Christian Vaughn, offensive line power Desert Oasis’ 3-0 start
He wasn’t ranked in the Nevada Preps preseason countdown of top running backs. He doesn’t show up on any recruiting websites and doesn’t have any scholarship offers.
But what’s undeniable is that through three games Christian Vaughn has been the best back in Southern Nevada. And he and a veteran offensive line have powered Desert Oasis to the first 3-0 start in school history.
“We’re way more of a family,” Vaughn said. “I could not do it without my offensive line.”
Vaughn has been the star. The junior has rushed for 703 yards and 12 touchdowns, both tops in the area by significant margins. On Aug. 24 against Valley, he ran for 299 yards and six touchdowns.
But even the best running back falters behind a weak offensive line, and that’s the biggest difference between this year’s Diamondbacks and the ones that went 0-9 last season.
Last season, Desert Oasis’ starting five on the line combined for zero games of varsity experience. This season, four linemen are back, and they have provided a steadying force for a hungry Diamondback squad.
“Even though it wasn’t as good as we wanted it to be last year, we just built off from there and it’s got us this far,” center Lance Pasqua said. ”We just don’t want to take that for granted because it’s been a magical start, we just want to keep working hard and keep the ball rolling.”
Pasqua — along with starting tackles Brandon Cuevas and Justin Golden, and starting guards Andrew Dean and Sebastian Gonzalez — have protected a running back who few expected to burst onto the scene. Vaughn rushed for 505 yards and three touchdowns last season, a modest output for a team that was shut out four times and scored 52 points all season. Last week alone, the Diamondbacks scored 62 points in a win over Western.
“The bus rides home, we can actually talk. Last year, we were silent the whole bus ride,” Vaughn said. “It feels good around school. Kids are all happy that their team is winning.”
Now that Desert Oasis has finished the first part of its nonleague schedule, the real challenge begins. The Diamondbacks are off until Sept. 21, when they open Southwest League play against Sierra Vista. Then, after a nonleague game against Boulder City, they play Bishop Gorman on Oct. 5.
The schedule isn’t getting any easier. The pressure is on to keep up a terrific start. Working in Desert Oasis’ favor is that only one other Class 4A team has a 3-0 record, and no one has Christian Vaughn.
“We’ve done some really good things up front … and it’s been to Christian’s benefit,” coach Michael Ovens said. “I think his start here has shattered every record at D.O.”
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Contact Justin Emerson at jeme
