Friday, October 29, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

DIVISION-WINNING DRIVE: Late score puts Wildcats on top

TD run gives Las Vegas tiebreaker for Northeast title

By TIM GUESMAN
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Leading Valley by 10 points with less than five minutes to play Thursday, Las Vegas needed to drive 80 yards to score enough points to win the Northeast Division title.

The coaching staff instructed the Wildcats to act like it was just another scoring drive, and not one they needed to take first place.

But the Wildcats couldn't help but dwell on what they were trying to accomplish.

"We weren't supposed to talk about it, but we were," said junior running back Eric Jordan.

And it was Jordan who ended the talk, delivering a division-clinching 17-yard touchdown run with 1:35 left to lift Las Vegas to a 21-3 win over the Vikings.

The win left the Wildcats (8-2), Valley (8-2) and Eldorado all with 4-1 division records. The tiebreaker was point differential, meaning Las Vegas had to not only beat the Vikings, but win by at least 12 points to win the tiebreaker.

While Valley fell to the No. 2 seed in the division with the loss, Las Vegas completed the long road from an early loss to Eldorado to division champion.

"It was really important to us to win it outright," Jordan said. "Everybody thought our team was down and out. It was kind of an advantage because people think we were just going to come out and get beat. It's not like that. We have a great team and a great coaching staff and a great O-line."

In a defensive struggle against the Vikings, Jordan provided the spark for the Wildcats, rushing for 125 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries.

"He's a special kid," Las Vegas coach Chris Faircloth said. "He's a kid we count on every week. Everybody puts as many people as they can in the box, as many as they can spare. It's hard on him, but he runs hard every time. And if he gets some room, you are in a jam."

Valley found that out late in the second quarter. After its defense contained Jordan for most of the first half, Jordan burst through the left side of the line and zipped 42 yards for a touchdown to give Las Vegas a 7-3 lead with 1:55 left in the half.

Both team's defenses came up with big stops throughout most of the second half. However, while Valley's offense was led by Matt Christman's 181 passing yards, Las Vegas relentlessly pounded away with Jordan.

Late in the game, the Vikings' defense began to bend, and Jordan took over.

"We knew they were good on defense. We have watched them for a couple of weeks now, and I don't think there is a faster D in town," Faircloth said. "We knew we had to hang on to the ball, we had to cut down on the penalties and we had to take the ball (from Valley) when the opportunity permitted. Fortunately it turned out that way."

• Silverado 14, Green Valley 12 -- At Green Valley, the 10th-ranked Skyhawks allowed the Gators to score two touchdowns in the final four minutes of the game, but held on for the victory by stopping a 2-point conversion attempt.

Trailing 14-6, Green Valley (6-4, 2-3 Southeast Division) recovered an onside kick and scored on a 20-yard pass play from Kalin Beal to Gabe Garcia with 2:41 to play.

An option play to the left on the conversion attempt was unsuccessful when Jairus Howard was tackled by several Skyhawks defenders short of the goal line.

Silverado (7-2, 4-1) had a 14-0 lead and the ball at its own 25-yard line with five minutes left in the game. But an errant pitch by Skyhawks quarterback Tyyler McNeace was recovered by Green Valley's Eric Martinelli at the Silverado 15-yard line.

Howard scored on a 7-yard touchdown run three plays later, but a missed extra point kept the score at 14-6 with 3:50 to play. Howard ran for 96 yards on 19 carries.

Silverado got a 23-yard touchdown run by McNeace and a 2-yard TD run by Jesse Benites in the third quarter to break open a scoreless game.

The Skyhawks' defense held the Gators to 34 total yards in the first half and just 66 yards through three quarters.

-- Adam Hill

• Eldorado 39, Chaparral 6 -- At Chaparral, the Sundevils (7-3, 4-1 Northeast) romped past the Cowboys (2-8, 1-4) in the annual Cleat Game, played for a bronzed football shoe of former Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Merlin Olsen.

Chaparral took a 6-0 lead, but Eldorado scored the next 39 points, keyed by Justin Ellison. He scored in the first half on an 8-yard reception and then on a 36-yard fumble return, the latter making it 27-6.

Sundevils quarterback Brandon Godfrey threw for 131 yards and a touchdown and ran for another TD in three quarters of work.

