Barnes helps Diamondbacks crown Grizzlies

Trevon Barnes was up for Homecoming king Saturday night at Desert Oasis.

By early Saturday afternoon, Barnes already felt like royalty.

Barnes hauled in four passes for 56 yards and a touchdown, and led a shutout defense at cornerback as the host Diamondbacks cruised past Spring Valley, 34-0.

The senior charged up No. 10 Desert Oasis (3-2, 3-1 Southwest League) in the second quarter, when Diamondbacks coach Scott Staudinger — frustrated by a scoreless first quarter littered with penalties — decided to give Barnes a bigger role at wide receiver.

Barnes hauled in a 24-yard touchdown catch late in the half to give Desert Oasis a commanding 17-point lead.

“I started getting a lot more chances, and I knew I had to execute,” Barnes said.

The wideout’s receptions also helped open up the field for Desert Oasis’ star running back tandem of Brandon Andrews and Devin Fortenberry, who combined for 157 rushing yards on 31 carries. Fortenberry rushed for three TDs.

Barnes returned a kickoff to the Spring Valley 43-yard line to start the second half to help set up a 25-yard touchdown run by Fortenberry, and the Diamondbacks took control for good.

Desert Oasis’ defense made the points stand up, and linebackers Kyle Henry, Jonah Montenegro and Blake Kutz combined for four sacks.

Spring Valley (2-3, 2-2) earned just four first downs and was held to 70 total yards.

“We knew we had some tough games to start this season,” said Barnes, whose team opened with a 52-0 loss to Bishop Gorman. “But once we get going, you can’t stop us.”