ROUNDUP: With Cunningham directing offense, Skyhawks’ defense rules 28-0 win at Desert Oasis
Instead, the ninth-ranked Skyhawks used defensive muscle to cruise to a 28-0 road victory over Desert Oasis.
Silverado dominated, holding the Diamondbacks to just 48 yards while forcing two turnovers.
“We’ve got a pretty well-rounded defense,” said Skyhaws head coach Andy Ostolaza. “We’ve got some big kids that take up space in the middle, and we had some good gang tackles tonight.”
Former UNLV and NFL quarterback Cunningham, provided the Skyhawks with a new look in his first game as offensive coordinator, keeping the Diamondbacks on the defensive with an effective combination of running and pass plays.
“We were able to throw the ball tonight,” said Ostolaza, whose past teams have relied on the run. “That’s a good thing. And we were able to run some formations we’ve never run before.”
Izaiah Thurmon got Silverado on the board early, capping a seven-play, 65-yard opening drive with a 9-yard touchdown run.
Thurmon scored again on a 1-yard plunge later in the quarter to give the Skyhawks a 14-0 lead.
Steven Scamorza intercepted a Trevon Barnes pass late in the second quarter, then scored moments later on a 1-yard run to extend the lead to 21-0.
Though Silverado starting quarterback Savon Moniz was injured late in the second quarter, Garren Albright came off the bench to complete 7 of 9 passes for 83 yards. His 18-yard TD pass to Thurfus Jessie with 1:46 left in the third helped the Skyhawks seal the win.
“It wasn’t a league game,” said Ostolaza, whose offense racked up 314 yards. “But we got the win, and it’s obviously good to start off on a high note.”
Thurmon led the Silverado ground attack with 100 yards on 15 carries.
Centennial 19, Green Valley 13 — At Green Valley, the No. 10 Bulldogs (2-0) scored two third-quarter touchdowns to erase a six-point deficit and beat the Gators (0-2).
Centennial dominated the second half, holding the ball for more than 17 minutes, outgaining Green Valley 240-59 and limiting the Gators to 9 yards rushing. Willie White scored on a 2-yard run and Cody Clark threw a 55-yard TD pass to Najeem Popal.
Aaron Love, who led the Gators with 129 yards on 16 carries, ran for a 1-yard touchdown in the first quarter. On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Centennial’s Taj Cole raced 73 yards for a tying touchdown.
Less than a minute later, Love put Green Valley back ahead with a 67-yard run. The Gators compiled 213 yards in the first quarter and 68 the rest of the way.
Cole had 165 yards on 18 carries and Centennial finished with 443 total yards.
Williams rushed for TDs from 1 and 2 yards.
Wide receiver Brett Van Orden caught three passes for 52 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown, and returned a fumble 44 yards for another score.
Coronado quarterback Austin Iannucci threw for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Christopher Johnson had 74 yards receiving, with a 7-yard touchdown.
Gosse-Gardet completed 14 of 22 passes for 268 yards as the Rams racked up 444 total yards and held Sierra Vista to 134.
Cody Hafen, who rushed for 95 yards on eight carries, scored on a 51-yard option pitch, shedding a final tackler with a stiff-arm at the 15-yard line to push the lead to 19-0.
Jason Ferrell scored on a 2-yard run, aided by a 53-yard screen play to Hafen.
Eason scored on runs of 24 yards on fourth down and 72 yards on the final play of the half.
Arbor View finished with 335 yards rushing, with Donnie Gaskin gaining 81 and scoring on runs of 7 and 17 yards. Christian Rodriguez added 77 yards on five carries and Alec Key returned a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown.
For Valley, Royce Finley scored on an 88-yard kickoff return and a 5-yard pass from Anthony Sanders, who was 9 of 12 for 100 yards.
Senior Connor Afoa ran for a 97-yard touchdown and finished wih 113 on four carries to spark Foothill’s 330-yard ground game Afoa also scored on a 38-yard interception return and 68-yard punt return.
Falcons quarterback Parker Riggin completed 5 of 6 passes for three touchdowns, including two to Kyle Keplinger for 15 and 29 yards.
