Highlights from Week 3 of high school football
Here's a look at what happened during Week 3 of the high school football season.
WHAT WE LEARNED
1. Don't celebrate before the final whistle. And if you do, don't celebrate in excess. Centennial thought it had won Thursday night's matchup with Palo Verde after kicker Michael Neubeck booted a 35-yard field goal with four seconds left to put the Bulldogs up 24-21.
Not so fast. Centennial was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for excessive celebration, forcing the Bulldogs to kick from their own 25 and keeping the game alive.
Centennial then committed with three penalties, the last one giving Palo Verde an untimed down at the Bulldogs 30. Palo Verde's Aaron Mack banked a 47-yard field goal off the inside of the left upright to tie the game and force overtime.
In the end, the Bulldogs prevailed with a 7-yard TD pass from Jamaal Evans to Tyler Hennis in overtime.
2. Eight-man football can be fun, even if most don't take it seriously. Just look at what happened on Friday. Beaver Dam (Ariz.) racked up 81 points in a win over Indian Springs, Spring Mountain scored 66 against Beatty and Sandy Valley's Logan Shelton rushed for 311 yards and scored six touchdowns.
And none of those accounted for the most interesting game of the night. That would be Pahranagat Valley, which may have faced its toughest test of the season against Thacher (Calif.) and came out with its 83-game win streak intact.
Thacher, which is a boarding school that costs $55,600 for boarding tuition and fees, gave the Panthers quite a scare, but Pahranagat Valley stopped a fourth-down play with four seconds left and escaped with a 34-30 win.
3. A second mythical national title for Bishop Gorman looks more and more like it could be a reality. Some have said the Gaels face the nation's toughest schedule, but they've yet to be really tested after beating Bellevue (Wash.) 35-7 on Friday.
Bellevue was the team that beat De La Salle (Calif.) in 2004 to end a national-record 151-game win streak.
But the Wolverines didn't have an answer for Biaggio Ali Walsh on Friday, as the junior ran for 164 yards and two TDs in a 35-7 win.
The Gaels still have some tough games on the schedule, starting with Long Beach Poly (Calif.) next week. But thus far, the Gaels have outscored three strong out-of-state opponents 108-41.
UPSET OF THE WEEK
Rancho 33, Boulder City 6 — The Rams may not think of this as an upset, but when a team goes several seasons without a single win, a two-game win streak is something special.
Rancho had lost 30 straight games dating to Oct. 4, 2011 before beating Valley 34-14 on Sept. 4.
A week after ending one streak, the Rams got a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown from Ja'Vion Mickel to highlight a strong defensive effort against the Eagles.
Rancho's defense has been solid thus far, as the Rams have allowed a total of 26 points in three games. That's even more impressive when you consider the Rams yielded an average of 49.7 last season.
And Robert Howard looks like a legitimate offensive threat, after rushing for 190 yards and three TDs against Boulder City.
BREAKOUT PERFORMANCES
Passing
A.J. Amelburu, Green Valley — 23-47 passing, 319 yards, 2 TDs
Joey Fox, Bonanza — 12-27 passing, 301 yards, 2 TDs
Oscar Aliaga, Sierra Vista — 10-15 passing, 299 yards, 4 TDs
Brenden Joyce, Faith Lutheran — 12-22 passing, 256 yards, 2 TDs
Gregory Castenada, Western — 18-29 passing, 249 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Logan Shelton, Sandy Valley — 15 carries, 311 yards, 5 TDs
Jordan Patterson, Coronado — 32 carries, 249 yards, 3 TDs
Curtis Jones, Arbor View — 27 carries, 212 yards, 2 TDs
Robert Howard, Rancho — 18 carries, 190 yards, 3 TDs
Jerrod Blackwell, Canyon Springs — 18 carries, 178 yards, 1 TD
Biaggio Ali Walsh, Bishop Gorman — 15 carries, 164 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving
R.J. McCarter, Bonanza — 6 catches, 178 yards, 2 TDs
Christian Marshall, Faith Lutheran — 5 catches, 174 yards, 2 TDs
Austin Warhop, Green Valley — 9 catches, 157 yards, 1 TD
Shane Barnes, Eldorado — 6 catches, 131 yards
Anthony Shelby, Western — 4 catches, 124 yards
Savon Scarver, Centennial — 2 catches, 114 yards, 1 TD
Bishop Harris, Western — 10 catches, 104 yards, 1 TD
QUOTABLE
"It was 10, 11 of us every time on the ball. We put them down on the ground and they didn't want to get back up."
— Basic defensive end Kendahl Blakely after the Wolves held Desert Oasis to 6 rushing yards on 30 carries in a 50-0 win.
"Curtis is really good. We knew it last year. We saw it when he was younger, came up through our system. Curtis is doing exactly what Curtis needs to do."
— Arbor View coach Dan Barnson on running back Curtis Jones, who rushed for 212 yards and two TDs in a 35-20 win over Green Valley.
"I thought we controlled the tempo and pace of the entire game. But you just can't win with eight turnovers."
— Moapa Valley coach Brent Lewis after his team fell 34-20 to Desert Pines.
"Our defense is the backbone of this football team. We are still a work in progress, but we will keep working each day."
— Cheyenne coach David Cochran after his team intercepted two passes and had three sacks in a 22-12 win over Spring Valley.
"He reminds me of like a Walter Payton. He takes hits and doesn't care and bounces off of them. We like giving him the ball because he is like a hard-core runner. He's got that mentality. He's fast and he's dedicated."
— Silverado coach Randall Cunningham on running back Keikiokalani Misipeka, who had 92 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries in a 36-0 win over Eldorado.
HOW THEY FARED
A look at how the top 10 teams in the Southern Nevada Football Coaches Poll fared in Week 3.
1. Bishop Gorman (3-0) beat Bellevue (Wash.), 35-7. Next: vs. Long Beach Poly (Calif.), Friday.
2. Liberty (1-1) was idle. Next: at No. 3 Centennial, Friday.
3. Centennial (3-0) beat No. 8 Palo Verde, 31-24 in overtime. Next: vs. No. 2 Liberty, Friday.
4. Desert Pines (3-0) beat No. 8 Moapa Valley, 34-20. Next: vs. Chaparral, Friday.
5. Basic (2-0) beat Desert Oasis, 50-0. Next: at Bonanza, Friday.
6. Arbor View (2-1) beat No. 7 Green Valley, 35-20. Next: vs. Shadow Ridge, Thursday.
7. Green Valley (1-2) lost to No. 6 Arbor View, 35-20. Next: vs. No. 8 Palo Verde, Friday, Sept. 25.
8. Moapa Valley (1-2) lost to No. 4 Desert Pines, 34-20. Next: at Sunrise Mountain, Friday.
8. Palo Verde (1-2) lost to No. 3 Centennial, 31-24 in overtime. Next: at Silverado, Friday.
10. Foothill (1-1) was idle. Next: vs. Shadow Ridge, Friday, Sept. 25.
For complete coverage of all of the games from Week 3, visit nevadapreps.com.