Eldorado's defense allowed just three first downs after giving up a 22-yard TD pass from Alex Woolridge to Jonathan Robinson in the first quarter. The score was set up by Brandon Lomax's 50-yard run.

Sundevils coach Frank DeSantis said the game wasn't as crisp as he would have liked, but he was happy to get the win and advance to the postseason.

"We did what we had to do and won," he said. "Now we get to take a breath of fresh air and start from scratch."

-- David Garrett

• Cimarron-Memorial 58, Mojave 18 -- At Mojave, Andrew Hatch completed 6 of 10 passes for 118 yards and three touchdowns to help the Spartans (5-4, 2-3 Northwest) clinch the final Northwest Division playoff spot.

Anthony James ran for 174 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries for Cimarron. Erik Brinkley added 88 yards and a TD on 12 carries. The Spartans gained 368 yards on the ground.

Hatch found Shane Moline for a 38-yard touchdown on Cimarron's opening drive. Hatch later scored on a 2-yard plunge at the start of the second quarter, giving the Spartans a 15-0 lead.

Hatch hit Davion Mauldin with a 12-yard TD pass with less than a minute remaining in the first half to give the Spartans a 22-6 halftime lead.

Hatch connected with James Cook for a 13-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the second half. James added touchdown runs of 7 and 52 yards in the third quarter. Cook caught four passes for 68 yards.

Rashaun Greer led the Rattlers (2-7, 1-4) with five catches for 181 yards and three touchdowns. Daniel Tilche completed 10 of 22 passes for 250 yards and three TDs for Mojave.

-- Jim Godfrey

• Shadow Ridge 43, Centennial 3 -- At Shadow Ridge, the ninth-ranked Mustangs rolled up 434 total yards as Shadow Ridge (6-3, 3-2 Northwest) finished the regular season by dominating its division rival.

Shadow Ridge, trailing 3-0 after one quarter, got the offense going with six unanswered touchdowns. The Mustangs got three touchdown passes from Chris Berkeley (69, 30 and 18 yards). Ricky Snodgrass scored a pair of rushing TDs and Roland Conn ran 4 yards for another score.

The Bulldogs, whose lone score came on a 30-yard field goal from Nick Moya, gained 127 yards, but just 53 after the first quarter.

Berkeley was 14 of 25 for 274 yards. Troy Cummings led the Mustangs' receivers with five catches for 159 yards.

-- Sam Leeper

• Bonanza 19, Durango 6 -- At Bonanza, Brett Parry threw two touchdown passes and Ben Jaekle kicked a pair of field goals as the Bengals (6-4, 4-1 Southwest) downed the Trailblazers (1-8, 1-4).

Jaekle gave Bonanza a 3-0 lead with a 29-yard field goal in the first quarter.

Early in the second, Parry (4 of 11, 88 yards) found Nigel Moore for a 25-yard TD toss for a 10-0 lead. Moore ran for 66 yards on 16 carries.

With time running out in the second quarter, Parry found Marquese Brickhouse (52 rushing yards, two catches for 46 yards) on a 14-yard pass to the Durango 32. On the next play, Parry found Brickhouse for a 32-yard TD with 20 seconds left in the half, giving Bonanza a 16-0 lead.

The Bengals had a 177-44 edge in total yards in the first half.

In the third quarter, Brickhouse had a 30-yard punt return to the Durango 24. That drive resulted in a 38-yard field goal by Jaekle, making it 19-0.

Durango sophomore quarterback Jake Butera found Matt Kravetz for a 7-yard touchdown pass with 5:59 remaining to cut it to 19-6.

-- John Cranton

• Desert Pines 67, Rancho 24 -- At Desert Pines, Shawn Tatum completed 6 of 8 passes for 185 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Jaguars (4-5, 2-3 Northeast) past the Rams to secure the league's final playoff berth.

Jeromy Jones, who caught five passes for 166 yards, scored on receptions of 57, 51 and 36 yards.

Rancho (1-9, 0-5) took an early 6-0 lead on a 16-yard touchdown pass from J.T. Bley to Terrence McGill. However, on the ensuing kickoff Donte Minton returned the ball 83 yards for a touchdown.

