Natalie Gennuso’s catch gives Sunrise win over Sunset in 4A flag football all-star game

Caitlin Shannon didn’t play with Natalie Gennuso during the high school season.

But the Coronado quarterback had plenty of faith in the Las Vegas High receiver on Tuesday night.

Gennuso made a leaping catch between two defenders, coming down with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Shannon with 32.3 seconds to play to give the Sunrise Region a 26-20 victory over the Sunset Region in the Class 4A flag football all-star game at Green Valley.

“I kind of knew she would (catch it),” Shannon said. “She has crazy hands. Whatever comes to her, she catches it.”

Gennuso’s catch broke a 20-20 tie.

“I smiled, I jumped, I clapped,” Shannon said. “I was pretty relieved.”

Shannon completed 7 of 8 passes for 152 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Sunrise, but the biggest play of the game came from Coronado teammate Trinity Rhoades.

The Sunset Region had just scored to take a 20-18 lead with 5:55 to play and was lining up for a 2-point conversion. Rhoades pressured Sunset quarterback Tiarra Del Rosario of Cimarron-Memorial, and batted her pass into the air. Rhoades came away with the interception, then sprinted 70 yards to the end zone to score two points and tie the game.

“I didn’t even know you could score off interceptions on extra points,” Shannon said. “It picked up our momentum, and we just knew kind of from that point.”

Gennuso caught four passes for 89 yards, including a 43-yard TD pass in the first half. Shannon also had a 10-yard scoring pass to Deborah Grant of Green Valley, and a 19-yard TD pass to Foothill’s Whitley Brow.

Del Rosario completed 18 of 26 passes for 206 yards to lead the Sunset. All of her passes went to Cimarron teammates. Alyssa Karpinski had eight catches for 132 yards, Logan DeLong had nine catches for 62 yards and Haylei Hughes caught Del Rosario’s other pass.

Karpinski had a 4-yard TD run, and Brianna Hernandez-Silva of Bonanza scored on a 1-yard run for the Sunset. Hughes returned an interception 32 yards for the other Sunset touchdown.

Class 3A

The Sunrise Region stopped a conversion attempt with 6:01 to play, then scored on the game’s final play to secure a 22-15 win over the Sunset.

E’leseana Patterson connected with Cheyenne teammate E’Moni Albert for a 16-yard touchdown pass to pull the Sunset within a point at 16-15 with 6:01 to play.

But Cheyenne’s Angela Hammond fumbled the handoff on the 1-point conversion, leaving the Sunset trailing by a point.

The Sunset had another shot after getting the ball back with 4:05 left, but Boulder City’s Kenadee Bailey stopped Patterson short on fourth-and-12 to get the ball back for the Sunrise.

Elizabeth DeLeon had a 10-yard TD run and caught a 24-yard TD pass from Virgin Valley teammate Kallie Graves to lead the Sunrise. Graves also had a 1-yard touchdown run.

Patterson completed 6 of 13 passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 81 yards to lead the Sunset. Hammond had 74 yards on 10 carries, and Albert caught four passes for 80 yards and two TDs.