Jaguars take advantage of eight turnovers, down Pirates

Moapa Valley coach Brent Lewis thought his team played well enough on defense to win Friday night's game against Division I-A Sunrise league rival Desert Pines.

The longtime coach, though, never got what he expected from his offense.

"I though we controlled the tempo and pace of the entire game," Lewis said. "But you just can't win with eight turnovers."

Desert Pines quarterback Marckell Grayson tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Randal Grimes with 4 minutes, 14 seconds left in the first half to break a 20-20 tie, and the Jaguars went on to grab a 34-20 win over the host Pirates in a rematch of last season's Division I-A state championship game.

Grayson, who finished 14-for-30 for 173 yards and two interceptions, added a 42-yard TD run with 2:12 remaining in the fourth quarter to ice the game for Desert Pines (3-0, 1-0 Sunrise League). He had two rushing scores.

Isaiah Morris had 19 carries for 142 yards and a TD to lead the Jaguars, who scored 26 points in the second quarter to take a 26-20 lead at the break.

Moapa Valley (1-2, 0-1 Sunrise), despite possessing the ball for most of the third quarter, never found a rhythm afterwards and went scoreless the last two quarters.

"It looked like it would be a shootout, but both teams got tired," Lewis said. "We had the ball for the entire third quarter, but we didn't take advantage of that and we shot ourselves in the foot with turnovers."

Jalen Graves had a 21-yard fumble recovery for a score midway through the second quarter for Desert Pines.

Moapa Valley quarterback Nate Cox was 8 of 26 for 51 yards and six interceptions.

R.J. Hubert accounted for all of the Pirates' offense. The standout senior had a 52-yard receiving TD, a 54-yard rushing touchdown and an 80-yard kickoff return in the opening half.

Lewis said he hopes both teams meet again later this season and that his offense provides a better showing next time around.

"It had that playoff atmosphere," Lewis said. "But there were so many mistakes by both teams. It was kind of crazy with all the action in the second quarter. I think the two teams are pretty even. Hopefully, we see them down the road."