ROUNDUP: Andrews carries D-backs’ load
Andrews rushed for 253 yards on 37 carries, including a 10-yard touchdown, and the No. 9 Diamondbacks passed No. 7 Durango in the Southwest League with a 42-19 victory.
Desert Oasis (7-2, 6-1 Southwest) rolled up 422 rushing yards, fulfilling its game plan.
“I told them first we have to stop them, then get our thing rolling. Then once we get it rolling we will be OK,” coach Faron Seibel said.
Andrews, a Silverado transplant, was fourth on the depth chart early in the season, but attrition has elevated him.
“Brandon has stepped in as the No. 1 guy, and has been going strong ever since,” Seibel said. “He played really hard and never let up, and we just kept running him and running him.”
Andrews rushed for 125 yards in the first half, and Seibel said they did all they could in the locker room to help him recover so he could come back for more.
“At halftime we had to pump him full of water and massage his calves,” said Seibel. “But he never showed any sign of slowing down.”
Andrews needed a little help from a friend, however, to help the Diamondbacks take control for good.
Leading 21-13 late in the fourth quarter, Desert Oasis marched from its 11 to the Durango 16 in 11 plays, seven of them runs by Andrews.
On the 12th play, Andrews was hit at the line and fumbled, but teammate Devin Fortenberry scooped up the ball at the 15 and ran for a touchdown with 5:18 to play. Fortenberry rushed for 119 yards.
The Trailblazers would get no closer, as two plays into the ensuing drive Durango fumbled and Riley Smith recovered for the Diamondbacks. Andrews scored on a 10-yard run six plays later to make it 35-13.
“We just kept stopping them and coming up with turnovers when we needed them,” said Smith, who also had a key interception to thwart another Durango drive.
Julio Mora rushed for 150 yards on 19 carries for Durango (7-2, 6-1), including a 1-yard TD run with 8:08 left that cut the Diamondbacks’ lead to 21-13.
Trailblazers coach Gary Maki said Desert Oasis’ success running the ball wore down his team.
“They were running a great ball-control offense and they did a great job,” said Maki. “They were very well prepared, and I guess they wanted it more than we did.
“It was more a frustration for us. We had people where they were supposed to be, they just couldn’t make the plays they were supposed to make.”
With the loss, Durango faces the prospect of playing top-ranked Bishop Gorman in the regular-season finale in two weeks, and possibly dropping to third in the league and opening the playoffs on the road.
Desert Oasis plays at Clark on Thursday, seeking a win that would lock up second place in the Southwest.
“This win was huge,” Siebel said. “There is that shot at No. 2. We would get to stay home at least and play a No. 3 seed (in the playoffs.)”
Centennial 17, Legacy 16 — At Legacy, the Bulldogs’ defense stopped Longhorns running back Jordan Ireland on a 2-point conversion run in overtime, preserving Centennial’s road victory.
Ireland scored a 3-yard touchdown and Legacy opted to go for the win. The Bulldogs (6-3, 4-3 Northwest) stopped Ireland short of the goal line.
“Our defense came up big when we need to,” Centennial coach Leon Evans said.
Ireland rushed for 105 yards on 17 carries, and he opened the scoring with a 55-yard run in the first half. Juan Cedillos’s 26-yard field goal tied the game at 10-all in the fourth quarter.
Willie White scored on a 4-yard run for Centennial in the first half and Nicolas Barilla added a 22-yard field goal. Barilla missed a 30-yard attempt with 15.5 seconds to play in regulation.
In overtime, QB Cody Clark scored on a 1-yard keeper for Centennial and Barilla kicked the point-after, which proved to be the decisive point.
Clark passed for 158 yards, with Najeem Popal making four catches for 95 yards.
Bonanza (4-4, 3-3 Southwest) took the lead with 1:12 to play on a 75-yard pass from Sterling Sprau to Dasean Martin on fourth down. Martin broke three tackles and skirted the sideline for the go-ahead score.
Clark had one final chance and advanced to the Bonanza 5. Greg McKInney threw to Kyle Yoder for an apparent touchdown, but the Chargers were penalized for illegal motion.
On the final play, McKinney was intercepted by Loren Studer, who returned it 95 yards for a touchdown.
Clark’s Jackson rushed for 310 yards on 22 carries, including touchdowns of 35, 52, 50, 11 and 29. He also scored on an 86-yard kickoff return.
Martin led Bonanza with 164 yards on 17 carries and scored four TDs — two rushing, one receiving and an 81-yard kickoff return). He made five catches for 118 yards.
Marquise McKinney rushed for 225 yards and two TDs for Clark (3-5, 3-3 Southwest), which gained 657 yards, all on the ground.
Sprau completed 16 of 28 passes for 287 yards for Bonanza, which had 629 yards.
McDearmon found Ducksworth for a 25-yard TD in the first quarter and a 5-yarder in the third.
For Cimarron, Taz Taopui caught a 16-yard TD pass from Gerard Martinez and returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score.
