Sloan Canyon hopes to end perfect football season with 4A state title

Perfection is not often achieved in sports, but Sloan Canyon’s football team is on the brink.

The undefeated Pirates (12-0) will play McQueen (10-2) at 12:20 p.m. Tuesday at Allegiant Stadium to attempt to win the Class 4A state championship and finish a perfect season.

The Lancers’ challenge is finding a crack in Sloan Canyon’s armor. The Pirates’ offense and special teams are strong. And forget about exploiting their defense.

Sloan Canyon has allowed just 94 points this season.

“We take pride in every time we put up a donut,” said coach Nate Oishi, whose defense has posted five shutouts this season. “Every time we do, we give the kids donuts on Monday.”

While Oishi’s defense is physically skilled, he believes its mindset is the key to its success.

“They play hard to the whistle, every down,” Oishi said. “They’ve come together for huge goal line and red zone stops.”

Defensive coordinator Michael Hughes said the group’s chemistry has also been important.

“This is a brotherhood,” said Hughes, who is one of eight former UNLV players on the coaching staff. “We’re a unit and we complement each other. These guys are locked in, and it comes down from the coaches.”

The Pirates have won all but two of their games by at least 21 points. But Hughes feels their two closest contests — a 33-27 overtime win over Losee and a 16-0 victory over Sierra Vista — were the most valuable.

“We credit them for our success,” he said, noting the Losee game was the only one in which Sloan Canyon trailed at halftime.

Oishi prefers not to single out individual players, but he pointed to linebacker Kame’e Sawyer-Mahoe (four tackles per game), defensive lineman Simote Tupou (15 sacks) and safety Gavin Rhodes (seven interceptions) as the Pirates’ defensive leaders.

McQueen will also have a tough time slowing down Sloan Canyon’s offense.

Quarterback Cade Hoshino passed for 231 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s 47-10 semifinal victory over SLAM! Nevada, while running back Jermaine Wilson added 158 yards and two scores. Wide receivers Brandon Quaglio and Christian Rhodes are two other standouts on a group that’s proven hard to stop.

“We’ve also done a great job up front,” Oishi said. “Our line has not given up a sack. If we pass and it’s not working, the running game steps up. If the running game isn’t working, we go to the pass.”

The Lancers aren’t a pushover, however. They are the top-seeded team from their region and their only losses came to Bishop Manogue in August and Reed in September.

McQueen’s offense is scoring 41 points per game behind quarterback Ryder Tucker, who has 31 touchdown passes, and running back Nason Rodriguez, who averages 123 yards per game. Its defense has held opponents to 17 points per game.

No matter what happens Tuesday, Oishi said he plans to leave the field with a smile on his face.

“McQueen has a historic program,” he said. “They play hard and they play together. But if we do our job — if we do our best one play at a time, whatever the final score is, we can hang our hat knowing we gave 100 percent.”

Contact Jeff Wollard at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.