Playoff-bound Rattlers pounce early, rout Chargers

After a 3-1 start to the season, injury-riddled Mojave lost two of three, including a shutout loss at home to Cheyenne last week, and was desperate for a big win.

The Rattlers got it Friday night, as quarterback Taiwan Braden threw two touchdowns and ran for another to lead the host Rattlers to a 32-6 victory over Clark.

Braden completed 7 of 10 passes for 164 yards, while he ran for 28 yards on 14 carries.

With the win, Mojave (5-3, 4-2 Sunset League) clinched a berth in the Division I-A Southern Region playoffs moved into sole possession of third place in the league, behind Faith Lutheran and Cheyenne.

The Rattlers dominated from the opening kickoff and raced out to a 32-0 lead before Clark (4-4, 2-4) scored in the third quarter prior to heavy rainfall that put both teams out of commission offensively for the remainder of the game.

"The faster we get out to a good start, the better it is at the end for us," said Mojave coach Joe Delgado, whose Rattlers improved to 2-3 at home this season. "We were fortunate with the weather in the first half, we definitely wanted to (jump ahead quickly). If we didn't have all those scores in the first half, it would've been really tough in the second half. Numerous fumbles, the field full of mud — it was real difficult in the second half."

Mojave, which lost leading rusher Elijah Smoot to a season-ending injury last week and already was without starting quarterback Lamaja Cunningham (collarbone), outgained Clark, 288-184.

Yet the Rattlers would have easily eclipsed the 300-yard plateau had their field not been soaked by the second-half downpour. Ten of Mojave's 21 rushing attempts in the second half went for negative yardage.

The Rattlers, who have alternated wins and losses over their last five contests, have won their past four meetings against Clark by an average final score of 31-11.2.

The Rattlers got on the board late in the first quarter, when Braden stutter-stepped in the backfield, then raced around his left end and down the sidelines untouched 26 yards.

Khalid Walker starred on the Rattlers' first possession of the second quarter, rushing four times during the nine-play drive, which culminated with his 4-yard TD plunge up the middle that made the score 13-0.

Mojave then stuffed the Chargers' offense on three plays, and three plays into the Rattlers' next drive, Braden hooked up with Jesse James for an 86-yard TD reception, 65 yards of which James raced downfield after hauling in the pass.

Lee Ewell added a 39-yard TD reception with 56 seconds left in the second quarter to give Mojave a 26-0 lead.

"We wanted to work on our passing a lot," Delgado said. "We had been running the ball a lot, but hadn't been scoring points, so we worked a lot on passing this past week and it benefitted us for sure."

James had 104 yards receiving, while Walker had 72 yards on seven carries to contribute for the Rattlers. Defensive end Alex Carvalho was huge for the Rattlers' defense, recording two key sacks and recovering two fumbles, one of which he returned 65 yards for a score.

The Chargers were led by quarterback Nick Kinnard, who completed six passes for 119 yards and one touchdown.

Clark, which saw its two-game win streak snapped, is one game behind Spring Valley for the Sunset League's fourth and final playoff spot and finishes the regular season next week against Cheyenne (6-2, 5-1). The Rattlers have Western (0-8, 0-6) on deck.