No. 1 Sloan Canyon shuts out Sierra Vista in 4A showdown
In a battle between top 4A teams, Sloan Canyon proved it’s the team to beat with a 16-0 victory over Sierra Vista on Friday night.
The Pirates, No. 1 in both the Las Vegas Review-Journal and state HRM playoff rankings, improved to 7-0 by finding new ways to win on a windy night in the Las Vegas Valley.
“I’m proud that, regardless of the situation, we took everything one play at a time,” Sloan Canyon coach Nate Oishi said. “They treated the next play like it was the best play. I’m happy with the effort tonight.”
Usually relying on junior quarterback Cade Hoshino’s arm to put points on the board, the Pirates secured the win with their run game and a dominant defensive effort.
Sierra Vista had no answers on offense against Sloan Canyon. The Mountain Lions (5-3) managed only two first downs in the first half and didn’t run a play in the red zone until the final snap of the game.
With the game scoreless going into halftime, it was Sloan Canyon’s defense that jump-started the scoring.
Sierra Vista had issues with ball security, fumbling on the first play of the second half. Sloan Canyon recovered at the Mountain Lions’ 5-yard line.
The turnover set up sophomore Kalepo Mose’s 5-yard TD run to put Sloan Canyon up 7-0.
On the next possession, Sierra Vista struggled again with the snap inside its own 20. As junior quarterback Marlo Busby tried to recover the ball in the end zone, he fumbled once more, this time out of the end zone, resulting in a Sloan Canyon safety.
“I tell them before every game, ‘If they score on us, they score on all 11 of us.’ Thinking like that lets them play with high effort,” Oishi said.
With a 9-0 lead, the Pirates leaned on the ground game for the remaining quarter and a half.
Junior Jermaine Wilson Jr. led the way with 94 rushing yards on 17 attempts. His longest run came in the fourth quarter, a 21-yard gain to the Sierra Vista’s 9-yard line. Two plays later, Mose scored from 1 yard out.
Mose had only four carries but finished with both touchdowns for the Pirates.
Even though the passing game wasn’t as potent as usual due to the wind, Hoshino turned in a solid performance, finding six different receivers for 143 yards.
“With the wind tonight, I’m proud of the way they stepped up and found new ways to win the football game,” Oishi said.
Sloan Canyon’s offensive line also continued its streak of not allowing a sack this season.
The Pirates will remain the top team in the 4A rankings, according to the HRM. Sierra Vista’s loss shouldn’t be too detrimental to its season, as the Lions are expected to stay at No. 2 in the HRM.
