Highlights from Week 10 of high school football in southern Nevada
Here’s a look at what happened during Week 10 of the high school football season.
What we learned
1. Never count out Green Valley.
The Gators were all but left for dead as they trailed Foothill 24-7 entering the fourth quarter. But somehow they managed an unlikely comeback, led by linebacker Nick Daniel, running back Desmond Bowers and kicker Antoin Kealoha.
Daniel recovered two fumbles, intercepted a pass and stuffed a runner in the end zone for a safety in the fourth quarter to lead the comeback.
Bowers chipped in with 94 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries despite not having touched the ball in the first three quarters. All Kealoha did was boot the winning 31-yard field goal with 49 seconds left. He also hauled in a 29-yard pass to set up one of Bowers’ TD runs.
Green Valley rallied for wins in the fourth quarter or overtime in its first three games, and Thursday’s comeback earned the team a home game in the first round of the playoffs. Any team that doesn’t fold when behind in the fourth quarter can be dangerous in the postseason.
2. Aubrey Washington might be the area’s most dangerous runner.
Washington rushed for 233 yards and five touchdowns on only 13 carries on Thursday in a 54-21 win over Shadow Ridge.
Washington has rushed for 436 yards and nine TDs in the last two weeks, and has 1,096 yards and 18 TDs on 104 carries this season. That’s an average of 10.5 yards per rush.
Among the area’s 1,000-yard rushers, only Mojave’s Tawee Walker (10.7) has a better average per carry.
3. Palo Verde may have ended its season with a loss, but the Panthers managed to extend their streak of playoff appearances to 17.
A 52-30 loss to Centennial dropped Palo Verde to 4-5, but they’re far from the only team with a weak record to make the postseason in Class 4A.
In fact, Las Vegas High will host a playoff game despite going just 3-6. Valley (4-5), Eldorado (2-7) and Basic (3-6) also enter the postseason with losing records. So do Del Sol (2-7) and Pahrump Valley (4-5) in Class 3A.
Palo Verde will be rewarded for continuing its playoff streak with a first-round game at Bishop Gorman, which hasn’t lost to a Nevada school since 2008.
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Upset of the week
Centennial 52, Palo Verde 30 — Palo Verde appeared to be rolling and Centennial reeling heading into this one. But the Bulldogs racked up 500 yards of offense to earn their first victory of the season.
Jordan Smith rushed for 207 yards and three touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter to help Centennial pull away from the 10th-ranked Panthers.
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Standout performances
Passing
Vlad Plotnikov, Centennial — 16-28 passing, 317 yards, 2 TDs
Kenyon Oblad, Liberty — 10-16 passing, 301 yards, 4 TDs
Dillan Otteson, Tonopah — 14-32 passing, 255 yards, 5 TDs
Carson Loosbrock, Silverado — 13-25 passing, 208 yards, 2 TDs
Dorian Thompson-Robinson — Bishop Gorman, 11-15 passing, 201 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Aubrey Washington, Legacy — 13 carries, 233 yards, 5 TDs
Elijah Hicks, Las Vegas — 21 carries, 210 yards, 2 TDs
Jordan Smith, Centennial — 14 carries, 207 yards, 3 TDs
Preston Higbee, Pahranagat Valley — 13 carries, 189 yards, 2 TDs
T.K. Fotu, Durango — 18 carries, 186 yards, 2 TDs
Noah Smith, Lincoln County — 11 carries, 181 yards, 4 TDs
Jared Regan, Lake Mead — 7 carries, 180 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving
Cervontes White, Liberty — 3 catches, 126 yards, 2 TDs
Isiaha Conner, Centennial — 5 catches, 125 yards
Jayden Perkins, Virgin Valley — 4 catches, 118 yards
Kevin Pope, Tonopah — 7 catches, 107 yards, 3 TDs
Brandon Scobee, Tonopah — 3 catches, 91 yards, 1 TD
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Quotable
“He came to me after the second touchdown and said, ‘Coach, I got you. I got you, coach, I got you.’ And he had us. He did a hell of a job.”
— Green Valley coach Brian Castro on linebacker Nick Daniel, who had two fumble recoveries, an interception and a safety in the fourth quarter as the Gators scored 19 unanswered points to beat Foothill, 26-24.
“Guys really wanted that. As coaches, if they want to make a goal, then we’ll ride it all the way.”
— Bishop Gorman coach Kenny Sanchez on his team’s defense, which didn’t allow a point in six Southwest League games.
“If they don’t make that kid all-league, there has to be an investigation. I’m dead serious with that.”
— Legacy coach John Isola on running back Aubrey Washington, who rushed for 233 yards and five TDs on Thursday.
“If you get a 90-yard drive, you get a Cat sticker for it. So, I told the offensive line and the receivers ‘Let’s go and get this 90-yard drive before half so we can get that cat sticker.’”
