but they’ve locked up a postseason berth for the first time since 2012.
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UPSET OF THE WEEK
Foothill 37, Basic 35 — Basic came into this game ranked No. 4 in the latest area coaches poll, and the Wolves looked like they were going to turn the game into a laugher after they took a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter. But the rival school from down the street got a big night from quarterback Jordan Wilson and rallied for the upset.
Wilson passed for 292 yards and three touchdowns and added 119 rushing yards in leading the comeback. His 21-yard touchdown pass to Joel Heintz put the Falcons ahead 30-28, and Wilson’s 3-yard TD run with 2:23 remaining increased the lead to 37-28 and made it into a two-score game.
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STANDOUT PERFORMANCES
Passing
Stephen Wright, Sunrise Mountain — 28-39 passing, 310 yards, 5 TDs
Jordan Wilson, Foothill — 19-28 passing, 292 yards, 3 TDs
Kenyon Oblad, Liberty — 18-31 passing, 271 yards, 3 TDs
Tyrell Brooks, Mountain View — 23-44 passing, 264 yards, 2 TDs
Aaron McAllister, Basic — 17-30 passing, 246 yards, TD
Rushing
Samuel Turner, Legacy — 21 carries, 277 yards, 2 TDs
Ricardo Hill, Bonanza — 18 carries, 276 yards, 3 TDs
Jacob Leavitt, Moapa Valley — 23 carries, 191 yards, 3 TDs
Chamere Thomas, Palo Verde — 9 carries, 171 yards, 2 TDs
Andrew Wagner, Arbor View — 13 carries, 165 yards, TD
Receiving
Zeivaun Ned, Agassi Prep — 7 catches, 170 yards, 2 TDs
Tyree Hayes, Sunrise Mountain — 10 catches, 151 yards, TD
Joel Heintz, Foothill — 10 catches, 146 yards, TD
Terrence Brooks, Mountain View — 11 catches, 142 yards, TD
Dayton Wolfley, Moapa Valley — 4 catches, 126 yards, 2 TDs
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QUOTABLE
“We’re just happy to be 8-0. We never thought we’d be here, but it was kind of a goal of ours. Now that it’s come to fruition, we’re all very happy, and now we’ve got to get ready for Gorman.”
— Sierra Vista coach John Foss after his team’s 10-7 victory over Durango. The Mountain Lions are one of two undefeated Class 4A teams in the state.
“I don’t want to be a tissue paper defense where we’re giving up (300) and 400 yards rushing a week. A point of emphasis really has been turning the corner defensively. One of the things we really prided ourselves on in the past is stopping the run and not only that but creating turnovers.”
— Faith Lutheran coach Vernon Fox after his team’s 37-6 win over Shadow Ridge.
“We were just flying around. We had a lot of energy coming out. We know it’s a big rivalry game. We don’t get along.”
— Liberty junior Davion Ware, who intercepted two passes in a 58-13 win over Silverado.
“This game was very important to us tonight. I just felt as if I needed to put my team on my back tonight. Being a captain on this team I can’t let nobody down. And my offensive line, they worked hard throughout the week and carried it into the game. They played their hearts out for us.”
— Cheyenne’s Deriontae Green, who accounted for 312 all-purpose yards in a 52-49 win over Sunrise Mountain that wrapped up the Sunset League’s No. 2 playoff seed.
“It’s always good to beat Basic. These games are always like this, so we didn’t expect anything different.”
— Foothill coach Marty Redmond, whose team trailed 21-0 midway through the second quarter before rallying for a 37-35 win over No. 4 Basic.
“It’s a complete blessing. I’m truly thankful that we had this opportunity to clinch it tonight. These guys worked hard, and they deserve it.”
— Canyon Springs coach Gus McNair after his team clinched the Northeast League’s top playoff seed with a 42-0 win over Eldorado.
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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 9.
1. Bishop Gorman (9-0) beat Desert Oasis, 71-0. Next: vs. Durango, Thursday.
2. Liberty (7-1) beat No. 7 Silverado, 58-13. Next: at No. 4 Basic, Thursday.
3. Arbor View (7-1) beat No. 8 Legacy, 55-21. Next: vs. Cimarron-Memorial, Friday, Nov. 4.
4. Basic (6-2) lost to Foothill, 37-35. Next: vs. No. 2 Liberty, Thursday.
5. Canyon Springs (7-1) beat Eldorado, 42-0. Next: at Rancho, Thursday.
6. Desert Pines (8-1) beat Western, 62-6. Next: vs. Del Sol, Thursday.
7. Silverado (6-2) lost to No. 2 Liberty, 58-13. Next: vs. Coronado, Thursday.
8. Legacy (5-2) lost to No. 3 Arbor View, 55-21. Next: at Cimarron-Memorial, Thursday.
9. Shadow Ridge (5-2) lost to No. 10 Faith Lutheran, 37-6. Next: vs. Palo Verde, Thursday.
10. Faith Lutheran (5-3) beat No. 9 Shadow Ridge, 37-6. Next: at Centennial, Thursday.
For complete coverage of all of the games from Week 9, visit nevadapreps.com.
