4A ROUNDUP: Challenge answered: Basic comes from behind to top Liberty

Trailing by two touchdowns on the road against an inspired team in its homecoming game. That was the unenviable spot Basic got into early in its Southeast League showdown at Liberty on Friday night.

But the ninth-ranked Wolves didn’t shrink from the challenge. Rather, they responded with a vengeance, reeling off 28 unanswered points to take control and win, 44-33.

“We had a slow start, but it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” Basic quarterback Robby Faiman said. “We came out in the second half and did what we wanted to do.”

After falling behind 13-0 on two touchdowns by Liberty running back Shawn Murray, who finished with 234 yards rushing, the Wolves (5-1, 3-0 Southeast) hit the comeback trail.

They slipped ahead 14-13 at halftime, then made it 28-13 by scoring on their first two possessions of the second half.

Faiman, who ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns, also passed for three scores, all to Justin Burdno. Their first scoring hook-up, a 4-yarder on fourth-and-3, gave Basic a 21-13 lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, Basic’s Jared Darnell forced a fumble by Murray and the Wolves recovered deep in Patriots territory. Faiman scored on the next play, sprinting around left end for 25 yards.

“The big play was when Jared Darnell made (Murray) fumble,” Basic coach Jeff Cahill said. “We got the ball, scored again and got up two scores, and that was tough for them.”

Sage Nua ran in from 4 yards to lift Liberty within 31-26 early in the fourth quarter. But Basic quickly regained control when Burdno took a short pass from Faiman and turned it into a 56-yard score.

“It’s a huge win for us,” Cahill said. “We knew Liberty would be tough and they were tough. It’s really great to get a victory on their field and get halfway through the (league) undefeated. We’re getting better and better every week.”

Murray put Liberty ahead 13-0, running for touchdowns of 25 and 68 yards.

“We played hard, but we should’ve come out harder,” Murray said. “They were the better team tonight.”

Charles Phillips rushed for 102 yards and scored Basic’s first TD on a 15-yard run late in the first quarter. Faiman’s 50-yard sprint in the second quarter gave the Wolves a lead they wouldn’t give up.
 
Desert Pines 27, Eldorado 14 — At Eldorado, the Jaguars scored 21 points in five minutes to beat the Sundevils after trailing at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Derrick Shaw rushed for 209 yards on 22 carries for Desert Pines (3-4, 3-1). He scored the go-ahead touchdown after Eric Tuiloma recovered an onside kick with 3:15 remaining in the game.

Eldorado’s JaQuorrey Williams took over with 2:46 remaining. On the drive’s first play, Williams threw an interception to Tuiloma. He ran the pick back 70 yards for a touchdown to cushion the Jaguars lead. Eldorado fell to 3-4, 1-2 in the loss).

Spring Valley 33, Sierra Vista 20 — At Spring Valley, Jacques Adams rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns to lead the No. 7 Grizzlies to a Southwest Division victory.

Adams scored on runs of 9, 36 and 21 yards as the Grizzlies rushed for 185 yards. Quarterback Anton Stallworth threw for one score and ran for another to round out the scoring for Spring Valley (4-1, 2-1 Southwest).

However, the Lions scored first. Garland Latham scored on a 40-yard run at the 9:38 mark of the opening period. The Spring Valley defense then took over the game, with three key plays on the next three possessions all resulting in touchdowns.

First, Jacob Bodine intercepted a pass and raced 36 yards to the Sierra Vista 23. Two plays later, Adams scored his first touchdown.

On the next Lion possession, the Grizzlies stopped Akil Sharp on fourth-and-1 at the Sierra Vista 49. On the final play of the first period, Adams raced 36 yards untouched giving the Grizzlies a 13-7 lead.

Sierra Vista (2-4, 1-2 Southwest) drove to the Spring Valley 28 on the next series, but stalled. David DeCarlo missed on a 45-yard field goal attempt with Keenan Sanders alertly taking the return 57 yards. Spring Valley took advantage with Stallworth’s 1-yard run, and the lead was pushed to 12.