— Las Vegas running back Elijah Hicks, who had a 90-yard TD run with 26 seconds left in the second quarter in a 26-12 home victory over Valley.
“In the first three quarters, we didn’t play playoff football. But the final 12 minutes is what we will use to ride into next week. The players know what’s at stake, and we‘ll certainly be focused this upcoming week for the task at hand.”
— Sunrise Mountain coach Chris Sawyers after his team scored 19 fourth-quarter points to earn a 26-14 home win over Cheyenne.
“It’s important that we play composed, and that we have the right mindset going in. We’re not taking anything in from the first game or anything of that nature. I know people are going to make it bigger than what it is, but we just want to play football. That’s going to be our task this week, just reminding them its just football.”
— Canyon Springs coach Gus McNair on his team’s upcoming playoff game with Basic. The regular-season game between the Pioneers and Wolves was declared a double forfeit after a postgame brawl that a school police officer ended by deploying pepper spray.
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How they fared
A look at how the teams in the Review-Journal rankings fared in Week 10.
Class 4A
1. Bishop Gorman (8-2) beat No. 7 Sierra Vista, 53-0. Next: vs. No. 10 Palo Verde, Friday, Nov. 3.
2. Liberty (8-1) beat Basic, 50-0. Next: vs. Eldorado, Friday, Nov. 3.
3. Arbor View (8-0) beat Cimaron-Memorial, 35-0. Next: vs. Spring Valley, Friday, Nov. 3.
4. Green Valley (8-1) beat No. 5 Foothill, 26-24. Next: vs. Valley, Friday, Nov. 3.
5. Foothill (7-2) lost to No. 4 Green Valley, 26-24. Next: at Las Vegas, Friday, Nov. 3.
6. Faith Lutheran (5-3) was idle. Next: vs. Durango, Friday, Nov. 3.
7. Sierra Vista (6-2) lost to No. 1 Bishop Gorman, 43-0. Next: vs. No. 8 Legacy, Friday, Nov. 3.
8. Legacy (6-3) beat Shadow Ridge, 54-21. Next: at No. 7 Sierra Vista, Friday, Nov. 3.
9. Canyon Springs (5-4) beat Rancho, 55-0. Next: vs. Basic, Friday, Nov. 3.
10. Palo Verde (4-5) lost to Centennial, 52-30. Next: at No. 1 Bishop Gorman, Friday, Nov. 3.
Class 3A
1. Desert Pines (6-2) beat Western, 62-0. Next: vs. Del Sol, Friday, Nov. 3.
2. Mojave (7-2) beat Pahrump Valley, 44-34. Next: vs. No. 4 Chaparral, Friday, Nov. 3.
3. Moapa Valley (6-2) was idle. Next: vs. Sunrise Mountain, Friday, Nov. 3.
4. Chaparral (7-2) was idle. Next: at No. 2 Mojave, Friday, Nov. 3.
5. Virgin Valley (6-3) beat Del Sol, 52-38. Next: vs. Pahrump Valley, Friday, Nov. 3.
Class 2A
1. Needles (9-0) beat Laughlin, 50-0. Next: vs. No. 4 Democracy Prep, Friday, Nov. 3.
2. Lincoln County (7-3) beat No. 4 Democracy Prep, 41-0. Next: vs. No. 3 Lake Mead, Friday, Nov. 3.
3. Lake Mead (6-2) beat No. 5 The Meadows, 41-8. Next: at No. 2 Lincoln County, Friday, Nov. 3.
4. Democracy Prep (4-4) lost to No. 2 Lincoln County, 41-0. Next: at No. 1 Needles, Friday, Nov. 3.
5. The Meadows (3-6) lost to No. 3 Lake Mead, 41-8. Next: Season complete.
Class 1A
1. Pahranagat Valley (9-0) beat No. 3 Beatty, 44-0. Next: vs. No. 4 Tonopah, Friday, Nov. 3.
2. Spring Mountain (6-2) beat No. 4 Tonopah, 70-40. Next: vs. No. 3 Beatty, Friday, Nov. 3.
3. Beatty (5-2) lost to No. 1 Pahranagat Valley, 44-0. Next: at No. 2 Spring Mountain, Friday, Nov. 3.
4. Tonopah (5-5) lost to No. 2 Spring Mountain, 70-40. Next: at No. 1 Tonopah, Friday, Nov. 3.
5. Indian Springs (1-6) at Beaver Dam. Next: Season complete.
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Video coverage
See the following stories for some of the RJ’s video coverage from Week 10.
Nick Daniel’s defense leads improbably Green Valley comeback
Bishop Gorman concludes regular season with another shutout
Roundup: Legacy’s offensive firepower clinches playoff berth
