ROUNDUP: Rams’ punt pins Desert Pines
Rancho High quarterback Will Gosse-Gardet put his team in position to win with a strong passing game Friday night.
It was his clutch punt, however, that put his opponents away.
Gosse-Gardet, who completed 21 of 35 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns, booted a 60-yard punt on a trick play late in the fourth quarter, helping the Rams hold on for a 37-27 home victory over Desert Pines.
With Rancho (3-4, 3-2 Northeast) clinging to a 34-27 lead, Gosse-Gardet lined up in a shotgun formation to take a fourth-down snap. But instead of passing, the senior dropped back and booted a 60-yard punt.
The kick, which was not returned, left the Jaguars (2-5, 2-3) back on their own 7-yard line.
“I was just trying to kick a line drive,” Gosse-Gardet said. “I just wanted to back them up, and it put us in good position.”
The Rams were in good position most of the night, as Bryson Mitchell’s strong return of the opening kick set Rancho up to take a 6-0 lead on Gosse-Gardet’s 20-yard TD pass to Tito Vasquez on the game’s first play.
Although Darel Allen-Tucker gave the Jaguars a brief 7-6 lead on a 10-yard run, Gosse-Gardet answered with a 6-yard run four minutes later to put Rancho ahead 12-7.
Gosse-Gardet’s 1-yard TD pass to Cody Hafen midway through the second quarter extended the Rams’ lead, but Desert Pines’ Eric Wilkes countered minutes later with a 50-yard run.
Rancho coach Elvin Dick, whose team has been plagued by periods of sloppy play, said he feared he was witnessing another collapse.
“We haven’t played very well at times,” he said. “We executed better tonight, but we still made some mistakes.”
Tommy Perkins gave the Rams a 26-14 lead on a 5-yard run late in the half, but the Jaguars’ Tui Poutasi scored on Travis Nofoa’s 71-yard pass with 34 seconds left to get within 26-20 at halftime.
Gosse-Gardet made sure there was no collapse, hitting Casey Holmes with a 48-yard TD pass late in the third quarter.
Allen-Tucker returned the ensuing kick 65 yards to cut Rancho’s lead to 34-27. But that was it for Desert Pines, as the Rams’ defense took over after Gosse-Gardet’s punt.
“Our defense was huge in the fourth,” said Dick, whose team got a 27-yard insurance field goal from Austin Maul with 44 seconds to play. “That was just guys doing their jobs.”
Perkins rushed 14 times for 60 yards to help Rancho, and Holmes added 81 yards on four receptions.
Wilkes carried eight times for 71 yards to lead the Jaguars.
Canyon Springs 50, Eldorado 0 — At Canyon Springs, Donnel Pumphrey rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns to help the No. 8 Pioneers (5-2, 5-0) stay tied for the Northeast lead.
Pumphrey had scoring runs of 26 and 35 yards and eclipsed 1,000 yards for the season. Kevion Glenn threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Michael Gayden on the second play of the game and added a 22-yard TD to Gerad Davis.
Canyon Spring’s defense scored twice and held Eldorado (2-5, 1-4) to 58 yards. James Jones returned a fumble 18 yards for a score and Tobias Carson recorded a sack in the end zone for a safety. The Pioneers also blocked a punt and made an interception.
Michael Williams made three sacks for Eldorado.
— Tim Guesman
Valley 27, Chaparral 24 — At Chaparral, Anthony Sanders’ only completion was a 9-yard touchdown to Eric Burrell in the fourth quarter, capping a rally from a 24-7 deficit that lifted the Vikings (3-4, 3-2 Northeast) over the Cowboys (1-6, 1-4).
Valley coach Marcus Sherman said he was not concerned by the second-half deficit.
“We have a good offense. As soon as it gets going, we can beat anybody,” Sherman said.
Sanders’ 16-yard TD run in the third quarter triggered Valley’s comeback. Freshman Dillard Davis, who had 118 yards on 22 carries, ran for the second of his two 5-yard TDs to get the Vikings within 24-21. Erik Edmunds’ interception set up the winning possession.
Antonio Davis carried the load for Chaparral, rushing for 227 of the Cowboys’ 336 yards, including touchdowns of 33 and 29 yards. Kyle Scott threw for 106 yards, with touchdowns to Corey Hockin (40 yards) and Toure Williams (24).
