Roundup: Receiver’s big game helps Green Valley upset Basic
Green Valley senior wide receiver Ben Byington gave the Gators plenty of punch Friday night in a Class 5A Division II Southern League semifinal at Basic.
Byington had two TD receptions and scored on a kickoff return to help the fourth-seeded Gators (5-6) upset top-seeded and league champion Basic (7-3).
The Gators forced six turnovers.
Green Valley will play at Faith Lutheran for the Southern League title at 6 p.m. Friday. The winner will play the Northern champion for the state title Nov. 21 at Allegiant Stadium.
— No. 3 Faith Lutheran 43, No. 2 Foothill 22: At Foothill, Cale Breslin rushed 22 times for 176 yards and two TDs, and the Crusaders (8-3) took control in the fourth quarter to defeat the Falcons (9-3).
Quarterback Garyt Odom completed four of six passes for 70 yards and a TD for Faith Lutheran.
Faith Lutheran claimed a 30-14 home win over Green Valley on Sept. 8
Class 5A Division III semifinals
— No. 1 Legacy 45, No. 4 Clark 0: At Legacy, Aidan Crawford passed for 200 yards and three TDs as the Longhorns (6-4) routed the Chargers (3-6).
Airamis Craven added 150 rushing yards and a TD to help Legacy, which hosts Palo Verde in the Southern League title game at 6 p.m. Friday.
The winner will play the Northern champion in the 5A Division III title game Nov. 18 at UNR’s Mackay Stadium.
— No. 2 Palo Verde 49, No. 3 Desert Oasis 38: At Palo Verde, Crew Dannels completed 13 of 19 passes for 255 yards and five TDs to lead the Panthers (5-4) past the Diamondbacks (4-6).
Furious Hoskins had seven receptions for 171 yards and three TDs for Palo Verde. The Panthers lost the regular-season meeting to the Longhorns 27-20 on Oct. 13 at Legacy.
Class 4A Desert League semifinals
— No. 1 Centennial 39, No. 4 Bonanza 7: At Centennial, Victor Plotnikov completed 13 of 18 passes for 245 yards and four TDs to help the Bulldogs (9-1) defeat the Bengals (5-5).
Angelo Ahern scored one TD on the ground and another on a scoring reception for Centennial, which hosts Somerset-Losee for the league championship and a spot in the 4A state title game at 6 p.m. Friday.
Centennial defeated Somerset-Losee in a regular-season meeting 38-28 on Sept. 8.
— No. 2 Somerset-Losee 44, No. 3 Mojave 29: At Somerset-Losee, Malachi Johnson rushed for 202 yards and three TDs, and the Lions (10-2) defeated the Rattlers (5-5) with the help of a 22-point fourth quarter.
RJ Olivieri, Levi Sessi and Kieran Daniel added a rushing TD apiece for Somerset-Losee.
Class 4A Mountain League semifinals
— No. 1 Sunrise Mountain 36, No. 4 Eldorado 35: After trailing 21-20 at the end of three quarters, the Miners (8-1) rallied late to edge the Sundevils (5-5).
Sunrise Mountain hosts Canyon Springs for the league championship and a spot in the 4A state title game at 6 p.m. Friday.
— No. 2 Canyon Springs 40, No. 3 Chaparral 14: At Canyon Springs, Eric Mosley scored on a run, a pass reception and a fumble return as the Pioneers (9-1) rolled past the Cowboys (5-5).
Seven Thomas returned a fumble for a score to help Canyon Springs, whose lone loss came in a 18-13 defeat to Sunrise Mountain on Oct. 13.
Class 3A Southern League semifinals
— No. 1 SLAM Academy 28, No. 4 Virgin Valley 21: At Spring Valley, the Bulls (9-1) rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to beat the Bulldogs (7-5).
Chysten Tabangcura had a key interception, and SLAM stopped Virgin Valley at the goal line in the fourth quarter to preserve the win. The Bulls advance to the state semifinals Friday or Saturday against a Northern opponent.
— No. 2 Moapa Valley 62, No. 3 Boulder City 14: At Overton, the Pirates (9-2) broke open a close game in the second quarter and cruised past the Eagles (7-3).
Degan Jones had two rushing TDs and also scored on a kick return to help Moapa, which advances to the state semifinals Friday or Saturday against a Northern opponent.
Class 2A state quarterfinals
— No. 1S Lake Mead 63, No. 4S White Pine 0: At Lake Mead Academy, Jerry Meier threw six TD passes to five receivers as the Eagles (8-1) rolled past the Bobcats (1-7) to advance to the state semifinals.
Christian Rhodes caught two TD passes, Chayse Valenzuela rushed for two scores, and Brendyn Downing returned the second-half kickoff 70 yards for a TD.
Lake Mead will host Incline, the No. 2 seed from the North, in a state semifinal Friday or Saturday.
— No. 3S Lincoln County 32, No. 2S Needles 15: At Needles, the Lynx defeated the Mustangs to advance to the state semifinals.
Lincoln County will play at Pershing County, the No. 1 seed from the North, in a state semifinal Friday or Saturday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X. Contact Jeff Wollard at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.
