CLASS 3A: Pirates look to avenge last year’s state title loss

If the high school football rivalry between Moapa Valley and Truckee (Calif.) can be viewed as a trilogy, the Pirates hope the third installment will look like the first.

It’s the dark middle chapter that still haunts Moapa Valley, and players who experienced last year’s 27-0 loss to Truckee in the Class 3A state title game in Reno have used the memory as motivation all season.

Moapa Valley (7-4) faces Truckee (11-0) in the state final at 6 p.m. Saturday at Arbor View. The Pirates will try to reclaim the 3A crown they won with a 35-16 victory in the 2008 title game.

“I’d say our kids are hungry,” Moapa Valley coach Brent Lewis said. “What Truckee has done to the North is intimidate. We give Truckee all the respect they deserve, but we’re not going to back down.”

Truckee hasn’t lost since the 2008 state final and rides a 23-game winning streak into this year’s title game. The Wolverines shut out their first six opponents this season and have outscored foes 501-58.

Despite those staggering numbers, the Pirates vow they won’t be daunted.

“We’re all the same age; we’re all high school kids,” said Moapa Valley senior quarterback Kelan Weiss, a backup on the 2008 team that beat Truckee. “We were a little bit nervous last year, and I think that hurt us.”

Senior receiver Casen Lewis agreed, saying that while Truckee commands respect, Moapa Valley won’t enter the game awestruck.

“Truckee’s a good team, but I really think we’ve got a good shot,” he said. “We’ve just got to have confidence. We can’t be intimidated by the way they play.”

The way Truckee plays is to befuddle opponents with an offense that has amassed 2,985 yards rushing without an individual above 1,000.

Quarterback Ben Bolton fills out a balanced attack with 2,104 yards and 25 TDs through the air.

“It’s kind of hard to focus on one thing for them,” Brent Lewis said. “They run the ball as well as they throw it. If you concentrate on one thing more than the other, they’ll beat you.”

Moapa Valley is no slouch offensively, either.

Weiss has passed for 2,069 yards and 13 TDs this season, and senior Zach Waite has emerged as a solid option on the ground with 445 yards and eight TDs rushing in the past five games.

“It’s been a progression,” Brent Lewis said of his team’s running game. “That’s been the biggest improvement, just learning to be aggressive.”

Brent Lewis hopes the Pirates are prepared for an opponent of Truckee’s caliber after going 1-2 against 4A schools Clark, Green Valley and Silverado during the regular season.

It remains to be seen whether the loaded schedule or playoff victories over Virgin Valley and Lowry will lead to a win over Truckee.

But as the Pirates return to the scene of their 2008 victory over the Wolverines, Brent Lewis is optimistic.

“We’re going back to Arbor View,” he said. “It’s the two best teams in the state going at it head to head. It’s the way it should be.”