Green Valley wins thriller over Basic in ‘Henderson Bowl’ — PHOTOS
Last year’s meeting between Green Valley and Basic in the annual “Henderson Bowl” was decided on a field-goal try in the final seconds. The Wolves blocked the attempt to snap their five-game losing skid in the series.
The 2024 edition of the game between Henderson’s oldest rivals had a similar ending, but a more favorable outcome for Green Valley.
Basic missed a 51-yard field goal as time expired, and Green Valley, No. 10 in the Review-Journal’s Class 5A rankings, rallied from an 18-point halftime deficit to secure a 25-24 road win.
“Super proud of the guys in the second half,” Green Valley coach Bill Powell said. “Couldn’t have probably played any more poorly than we did in the first half, and somehow we were still in striking distance. We talked about getting one play to try and turn the momentum.”
Oregon State commit Trey Glasper came up with a few for Green Valley (2-1). He hauled in a 15-yard touchdown catch from backup quarterback Michael Lewis with 49 seconds left to put the Gators ahead 25-24.
Basic (1-2) still had a chance. After a Green Valley roughing-the-passer penalty, Wolves quarterback Jayveon Rose completed four passes to get kicker Frankie Silva in range.
Powell called a timeout to try and ice Silva, and on the attempt from the left hash, the kick had plenty of distance but drifted just wide left. The Gators stormed the field in celebration and later ran over half the length of the field to grab the Henderson Bowl trophy.
“The guts and the character these guys showed … it’s a good win for the program,” Powell said. “It’s a big deal around here, I understand that. I’m just happy for the kids, coaches and the whole Green Valley community.”
Basic took a 24-19 lead with 1:35 left in the fourth quarter on a 20-yard Elijah Jones touchdown run in which he hurdled a defender. The Wolves missed the 2-point conversion.
After Basic’s kickoff went out of bounds, Lewis, who played most of the game for an injured Ben Parker, led the Gators on the touchdown drive.
Glasper finished with 129 receiving yards on seven catches with two touchdowns. Lewis completed 12 of 17 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns.
“I’m glad Trey Glasper plays on my team because I’d hate to have to defend him,” Powell said. “He’s a super kid, and he deserves everything he’s got. I’m excited for him and his future.”
Green Valley trailed 18-0 at halftime. The Gators started the second half with an interception return for a touchdown from Elyjah Cobwell, who returned the pass from Rose over 30 yards for a score.
Parker tried to go and played sparingly. He hit Glasper for a 45-yard score midway through the third quarter, and Green Valley went ahead 19-18 when Lewis found Evan Williams for a 22-yard touchdown. The Gators blocked a punt to give Lewis a short field before his touchdown to Williams.
“We grew up a little bit today,” Powell said. “Last week we probably should have won, so we had to respond. Tonight we did, and it was a big step in our development. … We’ve got a lot of room to grow.”
Green Valley’s second-half lead could have been larger, but a holding penalty in the third quarter and an illegal man downfield in the fourth negated touchdowns for the Gators.
Basic scored first on its first possession on a double-end-around handoff when wide receiver Donovan Glover threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Christopher McKenzie to put the Wolves ahead 7-0.
Green Valley had its first of three turnovers on the ensuing kickoff. Jaiden Forby recovered a muffed kickoff and gave Basic prime field position at Green Valley’s 21-yard line. The Wolves managed just a 31-yard field goal from Silva to extend its lead to 10-0.
The Gators fumbled again on the next kickoff, and Madden Spielberg recovered for Basic. The Wolves couldn’t move the ball on the drive and avoided disaster when Arjay Tiqui dropped what would have been an interception with no Wolves around him.
Green Valley fumbled again near the end of the first quarter on a handoff from Lewis. Basic recovered at the Gators’ 44-yard line. The Wolves scored shortly after when Rose hit Demari McCullough on a 28-yard touchdown pass to go ahead 18-0 midway through the second quarter.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
