FOOTBALL: McCoy’s big plays power Jaguars

Desert Pines senior Jon McCoy didn’t get a whole lot of opportunities to touch the ball during the Jaguars’ Division I-A state quarterfinal game Friday night at Faith Lutheran.

He certainly made the most of the chances that he did get as Desert Pines (10-1) advanced with a 34-27 road victory.

McCoy ran for 19 yards on a fake punt to convert a fourth-and-7 from the Crusaders’ 43-yard line with less than six minutes remaining and the Jaguars trailing 27-26.

Four plays later, Trevor Nofoa ran for a 1-yard touchdown and added a successful 2-point conversion run.

Faith Lutheran (7-4) drove inside the Desert Pines 5-yard line, but Christian Marshall was stuffed on fourth-and-2 with 2:19 to play, and the Jaguars ran out the clock.

Desert Pines coach Tico Rodriguez didn’t call a straight fake punt.

“It’s an option play. If he doesn’t have it, he kicks it,” Rodriguez said. “He saw something on the back side, so he cut it back. It’s not how we drew it up, but when you have kids that are great athletes, sometimes they make plays.

“It worked out perfect.”

McCoy rolled right as he scanned the field before cutting all the way back to the left to keep the decisive drive alive.

“Basically, I can either look for an open receiver or just take it. I saw the whole left side of the field open, so I just went,” he said. “If it came down to it, honestly, yeah I would have punted if I had to.

“But I wanted it.”

It wasn’t his only big play.

After a thoroughly dominant first half in which Desert Pines gained 266 yards on 48 plays to just 90 yards on 17 plays for the Crusaders, the Jaguars found themselves leading just 14-13 after Faith Lutheran scored on a long pass and a long fumble return for a touchdown in the final three minutes of the second quarter.

The Crusaders kicked off with 26 seconds remaining before halftime, and Dillard Davis ran into a pile before somehow finding McCoy and pitching him the ball. McCoy emerged from the group and sprinted 73 yards down the right sideline for a score to give the Jaguars a bit of a cushion.

“We’ve been working on it. It wasn’t that interesting looking, but it’s something we have in our repertoire and it came out at the right time,” Rodriguez said before laughing. “We work on that all the time.”

On the stat sheet, McCoy recorded just two rushes for 21 yards and caught one pass for 12 yards. His impact was far more significant as he helped Desert Pines advance to a 1 p.m. meeting with Churchill County at 1 p.m. next Saturday.

“(The win) is just one more step,” he said. “It tells us we’re improving, but we’ve got to keep working.”

Nofoa ran for three short touchdowns and Isaiah Morris carried the ball 32 times for 168 yards and a TD in the victory.

Mark Rubalcaba caught five passes for 151 yards and a touchdown for Faith Lutheran. He got open deep for a 61-yard score with 2:47 to play in the first half. Until that point, the Crusaders had gained just 30 yards on 14 plays.

Desert Pines’ ensuing possession ended on a botched snap that Alfred Soboyejo IV picked up and ran 60 yards for a score, setting up McCoy’s heroics just before halftime.

Nofoa extended the lead with a 2-yard TD on the opening drive of the third quarter. Faith Lutheran answered with a 7:46 drive capped by a 7-yard TD run by Marshall.

The Crusaders took their only lead on an 11-yard pass from Greg Benson to Tyler Mahan on a fourth-down play with 7:03 remaining.

SUNRISE REGION QUARTERFINALS

Basic 28, Canyon Springs 17 — At Canyon Springs, Josh Villaros caught five passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another score to lead the Wolves (5-5) over the Pioneers (6-4) in a first-round playoff match.

Neither team was able to gain any momentum early in the game but Villaros changed that on one play, breaking tackles and outracing the defense on a 61-yard end around for a score on the Wolves’ first possession of the second quarter. Mason Hiedeman recovered a fumble on the ensuing Pioneers drive, and one play later Villaros added a 40-yard touchdown reception on a halfback pass from D. J. Thomas. Canyon Springs got on the board with a 43-yard field goal by Elio Rodriguez as time expired in the first half.

Basic got the ball to start the second half and extended the lead with a nine play, 80-yard drive capped by an incredible Villaros catch for another 40-yard score, this time from quarterback Aeneas McAllister. Villaros streaked down the right side of the field and was able to tip the pass to himself at the 5-yard line, breaking two tackles before scoring his thrid touchdown. McAllister threw a 9-yard TD pass to Chris Flum early in the fourth quarter to give the Wolves a commanding 28-3 lead.

Tre’von Dean replaced injured quarterback Bradley Alexander II and sparked the Pioneers to two fourth-quarter touchdown drives. Zaviontay Stevenson scored on a 13-yard run, and Dean found C.J. Jones Jr. on a 15-yard TD strike.

— Adam Berchin

Coronado 20, Silverado 7 — At Coronado, the Cougars got all the points they needed in the first quarter and used a stifling defensive effort to shut down the Skyhawks.