On the Rams' next possession, Dominique White intercepted a Bley pass and returned it 27 yards to the Jaguars 4-yard line.

Minton scored two plays later on a 4-yard run to help give Desert Pines a 34-point first quarter. White would also recover a fumble and block a punt, all in the first quarter.

Freshman Michael Ball, who moved up from the junior varsity team this week, got 122 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries. Ball scored on runs of 12, 10 and 5 yards for the Jaguars.

Ryan Eliason ran for 131 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries to lead the Rams. Bley completed 10 of 21 passes for 156 yards and two TDs for Rancho.

-- Arnold Knightly

• Coronado 47, Liberty 7 -- At Liberty, the Cougars (5-4, 3-2 Southeast) got three touchdowns in the first quarter and coasted past the Patriots (2-8, 0-5).

Eric Nimmer returned a punt 60 yards for Coronado's first touchdown. The Cougars also got a first-quarter score from Brett Hamrick on a 15-yard pass from Scott McLeod.

Chris Desjardins added a 1-yard TD run in the first quarter. Desjardins scored again in the second on a 48-yard run.

Daniel Wilkinson added a 68-yard TD run and Rashad Williams scored on a 19-yard run for Coronado. The Cougars also got a 3-yard TD pass from McLeod to John Howes.

Liberty sophomore Aaron Davis scored on a 5-yard run in the fourth quarter.

-- Jeff Hoskin

• Foothill 68, Basic 34 -- At Foothill, D'Angelo Jones guided the second-ranked Falcons (10-0, 5-0 Southeast) to a 61-20 halftime lead, gaining all of his 217 rushing yards and four touchdowns in the first half, in a rout of the Wolves (1-8, 1-4).

Following a 15-yard TD run by Jones, Daniel Osorio returned a fumble 15 yards for a touchdown and Foothill led 14-0 after one minute of play.

Arthur Mayville scored on a 1-yard run and Xavier Stover added a 3-yard TD run in the first quarter for the Falcons.

Jones scored three of his four touchdowns in the second quarter on runs of 57, 60 and 6 yards.

Dominick Bellini scored on a 30-yard reverse, and Mayville ran 20 yards for his second TD of the second quarter.

The Falcons had 337 yards rushing in the first half.

Basic quarterback Luis Villas connected with Ray Steiber for three first-half touchdowns, covering 68, 28 and 12 yards. Steiber had five catches for 162 yards.

-- James Soller

• Western 44, Clark 6 -- At Clark, the Warriors secured the Southwest's final playoff berth with an easy victory over the Chargers (0-9, 0-5).

Western (3-7, 2-3) had its top offensive output of the season by racking up 343 rushing yards with 13 different ball carriers. Running back Markus Burton led the Warriors' ground attack with 132 yards on 11 carries.

Western quarterback Julian Sample ran for two touchdowns, and Stephon Sanford also ran for two TDs.

Clark's only score came when safety Unico Clemente returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown.

-- Jeff Butler

• Boulder City 34, Pahrump Valley 0 -- At Pahrump, Mitch Barlow had two rushing touchdowns to lead the Eagles (8-1) past the Trojans (5-4).

Barlow scored on runs of 2 and 1 yard, and Jeff Pickton added an 89-yard run for the Eagles. Kalvin Kronmeyer ran for 122 yards and a TD for Boulder City.

Pahrump running backs Kyle Floyd and Kekoa Malendres combined for 248 rushing yards.

• Canyon Springs 15, Faith Lutheran 0 -- At Canyon Springs, Dominique Davis scored two touchdowns as the Pioneers defeated the Crusaders.

Canyon Springs held Faith Lutheran to 142 yards of offense and added a safety.

Davis scored on runs of 6 and 4 yards.

• Moapa Valley 38, Virgin Valley 0 -- At Mesquite, Taylor Leavitt ran for 71 yards and two touchdowns as the Pirates defeated the Bulldogs.

Leavitt scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter, and Zach Davis kicked a 22-yard field goal to give Moapa Valley a 10-0 lead.

Leavitt also added a 39-yard run in the third quarter.

Davis added two more touchdowns in the second, the first on a 41-yard interception return and the second on a 14-yard run that put the Pirates up 24-0 at halftime.