Weiss, Moapa Valley rally to drop Lowry

OVERTON -- All that Kelan Weiss was seeking was redemption.

The senior quarterback found it and in the process helped Moapa Valley's football team reach the Class 3A state title game for the fifth straight year.

Weiss threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown in the third quarter, but led a fourth-quarter surge to help the Pirates rally for a 35-20 home win over Lowry in a state semifinal Saturday.

"This was the last game on this field for our seniors, so we wanted to step up and make plays," Weiss said. "This is our fifth year in a row being (in the title game). We didn't want to be the grade to end it, so we're glad to be back."

Moapa Valley (7-4) will meet Truckee (11-0) in the 3A state title game Saturday at Arbor View High School. The Wolverines advanced with a 55-7 rout of Elko.

Lowry's Jace Billingsley returned an interception 96 yards for a score to give the Buckaroos (8-4) a 20-14 lead with 6:20 left in the third quarter.

It was the first of two Moapa Valley second-half turnovers in the red zone, as the Pirates drove to the Buckaroos 8-yard line on their ensuing possession before losing a fumble.

But on Moapa Valley's next possession, Weiss engineered a five-play, 76-yard touchdown drive highlighted by a 51-yard pass to Dakota Watters. Weiss capped the drive with a 14-yard strike to Casen Lewis, who spun past a defender into the end zone before the extra point gave the Pirates a 21-20 lead with 9:29 left.

"I haven't seen something like that except on ESPN," Weiss said of the score by Lewis, who also made a diving 20-yard touchdown catch to tie the game at 14 in the second quarter and finished with five receptions for 104 yards.

After the go-ahead score, Haydn Waite added an 11-yard TD run, and Shane Terril took an interception 32 yards for a score.

Weiss completed 14 of 27 passes for 288 yards and two TDs. Teammate Zach Waite carried 17 times for 48 yards, including a 16-yard first-quarter TD.

Lewis, Terril and Hayden Cooper each had interceptions for Moapa Valley.

CLASS 2A

■ Pershing County 34, Agassi Prep 16 -- At Rancho, the Stars saw their first playoff run in school history come to an end as the Mustangs rushed for 356 yards en route to the win in a Class 2A state semifinal.

Pershing County (7-4) will play Mountain View in the 2A state title game at 3 p.m. Saturday at Arbor View.

Agassi Prep (7-3), which won its first playoff game in the three-year history of the school last week, was overwhelmed by Mustangs running backs Marcus Tippens and Jared Jensen.

Tippens had 12 carries for 170 yards and two touchdowns, and Jensen added 124 yards and two scores on 20 carries.

Agassi Prep trailed 14-0, but rallied to take a 16-14 third-quarter lead on a 15-yard TD run by Tank Carter and a 14-yard TD run by Derreon Whitesides.

But Tippens broke loose for a 46-yard touchdown run with 11:25 left to give the Mustangs the lead for good, 20-16.

Pershing County's Robby Bugard had an interception on the ensuing drive, leading to a 2-yard TD run by Jensen.

-- Tim Guesman

■ Mountain View 41, Rite of Passage 38 -- At Yerington, T.J. Engel's 26-yard touchdown pass to freshman Jacob Duldulao with 1:51 remaining allowed the Saints (7-5) to rally past the Rams (9-3) in a Class 2A semifinal.

Rite of Passage built a 38-26 lead on Devontay Williams' 1-yard TD run with nine minutes left in the third quarter.

Engel connected with Trevor Van Kempen on a 16-yard scoring strike late in the third quarter to pull the Saints within 38-33. Duldulao's winning score came on a drive that started inside the Mountain View 10-yard line.

Engel completed 21 of 39 passes for 423 yards and five touchdowns, and the Saints scored four touchdowns on fourth-down plays.

Van Kempen caught eight passes for 128 yards and Justyn Anderson had six receptions for 120 yards, including a 41-yard TD catch. Van Kempen and Anderson also were the Saints' leading tacklers and combined to force three turnovers.

Matt Larson caught touchdown passes of 26 and 40 yards in the second quarter for Mountain View.

CLASS 1A

■ Coleville 64, Indian Springs 13 -- At Coleville, Calif., Emmi Sandoval caught nine passes for 301 yards and scored seven touchdowns as the Wolves (11-0) rolled over the Thunderbirds (7-3) in a Class 1A state semifinal.

Sandoval had TD receptions of 51, 70, 23 and 50 yards from Seth Huhta. He also had TD runs of 8 and 5 yards and returned a free kick after a safety 55 yards for a score. He finished with 55 yards rushing on six carries.

Coleville will play Pahranagat Valley in the 1A title game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Arbor View.