Keplinger switched off at wide receiver, quarterback and running back throughout the game.
Chaparral’s Zachary Luciano passed for 215 yards, with junior Toure Williams making three catches for 135 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown. Antonio Thomas scored on a 77-yard kickoff return for the Cowboys.
Western trailed 7-2 at halftime, but rallied with two touchdowns in the fourth. Allen Davis added a 7-yard score and had 41 yards on 10 carries.
The Warriors’ defense allowed only 41 yards in the second half and 144 total.
Damarcus McCullum gave Sunrise Mountain a 7-0 lead with a 65-yard run in the second quarter, comprising the bulk of his 86 yards on eight carries.
Anderson’s touchdown gave the Saints a 30-25 lead. Following a 70-yard punt by Pahrump’s Carlos Sawtelle to the Mountain View 3, Engel guided a clock-consuming drive capped by Elijah Armstrong’s 9-yard run with 10:39 to play.
Engel finished with 107 yards on 21 carries and 182 yards passing on 10-of-16 accuracy.
Mountain View had to rally after wasting a 16-6 lead in the second quarter. Pahrump Valley erupted for thee touchdowns and led 25-24 at the half.
Henderson, who completed 7 of 14 passes for 160 yards, threw a 10-yard TD to Marquan Major in the first quarter and a 19-yarder to Cameron Rogers in the second as the Wildcats took a 14-0 lead.
In the third quarter, Henderson scored on a 9-yard run, Farrell Victor added a 2-yard TD run and Andre Gaston returned a fumble 92 yards for a score.
Victor added a 10-yard TD in the fourth quarter, and Rem Davidson finished the scoring, picking up a Wildcat fumble on offense and scampering 78 yards for a TD.
Boulder City 21, Mohave (Ariz.) 15 — At Bullhead City, Ariz., Frankie Badgely had touchdown runs of 4 and 70 yards as the Eagles (1-1) scored 21 points in the second quarter and then held off Mohave.
Boulder City’s Matt Combs (6 of 8, 131 yards) hit Sean Bird on a 28-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-0. Combs also had 70 yards on 13 carries as the Eagles racked up 286 yards.
Sandy Valley 24, Baker (Calif.) 0 — At Sandy Valley, fullback Randal Spencer rushed for two touchdowns and the Sidewinders opened by blanking the Braves.
Nathan Plaza and Chasen Young also ran for touchdowns for Sandy Valley, which matched its win total from last season.
Cedar (Utah) 45, Virgin Valley 20 — At Mesquite, Humberto Urias completed 19 of 33 passes for 327 yards and three touchdowns as the Bulldogs (1-1) lost to the Redmen (3-0).
Daniel Gleave had 89 yards and two touchdowns for Virgin Valley, and Colton Jensen compiled 115 yards and a touchdown on five catches.
Cedar quarterback Carson Ludlow rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown, and Matt Grover and Jon Jones scored two touchdowns each.
Mojave (Calif.) 57, The Meadows 6 — At Mojave, Calif., the Mustangs opened their season with a loss, getting only a 67-yard touchdown pass from Garrett Gosse to Max Newman in the third quarter.
Gosse completed 8 of 21 passes, with Newman catching six for 100 yards. Torrey Mayes ran for 26 yards on 11 carries.
Mojave scored on the opening kickoff, and Jaquinn Tatum added 69 yards and two touchdowns on six carries.
Enterprise (Utah) 74, Lincoln County 30 — At Panaca, the Lynx were unable to rally from a 34-7 halftime hole.
Lincoln County’s Taylor Price scored on kickoff returns of 92 yards in the third quarter and 85 yards in the fourth.
Ryan Lloyd carried eight times for 143 yards and one score, and Brice Dotson added 73 yards on nine carries for the Lynx.
Seth Littlefield led Tonopah, rushing for 74 yards and one TD on 20 attempts and passing for 77 yards and a score.
Round Mountain 60, Lund 6 — At Round Mountain, Sergio Chavez threw for three touchdowns to help the Knights rout the Mustangs.