— Zac Alexander
Arbor View 32, Cimarron-Memorial 20 — At Cimarron, Christian Rodriguez rushed for 140 yards on 16 carries, Donnnie Gaskin gained 119 on 26 carries and Henry Hoffend rushed for two TDs and threw for one to lead the No. 3 Aggies (7-1, 6-1 Northwest) over the Spartans (4-4, 3-4).
In the first quarter, Walker Bettilyon blocked a punt to set up a 28-yard TD pass from Hoffend to Roderick Eason. Hoffend added TD runs of 1 and 50 yards. Gaskin had a 3-yard TD run and Rodriguez ran in from 36 yards.
For Cimarron, Demaryae Williams rushed for 120 yards on 16 carries, including an 82-yard TD. Gerard Martinez threw two TD passes.
— Adam Berchin
Las Vegas 48, Sunrise Mountain 14 — At Sunrise Mountain, the No. 4 Wildcats (7-0, 5-0 Northeast) bolted to a 35-0 lead in the opening 7:14 in rolling past the Miners (0-7, 0-5).
Farrell Victor rushed for 115 yards and scored first-half touchdowns of 54, 25 and 1 yards. Hasaan Henderson threw TD passes of 20 yards to Vince Castro and 50 to Joshua Mayfield. Castro added a 24-yard TD run.
Royce Gonzaque returned an interception 61 yards for a score. Interceptions by William Haywood, Kivon Rhone and Jason Cottle set up three other scores.
Demetrius Stegall and Tyree Mays scored on 2-yard runs for Sunrise Mountain and Chris Moore passed for 136 yards.
— Alan Abair
Bishop Gorman 55, Spring Valley 0 — At Spring Valley, Jarrett Solomon completed 8 of 11 passes for 128 yards, and the top-ranked Gaels (8-1, 6-0 Southwest) rolled up 455 total yards in beating the Grizzlies (2-5, 2-4).
Solomon threw touchdown passes to Dalton Baker (11 yards), Tajon Allen (15) and Ryan Smith (46). Solomon also scored on a 5-yard run.
Senior running back Shaquille Powell rushed for 155 yards, including touchdown runs of 19, 46 and 50. Nathan Starks added a 33-yard TD run.
The Gaels’ defense held the Grizzlies to 63 yards.
Spring Valley’s Rodney Rice recovered a muffed punt on Bishop Gorman’s 9-yard line with just under 7 minutes to play, giving the Grizzlies their best scoring opportunity. Gorman’s defense held, and Spring Valley missed a 23-yard field-goal attempt.
— Nolan Lister
Desert Oasis 56, Sierra Vista 14 — At Desert Oasis, Trevor Barnes scored the first three touchdowns, and the eighth-ranked Diamondbacks (5-2, 5-1 Southwest) beat the Mountain Lions (2-5, 2-4) to keep the Railroad Rivalry Bell.
Barnes rushed for 121 yards on six carries, starting the scoring with runs of 38 and 2. He then caught a 54-yard TD pass for one of Herman Smith’s three scoring tosses.
Devin Fortenberry rushed for 133 yards on 10 carries, with TDs of 61, 10 and 15, while Mark Fredericks caught TD passes of 16 and 21.
Taz Wilson threw for 146 yards for Sierra Vista, including a 15-yard pass to Cailyn Patton. Matt Murphy for 45 yards for a TD on a fake punt.
— Adam Eslinger
Centennial 48, Faith Lutheran 7 — At Faith Lutheran, the 10th-ranked Bulldogs (4-3, 4-2 Northwest) extended their winning streak to four, capitalizing on five turnovers by the Crusaders (2-5, 2-4).
Centennial’s Austin Turley went 13-for-15 passing for 184 yards and two TDs. Coby Newton and Jacobi Owens scored twice each.
Faith Lutheran fumbled on three straight first-half possessions, twice on kickoff returns, and the Bulldogs converted each time to take a 27-0 lead.
Trey Jasonek scored on a 1-yard run for the Crusaders.
— Neil Grepke
Foothill 28, Silverado 13 — At Foothill, sophomore Drew Doxtator passed for 229 yards and four touchdowns to guide the sixth-ranked Falcons (6-1, 3-1 Southeast League) past the Skyhawks (2-5, 1-4).