The Spartans forced a turnover on downs and drove to the Mustangs 30 before a Martinez incompletion stalled the drive. Cimarron regained possession with 12 seconds to play but was unable to mount a scoring threat.
Del Sol 38, Basic 20 — At Basic, Chris Marshall scored five touchdowns, three in the fourth quarter, and rushed for 215 yards to propel the Dragons (5-4, 3-2 Southeast) past the Wolves (4-5, 1-4).
The victory clinched a playoff spot for Del Sol.
The Dragons trailed 20-17 entering the fourth quarter, but went ahead on Marshall’s 1-yard run. Del Sol had retained possession after Basic blocked Dylan Lindemann’s field-goal attempt. Jason Meuir recovered and ran for a Dragons first down.
Marshall added a 36-yard touchdown run and returned a fumble 54 yards for a score. He ran for TDs of 3 and 30 yards in the first half.
Vince Carducci completed 18 of 35 passes for 258 yards and two TDs for Basic. He also ran for a score. The Wolves were hurt by 11 penalties for 74 yards and three turnovers.
Silverado rushed for 267 yards, led by Izaiah Thurmon, who had 202 yards on 18 carries, including a 45-yard TD. Steven Scamorza added 54 yards on 14 carries, scoring on a 5-yard run.
Green Valley’s Ryan Lopez had 66 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Andrew McGovern caught a 67-yard TD pass from Paul McKay to open the scoring.
Cheyenne 28, Mojave 13 — At Mojave, Quashon Haynes returned an interception 62 yards for a touchdown with 9:58 remaining to clinch the victory for the Desert Shields (3-4, 2-4 Northwest) over the Rattlers (0-7, 0-6).
Kenneth Counts led Cheyenne with 86 yards rushing, including a 4-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Desert Shields compiled 296 yards on the ground.
Mojave quarterback Trevonte Veal was 17 of 39 for 251 yards and a touchdown. Bryant Lewis had 138 yards receiving and also ran for a touchdown.
Beaulieu scored on runs of 20, 43, and 45 yards, helping Palo Verde to a 53-7 halftime lead. In the fourth quarter, the Panthers got interception return TDs by Dillon Chaisson (54 yards) and Donald Anderson (50).
For Faith Lutheran, Joe Portaro passed for 308 yards and four touchdowns. Don Pearson caught scoring passes of 15, 3 and 12 yards.
Shaw ran for scores of 50 and 6 yards in the first half. Ri’Chard Green compiled 49 yards and two touchdowns on five carries.
Darel Allen-Tucker returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown for Desert Pines. Trey Robello threw a 45-yard TD pass to Quincy Fields en route 84 yards on 5 of 7 completions.
Thaddeusz Smith added a late score while piling up 42 yards on four carries in the second half.
Karlventz Thegenus led the Cowboys with 33 yards, including a 1-yard scoring plunge, on eight carries.
Chaparral’s Jacob Barr completed 6 of 20 passes for 82 yards with one interception. Toure Williams hauled in four passes for 44 yards.
Cox passed for 196 yards in the first half, helping Spring Valley to a 22-0 lead. He ran for a 17-yard touchdown in the first quarter and a 4-yarder in the second.
Austyn Wallace gained 131 yards on three carries, including an 83-yard touchdown, and Angelo Foschi-Gioeli returned an interception 40 yards for a TD. Diyan Nedelchev kicked a 34-yard field goal and three PATs.
Sierra Vista’s best scoring chance ended with a fourth-down fumble at the Spring Valley 1-yard line in the fourth quarter. Latwoyn Pate led the Lions with 25 yards on two carries.
Junior quarterback Anthony Sanders passed for 122 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 49 yards and another score.
Valley’s defense allowed 121 yards and forced three turnovers.
Sunrise Mountain sophomore quarterback Christopher Moore passed for 99 yards.
Bishop Gorman 63, Pahrump Valley 0 — At Gorman, Jarrett Solomon passed for five touchdowns and 158 yards, all in the first half, and the top-ranked Gaels (7-2, 6-0) took sole possession of first place in the Southwest League.
Solomon’s touchdown passes went to Evan Zeger (63 yards), Jamir Tillman (8), Ryan Smith (48), Trey Perry (1) and Nathan Starks (22).
Sophomore Justin Sweet ran for a 60-yard touchdown, backup QB Makoa Tyndall had a 13-yard TD run, Starks added a 35-yard TD and Jamaul Vickers closed the scoring with a 77-yard punt return.
Pahrump Valley fell to 0-8, 0-6.
Waite had scoring runs of 8 and 5 yards in the first half, and Hayden Waite added a 66-yard rushing score. Casen Lewis had a 31-yard TD run on his only touch.
Kelan Weiss completed 10 of 13 passes for 112 yards, and added a 5-yard TD run for Moapa Valley. Riley Solomon returned an interception 99 yards for a TD.
Joe Woodbury had a 96-yard kickoff return for Boulder City’s score.
