Balanced offense helps Sierra Vista blow by Desert Oasis

Sierra Vista answered the bell to start Southwest League play on Friday night.

Literally.

The Mountain Lions steamrolled host Desert Oasis en route to a 54-20 victory and their third straight win against the rival Diamondbacks. As a result, the Mountain Lions will keep the trophy that comes along with a victory in the Railroad Rivalry game: a large, mounted bell that they rang repeatedly after the final buzzer.

“We did not want to give them back the bell this year,” senior receiver Tavaris Andrews said after catching five passes for 157 yards and three touchdowns. “I was not going to go to school on Monday if we did.”

Desert Oasis running back Christian Vaughn broke free for a 63-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game. He finished with 114 yards on 18 carries. Desert Oasis (3-1, 0-1) scored again with 10:21 to play in the second quarter when quarterback Colton Zobrist found Laakea Mulivai for an 18-yard touchdown pass.

One play after the ensuing kickoff, Sierra Vista’s Bryan LaGrange burst around the right side and went 65 yards untouched to give the Mountain Lions the lead for good, 20-14.

The touchdown was the first of what became 40 unanswered points by Sierra Vista. The last, LaGrange’s third rushing touchdown of the game with 11:01 to play, triggered the running clock for the remainder of the fourth quarter.

“We really wanted to play well in the second half,” Sierra Vista coach John Foss said. “We’d given up a couple of leads late.”

Twice this season, Sierra Vista squandered leads of 19-plus points.

“We hoped our tough nonleague would prepare us for league,” Foss said.

Quarterbacks Jordan Solomon and Maiava combined to throw for 278 yards and five touchdowns. Solomon left the game in the second quarter, reinjuring a left knee that has bothered him since his freshman season.

Maiava entered, and finished the game 9 of 11 for 163 yards and four touchdowns. Solomon had the other touchdown and 115 yards.

LaGrange carried 11 times for 201 yards. Desert Oasis leads over the last 10 years, 6-4. But Sierra Vista (2-3, 1-0 Southwest League) has won the last three seasons.

“We needed this one,” Andrews said. “Before the season, we were predicted to lose only three games. We started 1-3. We needed this win bad.”