The game looked like it could be a rout early, as Coronado jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to a 2-yard touchdown pass from Spencer Cofer to Kainoa Granstrom and a 22-yard score by Tanner Gorski on a lateral swing pass. But Silverado answered with a 60-yard touchdown throw from Mitchell Ballard to Addison Lyon, who came out of the backfield to streak down the left sideline.

Coronado got its lead back to double digits later in the quarter on a 20-yard touchdown run by Nick Trejo, but that was the end of the scoring.

Silverado forced two second-half turnovers, but the Coronado defense stood firm, and Trejo used his fresh legs to pick up some key first downs and run out the clock for the Cougars.

Trejo finished with up 87 yards rushing for Coronado, while Lyon was the workhorse for Silverado, garnering 66 yards on 24 carries.

The Cougars advance to the Sunrise semifinals next Friday, hosting Liberty.

— Mike James

Las Vegas 28, Foothill 23 — At Foothill, Jacob Littlefield rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries to help the Wildcats defeat the Falcons.

Littlefield, who hadn’t carried the ball all season, had TD runs of 63 and 30 yards.

Foothill took a 17-14 lead on Cory Fisher’s field goal with 3:40 to go in the second quarter.

But Littlefield’s 30-yard TD run with 5:10 to go in the third quarter gave Las Vegas the lead for good. The Wildcats added a 20-yard scoring pass from Trevor Swenson to Sam Blackburn with 8:45 to play.

Foothill got a 7-yard TD pass from Nick Gardner to James Hagen with 5:12 left in the fourth quarter to close to within five points, but could get no closer.

Swenson passed for 196 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted four times.

SUNSET REGION QUARTERFINALS

Arbor View 40, Shadow Ridge 24 — At Arbor View, the Mustangs struck first, but the Aggies quickly turned the game around and rolled in the first round.

Shadow Ridge (3-7) executed a perfect onside kick to put their offense on the field first, but the Mustangs had to settle for a 25-yard Chris Mendoza field goal.

From there, Arbor View (10-0) took control. Denajiou McZeal took the Aggies’ first offensive play 44 yards for a touchdown. After a quick Shadow Ridge punt, Arbor View capped a 10-play drive with an 11-yard run by Charles Louch. Herman Gray then intercepted a pass and on the next offensive play went 48 yards to make it 21-3. Two drives later, Gray wasn’t burst up the middle for a 45-yard touchdown run and a 28-3 halftime lead.

Gray finished with 117 yards on seven carries, and McZeal added 57 yards on three carries.

Six plays into the second half for Shadow Ridge, Dominick Wilson bounced outside for a 30-yard touchdown run. Wilson finished with 99 yards on 22 carries with the touchdown.

Matthew Howitz completed 14 of 27 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown pass to Torry Graham for the Mustangs, while Michael Payton caught six passes for 54 yards and a touchdown.

— Jesse Vineyard

Centennial 41, Legacy 13 — Centennial quarterback Juan Rodriguez threw for 143 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 90 yards and another score as the Bulldogs throttled the Longhorns in the first round.

The Bulldogs (9-1) started in grand fashion when Brandan Harley returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for an apparent score, but a penalty negated the return. The Bulldogs still had good field position at the Longhorns 35. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson capped the two-play drive with a 22-yard touchdown run. Stevenson rushed for 140 yards on 11 carries. He also had one catch for 54 yards.

The Longhorns answered when Justin Whitehead scored on a 3-yard run to tie the game.

The Bulldogs scored the next 24 points to run away from the Longhorns. Rodriguez threw the first of his three touchdown passes when he connected with Ivan Ochoa-Serrano on a 36-yard scoring strike. Kicker Zach Mays extend the lead to 17-7 when he nailed a 21-yard field goal.

Rodriguez extended the Bulldogs’ lead to 24-7 when he rushed for a 30-yard score. The Bulldogs first-half onslaught continued when Rodriguez hit Kevin Wiesner on a 27-yard touchdown pass.

DeMichael Walker ran for 191 yards and one touchdown for Legacy (3-7).

— Robert Horne

Palo Verde 42, Cimarron-Memorial 12 — At Palo Verde, the Panthers saw 10 players combine to rush for 432 yards against the visiting Spartans in an opening-round blowout.

Senior Jaren Campbell led the charge for Palo Verde (7-3) with 173 yards on 13 carries, including two touchdowns. Junior Aaron Chisolm had 112 yards on 11 carries, including a 92-yard TD run.

After going into the locker room with a slim 13-6 halftime lead, the Panthers scored on their first two possessions of the third quarter to open up a 28-6 lead.

Senior quarterback Derek Morefield completed 7 of 21 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 22 yards on five carries for the Spartans. Senior Maurice Bennett ran for 43 yards on 10 carries for Cimarron-Memorial (4-6).

The Panthers advanced to the semifinals, where they will face Arbor View next week.

