4A ROUNDUP: Nixon is just the ticket
Cimarron-Memorial coach Rod Vollan knew his team would need a few big plays on the road to overcome the tough defense of sixth-ranked Legacy on Friday night.
The eighth-ranked Spartans didn’t get many, but they got just enough to pull off a 13-7 victory.
Stephen Nixon, who broke two long first-half runs, rushed for 258 yards on 21 carries to spark Cimarron (6-3, 5-1 Northwest).
“We broke two big plays in the first half,” Vollan said. “They made some good defensive adjustments and forced us to work inside. We didn’t get it done inside.”
Indeed, Nixon ran for only 36 yards in the second half after gaining 222 in the first. But the damage was done, as Nixon’s 62-yard run put the Spartans ahead 6-0 with 3:14 left in the first quarter.
The Longhorns (7-2, 4-2) answered quickly with a 90-yard kickoff return by Dontrell Hall to go ahead.
But Nixon’s second big run, an 83-yard sprint down the right sideline, gave Cimarron a 13-7 lead early in the second. Neither team threatened again until the Spartans fumbled on a botched snap at their own 47-yard line with 1:28 left in the game.
“You just take for granted the center-to-quarterback exchange,” Vollan said. “The good thing is we overcame it.”
The victory was not settled until Cimarron’s Timothy Hasson intercepted a Zach Monticelli pass with less than a minute to go.
“Legacy’s improvement from last year to this year has been almost indescribable,” Vollan said. “The fact we beat a highly ranked team on the road is huge.”
Prince Oroke led the Longhorns’ offense, rushing for 89 yards on 12 times. Martrell Crockett added 77 yards on 16 carries.
Sierra Vista 20, Clark 14 — At Sierra Vista, senior Akil Sharp ran for 154 of his 196 yards in the first half and scored all three Mountain Lions touchdowns, leading Sierra Vista (4-5, 3-3 Southwest) over the Chargers (2-7, 2-4).
The victory clinched a playoff spot for Sierra Vista.
Sharp ran 12 yards on second-and-goal for the decisive touchdown 19 seconds after Clark tied the game at 14-14. The go-ahead score came three plays after Garland Latham’s 65-yard kickoff return to the Clark 20.
Clark tried to rally in the fourth quarter, but a halfback pass fell incomplete with 5:19 to play and Sierra Vista was able to kill all but the final 10 seconds. Ryan Stevens’ interception as time expired sealed the victory.
Sierra Vista’s defense held Clark running back Aaron Arlt to 68 yards, but Andre Clay ran for 112.
Desert Pines 27, Chaparral 20 — At Desert Pines, Derrick Shaw scored on a 9-yard run in the second overtime to lift the Jaguars over the Cowboys.
Shaw finished with 60 yards on 13 attempts, including an 8-yard TD in the third quarter.
Chaparral (3-6, 2-4 Northeast) was unable to maintain its 13-0 halftime lead. Desert Pines (3-5, 3-2) scored three straight touchdowns to go ahead, 20-13, with 5:39 left in the fourth.
The Cowboys forced overtime on Devian Blow’s 20-yard touchdown reception from Jermal Turner on fourth down. Blow had 104 yards on five catches, also including a 15-yard TD.
Neither team scored in the first overtime. Chaparral’s Greg Tucker made his second interception of the game against Dalton Leilua on the Jaguars’ first play. But Carl Van Landingham couldn’t convert a 23-yard field-goal attempt for the Cowboys. He also missed a 44-yard attempt at the end of regulation.
Western 28, Durango 22 — At Durango, Devin Weidemann threw for three touchdowns, including a 10-yarder to Dante Warren in overtime to carry the visiting Warriors (2-6, 2-4 Southwest) past the Trailblazers.
Wiedemann also hooked up with Thomas Johnson for a 75-yard touchdown on Western’s first play. Johnson added a 97-yard kickoff return to begin the second quarter, tying the game at 14-all.
Durango’s Amean Galindon scored on a 4-yard run with 1:44 left in regulation, and Chase Roberts ran for the tying two-point conversion.
The Trailblazers had a chance to win in regulation, but Anthony Ramirez missed a 40-yard field-goal attempt as time expired.
Durango (1-8, 1-5) was led by Julio Mora, who gained 184 yards on 35 carries, including touchdowns of 10 and 3 yards.
Green Valley 31, Silverado 13 — At Green Valley, Quincy Bagsby rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns, and Dallas Halasz added two defensive scores as the No. 6 Gators pulled away from the Skyhawks.
It was the sixth straight win for Green Valley (7-2, 5-0 Southeast League), setting up a battle against rival Basic for the league title Thursday.
Silverado (4-4, 1-4) was eliminated from the Sunrise Region playoff picture after winning its first three games.
The Skyhawks closed to within 14-13 on Trenton Tipton’s 45-yard touchdown reception from Kyle Simmons only 1:34 into the third quarter, but Halasz blocked the extra point. Green Valley then scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth.
Nolan Kohorst capped a 10-play drive with a 38-yard field goal to make it 17-13. After Stefan Newman’s interception, Bagsby broke three tackles on a 20-yard touchdown run with 2:45 remaining, and Halasz soon scored on a 76-yard interception return.
Tipton’s 43-yard TD catch in the first quarter put Silverado ahead 7-0, but Halasz answered for the Gators. When an option pitch bounced off a Silverado running back, he caught the ball and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown.
Las Vegas 36, Canyon Springs 25 — At Las Vegas, senior quarterback Emir Lopez passed for 220 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another to lead the Wildcats (8-1, 5-0 Northeast) over the Pioneers (1-7, 1-4).
Las Vegas clinched a tie for the Northeast League title.