Sharp led Sierra Vista with 96 yards on 23 carries and scored two second-half touchdowns. Latham added 89 yards on 14 tries.

Green Valley 21, Canyon Springs 20 — At Green Valley, Quincy Bagsby rushed for 135 yards, including touchdowns of 13 and 40 yards, and ran for an all-important 2-point conversion as the Gators (4-2) slid past the Pioneers (0-5).

Bagsby’s 40-yard TD in the third quarter gave Green Valley a 21-14 lead, and the Gators hung on. Canyon Springs scored with three minutes to play, but its tying point-after kick was blocked.

Kyle Larimer got the Gators off to a fine start with a 79-yard kickoff return, setting the tone for the big game by Green Valley’s special teams.

David Rimmey led Canyon Springs with 208 rushing yards, including touchdowns of 4 and 52 yards.

Shadow Ridge 28, Mojave 12 — At Shadow Ridge, running back Zach Hill rushed for 207 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Mustangs over the Rattlers.

Hill scored on runs of 9, 5, and 3 yards. Hill’s backfield mate Deantwan Miller also had a big night, gaining 107 yards on 19 carries for Shadow Ridge (2-4, 1-2 Northwest).

Mojave quarterback Mike Montgomery passed for 78 yards and a score. Montgomery also ran for 75 yards to lead the Rattlers (0-5, 0-3).

Cheyenne 44, Centennial 3 — At Cheyenne, the Desert Shields (5-1, 2-1 Northwest) racked up 512 yards on the ground with three players gaining at least 100 yards and the defense forced three turnovers en route to an easy victory over the Bulldogs (2-4, 0-3).

Marcus Sullivan rushed for 151 yards including a 75-yard TD run and added a 16-yard touchdown catch from Kaeo Helekahi. Ronnie Green scored on touchdown runs of 85 and 38 yards and finished with 143 yards. Jordan Butler scored on a 73-yard run to finish with 100 yards.

The Cheyenne defense limited Centennial to 147 yards on offense and held quarterback Chris Henderson to a season-low 40 yards passing.

Bishop Gorman 55, Clark 0 — At Clark, Taylor Spencer scored four touchdowns and the Gael defense held the Chargers to 91 yards of offense as No. 2-ranked Gorman crushed Clark.

Spencer caught touchdown passes of 44, 18 and 2 yards to help the Gaels (6-1, 3-0 Southwest) speed to a 28-0 halftime lead.

Spencer also capped the scoring for Gorman from the defensive side of the ball in the fourth quarter. After Gael defensive back Travis Najbicz intercepted a pass and then fumbled, Taylor scooped up the loose ball and sprinted 38 yards for the score.

Gorman forced 4 Charger turnovers in the game.

Joe Huber threw for 285 yards and four TDs on 13-of-19 passing for Gorman, which rolled up 427 yards of offense.

Clark (1-5, 1-2), which was without leading rusher Aaron Arlt, was limited to 68 rushing yards. Andre Clay led the Chargers with a game-high 45 rushing yards on 17 carries.

Rancho 21, Chaparral 0 — At Rancho, the Rams defense stole the show by shuting out  visiting Chaparral.

The Cowboys managed just 147 yards of offense on the night.

Rancho’s offense was led by James Cammack who threw for 251 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown pass to Perry Benson in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

Rancho (3-3, 2-0 Northeast) got on the board in the first quarter on a 1-yard keeper by Cammack, who had 65 yards on the ground.

Running back Zach Foulkrod added a 26-yard touchdown run for Rancho.

Dominic Morales intercepted two passes for Chaparral (2-4, 1-2).

Durango 62, Pahrump Valley 13 — At Durango, sophomore Julio Mora rushed for 74 yards and three touchdowns as the Trailblazers (1-5, 1-2 Southwest) earned their first victory by blowing out the Trojans (1-5, 0-3).

