Zach Matlock helps Las Vegas rout Rancho in ‘Bone Game’

With key members of his team nursing bumps and bruises, Las Vegas High football coach James Thurman hoped his Wildcats would get off to a strong start Friday in the annual Bone Game so he could eventually rest his players.

Thanks to the efforts of junior quarterback Zach Matlock, Thurman got plenty of opportunity to rest his personnel.

Matlock led the Wildcats with four first-quarter touchdowns as Las Vegas won the rivalry game against Rancho for the 21st consecutive season with a 51-0 victory.

“It was very important to get off to a great start, putting all the pressure on Rancho,” Thurman said. “It’s a fantastic feeling to have the Bone at Vegas for another year. Rancho is making strides, and headed in the right direction.”

Matlock engineered four scoring drives in a 30-point opening quarter, scoring on runs of 1, 32 and 1 yards. In addition, Matlock threw a 14-yard scoring pass to Nick Sablan.

Not to be outdone, the Wildcat defense put points on the board as well, as Rancho receiver Jonathan Gunter was tackled in the endzone for a safety.

Las Vegas gained 134 yards and led 30-0 at the end of the first quarter.

“It was a great opening period,” said Thurman, whose team held Rancho to 56 yards in that opening period. “In a perfect world, you would like to score on the first possession of each half. Putting points early always puts a challenge on the other squad.”

The Wildcats (6-2, 2-1, Northeast League) scored single touchdowns in each of the final three periods. Elijah Hicks scored on a 4-yard run late in the second period to extend the margin to 37-0.

DiQuan Brown opened the third quarter with a 37-yard run, giving Las Vegas a 44-point advantage. Reserve quarterback Ronnie Broadhead found Cameron Fullow for an 8-yard score in the final period for the final margin.

Rancho (0-8, 0-3 Northeast) managed just 113 total yards, 40 coming on a Jordan Betts run with three minutes left.