In a sloppy game that had seven lost fumbles and eight personal fouls, Canyon Springs stayed competitive until the fourth quarter. Las Vegas took control with a 37-yard field goal by Trevor Lowe and a 1-yard touchdown run by Lopez.
Las Vegas running back Reggie Bullock carried 11 times for 134 yards, including a 36-yard touchdown for the only points of the first quarter.
Canyon Springs’ Devin Rimmey rushed for 208 yards on 17 carries, including an 85-yard touchdown as time expired in the third. Deshaun Stewart hauled in 11 passes for 143 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown.
Rancho 28, Eldorado 7 — At Eldorado, James Cammack threw four touchdown passes as the Rams (5-4, 3-1 Northeast) turned back the Sundevils to clinch a playoff berth.
Cammack completed 14 of 23 passes for 223 yards. Dijon Holman caught touchdown passes of 2 and 16 yards. Perry Benson made four catches for 103 yards, including a 41-yard scored.
Ezaevan Williams scored on a 3-yard run for Eldorado, culminating a game-opening drive that began with an onside kick by the Sundevils.
Tone Gatewood led the Sundevils (4-5, 2-3) with 111 yards rushing on 21 carries, but was held to 15 yards on four carries in the second half.
Foothill 16, Liberty 14 — At Liberty, Terrance Walls kicked a 36-yard field goal in the final minute, and the Falcons (4-5, 2-3 Southeast) crushed the Patriots’ hopes for the first playoff berth in their six-year history.
Foothill’s decisive possession began on its own 36-yard line with 2:19 remaining, and the drive was extended by a pass interference penalty against Liberty on fourth down. The Falcons moved into field-goal range on a 12-yard completion from Aaron Dupin to tight end F.J. Funtila.
Walls’ kick was the only scoring of the second half.
Foothill took a 13-0 lead in the first quarter on Connor Afoa’s 50-punt return for a touchdown and Dupin’s 13-yard scoring run to cap an 83-yard march. The Falcons ran the ball on 12 straight plays, including 56 yards on eight carries by Algernon Sewell.
Liberty (4-5, 2-4) rallied to take a 14-13 halftime lead on two touchdowns by Shawn Murray. He finished with 105 yards on 11 carries, including touchdowns of 63 and 40 yards.
Centennial 21, Shadow Ridge 12 — At Shadow Ridge, running back Brandon Wright scored twice in the fourth quarter, rallying the Bulldogs (3-6, 1-5) past the Mustangs (2-7, 1-5).
Wright caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Chris Henderson to give Centennial a 14-12 lead, and ran 12 yards for another score on his way to 109 yards on 17 carries.
Shadow Ridge running back Zach Hill rushed for 165 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Palo Verde 41, Mojave 0 — At Palo Verde, Kelly Zurowski threw for three touchdowns in the first half and the top-ranked Panthers (9-0, 6-0 Northwest) crushed the Rattlers to remain the only undefeated Class 4A team in Southern Nevada.
Zurowski connected with Sidney Hodge for a 59-yard touchdown on Palo Verde’s first drive and then with Alex Bonczyk for a 44-yard score on fourth-and-10.
After Hodge returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown to the Rattlers’ ensuing possession, Chaz Thomas ran for a 30-yard score and Bonczyk added another TD reception as the Panthers led 34-0 at halftime.
Mojave (0-8, 0-6) was held to 114 yards of total offense.
Cheyenne 57, Arbor View 0 — At Cheyenne, Marcus Sullivan ran for three touchdowns and caught a pass for another, leading the No. 4 Desert Shields over the Aggies.
Sullivan rushed for 134 yards on 14 carries, including touchdowns of 2, 1, and 39 yards. He also caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Kaeo Helekahi.
Cheyenne (8-1, 5-1 Northwest) scored on eight of nine possessions, failing only after taking a knee to end the first half with a 38-0 lead. The Desert Shields’ first-half scoring drives covered 65, 63, 55, 70 and 88 yards as they outgained Arbor View, 345-38.
Andrew Calhoun and Terrence Brison combined for three short TD runs, and Jordan Butler caught a 70-yard TD from Chris Spencer.
Cheyenne was just as impressive on defense, holding 1,100-yard rusher Taylor Wooten to 32 yards on 17 carries and keeping the Aggies (5-4, 2-4 Northwest) from penetrating the Desert Shields’ 35-yard line.
Bishop Gorman 55, Pahrump Valley 0 — At Bishop Gorman, senior running back Kawika Antolin ran for touchdowns of 70 and 39 yards on his only touches, and the No. 2 Gaels (9-1, 6-0 Southwest) coasted past the Trojans (1-8, 0-6).
Gorman took a 35-0 halftime lead, holding Pahrump Valley to 48 yards.
Matt Malone rushed for 88 yards on eight carries, including a 48-yard touchdown. Freshman Shaquille Powell, in his first varsity game, ran for 65 yards on five carries, including a 40-yard TD.
Pahrump Valley was led by senior fullback Ande Floyd with 51 yards on 14 carries.
Valley 34, Coronado 31 — At Coronado, Kerwynn Williams rushed for 242 yards and three touchdowns to propel the Vikings (4-5) over the Cougars (2-7).
Williams was held to minus-10 yards in the first half, but ripped off runs of 75, 67 and 52 yards in the second half, the first two for touchdowns. His other TD was a 16-yarder.
Valley also got an 88-yard touchdown run by Garic Wharton in the first quarter and a 50-yarder by Mitchell Deas in the second.
Blake Smith’s 87-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was the big play for Coronado.
The Cougars were led by Dane Cooper with 207 yards passing, including a 16-yard touchdown, and field goals of 23, 36 and 35 yards.