Kyle Keplinger caught nine passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns for Foothill.
Silverado jumped to a 7-0 lead on Izaiah Thurmon’s 5-yard run, capping an eight-play, 80-yard opening drive. But the Skyhawks stalled after quarterback Savon Moniz was hurt on their next possession, and they managed only seven yards and no first downs the rest of the half.
An 18-yard punt return by Tyren Boykin set up a 9-yard TD pass from Doxtator to Boykin to tie the score. The Falcons went ahead for good only 19 seconds later when Doxtator found Keplinger for a 20-yard score on Foothill’s first play after recovering a Silverado fumble.
— Adam Hill
Clark 40, Pahrump Valley 26 — At Clark, the Chargers (3-4, 3-4 Southwest) rallied behind brothers Marquis and Deyon McKinney, who rushed for a combined 330 yards and four touchdowns.
Marquis McKinney led the Chargers with 190 yards, including TDs of 44 and 68. Deyon McKinney ran for 140 yards, with TDs of 65 and 16.
Clark made four interceptions in the second half, and Raydel Perez returned his 54 yards for a touchdown.
Cody Keasling rushed for 114 yards and two TDs for Pahrump Valley (1-6, 1-5).
— Steve Spigelmyer
Cheyenne 36, Shadow Ridge 13 — At Cheyenne, Tyler Spight scored three times and backfield mate Kenneth Counts twice as the Desert Shields (5-2, 4-2 Northwest) beat the Mustangs (0-7, 0-6) to snap a two-game skid.
Counts scored twice in the fourth quarter to break it open, running in from 5 yards and catching a 25-yard pass from Tyler Power.
Power passed for 150 yards, including a 57-yard TD to Spight to start the second half. Spight scored on runs of 77 and 5 yards in the second quarter.
Myloe Lewis rushed for 129 yards on 12 carries, with Spight adding 122 on 11 carries and Counts 94 on 14 carries.
Shadow Ridge quarterback J Henderson ran for touchdowns of 8 and 2 yards. He completed 13 of 29 passes for 179 yards, with Alex Wise catching five for 80 yards.
— Sam Leeper
Legacy 45, Mojave 7 — At Legacy, defensive back Mason Davis returned one of his two interceptions 35 yards for a second-quarter touchdown, helping the Longhorns (4-3, 3-3 Northwest) roll over the Rattlers (1-6, 0-6).
Legacy led 21-7 at halftime and pulled away with a 17-0 third quarter. The Longhorns controlled the game on the ground, with D’Andre Hughes gaining 96 of their 211 yards rushing.
Mojave wide receiver Bryant Lewis threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Devin Sims in the second quarter.
— Brian Danise
Basic 20, Boulder City 7 — At Boulder City, quarterback Eddie Vega rushed for a 15-yard touchdown and passed for two scores as the Wolves (4-3) downed the Eagles (2-5) in the Jug Game.
Vega passed for 128 yards, including TDs of 24 yards to Darien Spencer and 8 to Devonte Boyd. Christopher Bibbs rushed for 53 yards on four carries for the Wolves.
Basic scored the first 20 points, holding Boulder City scoreless until Joe Miller’s 9-yard pass to Thomas Shelley in the fourth quarter.
Xavier Steel rushed for 62 yards to lead the Eagles, who had 204 rushing yards.
— Pedro Fonteboa
Mountain View 42, Calvary Chapel 14 — At Calvary Chapel, Trevor Van Kempen made a state-record five interceptions at outside linebacker, passed for 56 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a 1-yard TD to lead the Saints (4-4, 3-2 2A Southern) past the Lions (2-5, 0-5).
Five players had been tied for the record with four interceptions in a game, according to the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association record book.
Van Kempen, a senior, overcame stomach illness to pass for TDs of 22 yards to Sam Davison and 39 to Matthew Larson.
Larson rushed for 174 yards on 14 carries, including a 70-yard TD.
Jacob Duldulao rushed for 51 yards and one TD on nine carries for Mountain View, which used Van Kempen’s 1-yard TD run with 10:47 remaining to take a 29-14 lead.
Mountain View’s defense forced eight turnovers, including seven interceptions. Adonis Morris returned an interception 75 yards for a score for the Saints.
