Mojave clamps down, claims 1st football state title — PHOTOS
Mojave’s Antwan Hawkins didn’t play football until his junior year, but the lack of experience didn’t slow him a bit Tuesday.
The senior running back rushed for 51 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Rattlers to their first football state championship with a 30-6 victory over Canyon Springs in the Class 4A title game at Allegiant Stadium.
“I didn’t even start playing football until last year,” said Hawkins, who scored Mojave’s first and last TDs. “But I run track, so I felt like I had the speed and strength to make it. And now I feel like I’m the momentum-starter for the team.”
The Rattlers (12-1) took control early, opening the game with a 13-play, 69-yard drive that ended when Hawkins plowed up the middle for a 1-yard score.
“We punched it in, and that’s all we needed,” added Hawkins, who said he trusted his dominant defense to hold the lead.
The defense held Canyon Springs (8-6) to 179 yards of offense and also scored on a third-quarter interception that Elijah Richard returned for a 75-yard TD.
Mojave coach Wes Pacheco said his team’s performance was the result of months of work and discipline.
“We talked all week about hunkering down and responding to the waves,” he said. “We were going to dominate by responding to adversity, and that’s what we did tonight. We wanted to outwork our opponents, and it showed.”
The Rattlers overcame a scare on the Pioneers’ first possession, repelling a nine-play drive at their own 9-yard line. Canyon Springs’ second drive ended similarly when the Pioneers again drove to the 9 before fumbling.
The turnover led to a 10-yard TD pass from Mojave’s Mark Ames to Ja’Laun Miller that made it 14-0 just before halftime.
Canyon Springs, which normally relies on its strong running game, was forced to pass almost exclusively in an effort to erase the deficit in the second half.
That plan didn’t work, as Richard’s interception return made it 22-0 early in the third quarter.
The Pioneers finally got on the board early in the fourth quarter, capping a 12-play drive with a 15-yard TD run by Bakari Wilson to cut their deficit to 22-6.
“Our defense wanted to put up a goose egg, so they were disappointed that they gave up that score,” Pacheco said. “As a coach, I love that they weren’t happy about it.”
Mojave, which had six shutouts this season, responded on its next drive, moving 85 yards in 10 plays to go up 30-6 with 3:48 remaining on Hawkins’ 5-yard run.
“We played hard-nosed football,” Pacheco said. “You’ve got to be able to win at the line of scrimmage, and that’s what we did tonight.”
Tysean McCraney completed 15 of 25 passes for 119 yards to lead Canyon Springs.
Contact Jeff Wollard at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.