Virgin Valley 47, Coronado 21 — At Mesquite, Humberto Urias passed for 214 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 51 yards and a 1-yard score, leading the Bulldogs (6-1) past the Cougars (2-5).
Urias threw TD passes to Daniel Gleave for 11 and 23 yards and to Dee Bowler for 43.
Bowler also had a 5-yard TD run. The Bulldogs got a first-quarter safety, and Kyler Hughes returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown. Hughes had three interceptions, two sacks and a fumble recovery for Virgin Valley’s defense, which made eight interceptions and forced two fumbles.
Virgin Valley’s Brandon Cohen kicked a 23-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.
Coronado’s Austin Iannucci led the Cougars with 267 passing yards and two touchdowns while completing 15 of 24 passes, but he also threw four picks. The junior threw TD strikes of 9 and 34 yards to Christopher Johnson and Tyler Proctor, respectively.
Proctor led led all receivers with 161 yards on eight receptions.
De’von Riley returned a punt 65 yards for Coronado’s first score.
Pahranagat Valley 58, Spring Mountain 0 — At Spring Mountain, the Panthers (8-0, 4-0 1A Southern) gained their 30th straight victory, scoring touchdowns on their first five possessions to roll past the Eagles (5-2, 2-2).
Chase Hansen rushed for 135 yards, including touchdowns of 45, 15 and 15, to help Pahranagat build a 34-0 halftime lead. He added a 13-yard rushing TD in the third quarter.
Tyler Higbee rushed for 114 yards and one TD and also scored on a 51-yard reception from Cody Hosier. Hosier passed for 126 yards and two scores.
Malcom Brown led Spring Mountain with 56 yards passing and 23 rushing. Devonte Rash caught seven passes for 67 yards.
Needles took a 21-0 first-quarter lead, with Mathews throwing TD passes to Austin Baldwin (67 yards) and Daniel Guzman (16).
Needles’ Daric Courtwright carried 12 times for 142 yards and a touchdown, and returned an interception 61 yards for a score.
Steven Shigley scored on a 26-yard fumble return to pull Calvary Chapel to within 27-12 with 11:35 to play, but Needles answered with a six-play, 66-yard drive capped by Courtwright’s 10-yard run.
Calvary Chapel’s Cody Taylor rushed for 91 yards on 10 attempts, and Cody Moreno added 78 yards and a score on 25 carries.
Price scored on runs of 1, 2 and 9 yards in the first quarter, helping Lincoln County to a 22-6 lead. Alec Lloyd rushed for 151 yards on 19 carries for the Lynx and Bryce Dotson supplied 118 yards and one score on 16 carries.
Garrett Gosse passed for 213 yards and ran for a 2-yard score for The Meadows. Austin Brown had six receptions for 120 yards.
Indian Springs 74, Round Mountain 20 — At Indian Springs, Adam Reinke rushed for four touchdowns and passed for three, guiding the Thunderbirds (5-2, 3-1 1A Southern) past the Knights (3-5, 0-4).
Reinke rushed for 230 yards on nine attempts and threw for 151 for Indian Springs, which led 59-6 at halftime. His rushing TDs went for 50, 56, 47 and 28 yards.
Josh Swisher caught a 26-yard TD pass and also rushed for scores of 47 and 26 yards.
Round Mountain’s Serjio Chavez scored on an 80-yard kickoff return and a 55-yard run.
Mountain View 39, Laughlin 22 — At Laughlin, T.J. Engel passed for 214 yards and three TDs and rushed for 130 yards and two scores to help the Saints (4-5, 3-3 2A Southern) beat the Cougars (2-6, 0-6).
Engel completed 12 of 17 passes, including TD strikes of 39, 22 and 11 yards to Justyn Anderson.
Anderson caught five passes for 100 yards and Trevor Van Kempen had six receptions for 94 yards.
Andre Prosise rushed for two TDs and threw for another to lead Laughlin.
Tonopah 45, Beatty 8 — At Tonopah, Seth Littlefield threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score as the Muckers (5-3, 2-2 Class 1A Southern) routed the Hornets (4-3, 1-3).
Littlefield completed TD passes of 35 and 9 yards to Eddie Reynoso, and hit Emmitt Davis on a 15-yard scoring strike and David McGaw for a 47-yard score. He also had a 13-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter.
Littlefield completed 17 of 29 passes for 205 yards. Cedric Kirby, who added an 8-yard TD run in the third quarter, carried 22 times for 165 yards.
Beatty was within 13-8 after Anthony Turner’s 1-yard TD run in the second quarter, but managed only 158 yards of total offense.
Tonopah’s David McGaw had two interceptions.
Agassi Prep 32, White Pine 6 — At Ely, Terrell Kemp rushed for two touchdowns to carry the Stars (6-1, 6-0 2A Southern) past the Bobcats (3-5, 3-3).
DeVonn Porter and Tank Carter also ran for TDs for Agassi Prep.