Calvary Chapel freshman Riley Clark passed for 229 yards, including a 44-yard TD to A.J. Davis in the first quarter. Bobby Buist had four receptions for 76 yards and scored on a 21-yard fumble return for the Lions.
Chris Basilio caught four passes for 73 yards for Calvary Chapel, which was playing on its new home field for the first time.
— Tristan Aird
The Meadows 46, Needles 7 — At The Meadows, senior quarterback Garrett Gosse passed for 344 yards and three touchdowns as The Meadows (5-2, 4-1 2A Southern) beat their Mustangs namesakes from Needles (0-7, 0-5).
Gosse moved into second all-time in Nevada in passing yards with 6,387, trailing only Coleville's Jason Peters, who threw for 8,740 from 2006 to 2009. He also moved into second in career TD passes with 79, behind only Peters' 158.
Gosse completed 15 for 26 passes, and his leading target was senior Max Newman, who made eight grabs for 214 yards and two touchdowns after being crowned homecoming king.
Robert List made two touchdown receptions, running back Chase Marrs carried for 77 yards and two touchdowns and Kenny Brown also rushed for a score. Freshman quarterback Jacob Gleason threw a 2-yard touchdown pass.
Needles running back Austin Baldwin spoiled the shutout with 44 seconds to play with a 2-yard run.
— Kevin Porter
Moapa Valley 18, Virgin Valley 0 — At Overton, Dakota Watters passed for 71 yards and scored on a 1-yard run to lead the Pirates (6-2, 1-0 3A Southern) past the rival Bulldogs (5-3, 1-1).
Kris Postma recovered a punt blocked by Jake Rebman in the end zone for a Moapa Valley touchdown in the first quarter. The Pirates added a safety on an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone in the fourth quarter.
Conner Mortensen rushed for 91 yards on 24 carries for Moapa Valley, which held Virgin Valley to 43 yards.
Lincoln County 32, Agassi Prep 8 — At Panaca, Nic Hurst rushed for 218 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries to drive the Lynx (3-4, 3-2 2A Southern) past the Stars (2-5, 2-3).
Derek Cheeney supplied two rushing scores and Derik Samson added a 20-yard TD run.
Agassi Prep’s Terrell Kemp scored on a 95-yard kickoff return.
Pahranagat Valley 72, Tonopah 6 — At Tonopah, Austin Poulsen rushed for three touchdowns and passed for two more to help the Panthers (7-0, 4-0 1A Southern) crush the Muckers (3-4, 2-2).
The win gave Pahranagat its 41st straight victory, which ties the state record for a winning streak established by The Meadows from 1998 to 2001.
Poulsen scored on runs of 77, 46 and and 48 yards. He hooked up with Kade Wadsworth on a 24-yard TD pass and Tyler Higbee on a 28-yard scoring strike in the first half, helping the Panthers build a 56-0 halftime lead.
Higbee scored on runs of 59, 38 and 10 yards for Pahranagat.
Tonopah scored on Seth Littlefield’s 32-yard TD pass to Derek Otero in the fourth quarter.
Littlefield passed for 77 yards for the Muckers, and Otero caught two passes for 47 yards.
Spring Mountain 56, Beatty 28 — At Spring Mountain, Meiyako Williams had a hand in all eight Eagles touchdowns and Leroy Freeman made three scoring catches, leading Spring Mountain (7-0, 4-0 1A Southern) past the Hornets (3-3, 2-3).
Williams threw four touchdown passes, scored on runs of 1, 78 and 58 yards, and added a 38-yard punt return for a touchdown. Freeman caught TD passes of 18, 25 and 57 yards and Jaytraveonte Davis caught a 27-yarder.
For Beatty, Alberto Mendez scored on runs of 1 and 22 yards. Luis Flores added a 10-yard touchdown run and an 18-yard TD pass to Nick Soto.
Round Mountain 48, Sandy Valley 6 — At Sandy Valley, the Knights (4-3, 2-2 1A Southern) routed the Sidewinders (1-5, 0-4).
Randal Spencer had a rushing touchdown for Sandy Valley.
White Pine 28, Laughlin 14 — At Laughlin, the Bobcats (7-0, 5-0 2A Southern) defeated the Cougars (5-2, 3-2).
Laughlin scored on a blocked punt return by A.J. Nelson and a kickoff return by Christian Avery.