— W. G. Ramirez

Bishop Gorman 63, Desert Oasis 0 — At Bishop Gorman, the No. 1 Gaels (11-0) dominated in all three phases of the game and scored touchdowns on their first eight possessions for an easy shutout of the Diamondbacks (2-8).

Quarterback Tate Martell connected on a 40-yard TD strike to Alize Jones, and backup QB Danny Hong provided a 6-yard option keeper score to make it 14-0 early in the first quarter.

Gorman’s Nico Fertitta cradled a tipped pass, ran to the left sideline and reversed field down the right sideline for a 35-yard interception return to put Gorman up 21-0 with 6 minutes left in the first quarter.

Russell Booze supplied a 59-yard TD sprint off the left end and down the left sideline to push the lead to 28-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Hong hit Jones on a jump ball in the back right corner of the end zone for an 8-yard TD, and Biaggio Walsh and Jonathan Shumaker each contributed a touchdown run to make it 49-0 at half.

Hong, who completed 10 of 11 passes for 147 yards, added a 33-yard hookup to Austin Arnold, and Walsh (101 yards rushing) plunged in for a 1-yard TD to cap the scoring.

— Brennan Karle

DIVISION III STATE QUARTERFINALS

The Meadows 16, Needles 7 — At The Meadows, a defensive stand in the red zone helped The Meadows advance.

Trailing by six, Needles drove to The Meadows’ 8-yard line with 5:20 left in the fourth quarter. On fourth down, Needles quarterback William Dunn threw to an open receiver in the end zone, but the ball bounced off his hands.

On the ensuing drive The Meadows drove to Needles’ 3-yard line, where Sander Straus sealed the win with a 20-yard field goal with 1:47 left. Running back Jack Berkley fueled the drive with a 39-yard run.

Berkley finished with 27 carries for 139 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Jacob Gleason went 7 for 9 for 107 yards and a touchdown for The Meadows (9-2).

Needles scored on its first drive, then was held scoreless the rest of the way. Quarterback William Dunn went 4 of 8 for 45 yards passing and ran four times for 60 yards for Needles (6-4).

— Jordan Aguilar

Agassi Prep 20, Lincoln County 12 — At Rancho, Kobe Williams scored two touchdowns and intercepted two passes to lead the Stars to a first-round win.

Williams returned his first intercepion 44 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, and his second interception occured in the end zone on the last play of the game to seal the Stars’ victory.

Costly mistakes plagued the Lynx (6-4). Midway through the first quarter, a fumbled snap led to a blocked punt by Agassi Prep which placed the Stars deep in Lynx territory. That led to a 5-yard touchdown run by Stephan Lauschaul. Later in the half, Lincoln County quarterback McClain O’Connor was intercepted on the goal line by Stars defensive back Cajon Lakes. That started Agassi Prep (8-2) on a 78-yard drive capped by Williams’ 21-yard TD run. Williams and Lauschaul each finished with 98 yards rushing.

With just one minute left before halftime, O’Connor, who rushed for 66 yards, scored on a 21-yard scramble for the Lynx to cut the lead to 20-6. After converting on fourth-and-4 deep in Stars territory in the third quarter, the Lynx pulled within 20-12 when Derek Shumway scored on a 4-yard run.

Late in the fourth quarter, Lincoln County was drove 55 yards with less than two minutes left and no timeouts, but Williams’ interception ended the comeback attempt.

— Ron Harris

DIVISION IV STATE QUARTERFINALS

Spring Mountain 74, Beatty 22 — At Spring Mountain, Cory Duncan gained 174 yards of total offense to lift the Golden Eagles past the Hornets in a Division IV state quarterfinal.

Duncan caught four passes for 101 yards and a touchdown and ran eight times for 73 yards and a score.

Junior running back Nick Meyers carried 16 times for 92 yards and a touchdown, helping Spring Mountain (8-2) outrush Beatty 282-35.

The Golden Eagles sacked quarterback Luis Flores eight times and forced two turnovers.

Beatty (7-3) was able to keep it close in the first half, going to the locker room down only 38-22, but the second-seeded Golden Eagles scored five rushing touchdowns in the second half.

Edward London completed 9 of 18 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns while running for 35 yards and a score for Spring Mountain, but he was intercepted twice by Flores, who threw for 105 yards and two touchdowns for Beatty.

— Jesse Granger

Pahranagat Valley 60, Sandy Valley 0 — At Alamo, Wade Leavitt had 103 receiving yards, 71 rushing yards and three total touchdowns as the Panthers (10-0) cruised past the Sidewinders (6-4).

Tabor Maxwell was 11 of 15 for 173 yards and three TDs for Pahranagat Valley, and teammate Jordan Cryts had seven carries for 70 yards and two scores.

Shawn Wadsworth scored on a 3-yard rushing touchdown and had two receiving scores for the Panthers, who led 40-0 at halftime.

Sandy Valley’s Lane Eastham had 25 carries for 58 yards.