Durango scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and never looked back. Chase Roberts threw his second touchdown pass to Keiffer Mancebo midway through the second quarter to make it 27-0.

The Trailblazers’ defense forced three turnovers and scored on Mario Corchado’s 5-yard interception return and John Ong’s 44-yard blocked punt return, both in the third quarter.

Durango junior Thomas Flanagan ended the scoring with a 72-yard run with 3:33 to play.

Pahrump Valley’s Anderson Floyd rushed for 110 yards on 16 carries, including a 43-yard touchdown.

Del Sol 40, Foothill 17 — At Foothill, Earnest Hall gained 146 yards on 20 carries, including touchdowns of 18 and 3 yards, and the fifth-ranked Dragons beat the Falcons with a 27-point second half.

Del Sol (5-1, 2-0 Southeast) established the tempo early, but penalties helped Foothill (2-4, 0-2) keep it close.

Hall and Derek Eamon (61 yards on seven carries) scored on first-half runs, but Foothill’s Terrance Walls kicked a 30-yard field goal and Connor Afoa ran for a 3-yard touchdown to cut Del Sol’s halftime lead to 13-10.

The Dragons dominated the second half, fueled by Jordan Molina’s 74-yard punt return. John Kirschbaum, who rushed five times for 116 yards, added an 18-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, taking a lateral after Tim Lawson’s 4-yard reception.

Palo Verde 17, Cimarron-Memorial 14 — At Cimarron-Memorial, Alex Bonczyk missed a 27-yard field-goal attempt in the final seconds of regulation, but kicked a 22-yarder in overtime as the No. 1-ranked Panthers stayed unbeaten by beating the No. 9 Spartans.

Bonczyk made a 46-yard catch from Kelly Zurowski with eight seconds left in regulation, but his kick was no good. He got another chance in overtime after teammate Liloa Nobriga intercepted a third-down pass by Cimarron. After Palo Verde (6-0, 3-0 Northwest) gained 4 yards on three plays, Bonczyk kicked the winner.

Trailing 14-7 in the fourth quarter, Palo Verde drove 61 yards and tied the game on a 4-yard run by Chaz Thomas (107 yards) and Bonczyk’s extra point with 3:05 to play.

Cimarron (3-3, 2-1) had taken a 14-7 lead on Zach Barbara’s 30-yard run with 11:17 left.

Barbara, who finished with 78 yards, also scored on a 15-yard run in the final minute of the first half.

Stephen Nixon led the Spartans with 86 yards on 13 carries.

Sidney Hodge scored on a 6-yard run for the Panthers, who lost three fumbles and also overcame the second-quarter ejection of senior standout Torin Harris.

Silverado 26, Coronado 7 — At Silverado, Michael Wadsworth ran the opening kickoff back 86 yards to set the tone early as the Skyhawks (4-2, 1-2 Southeast) defeated the Cougars (2-4, 0-3).

Wadsworth appeared to be stopped at the Cougar 20 yard line but cut back inside and spun out of two tackles, on his way to the end zone, to give the Skyhawks a early lead.

The score remained 7-0 into the third when Coronado’s Dane Cooper threw a quick out to Blake Smith. He used his speed to outrace a well-blocked secondary to tie the score 7-7.

On the ensuing possession, Dariouse Gravely burst up the middle for a 25-yard gain to the Cougar 9 yard line. The play set up Matt Hollen’s 6-yard catch, off play action, from Kyle Simmons, to give the Skyhawks a 14-7 advantage.

In the fourth, T.J. Alofipo caught a screen pass from Simmons at the Cougar 15 yard line and followed his blockers into the end zone to stretch the lead to 20-7 and seal the victory.

Terran Madu-Jules rushed for 95 of the Skyhawks 265 rushing yards.

Kenny Lawrence led the Cougar rushing attack with 101 yards on 16 carries.

 
Bonanza 41, Western 35 — At Bonanza, senior running back Antonio Beals carried the Bengals over the Warriors in a back-and-forth battle Friday night.  Beals rushed the ball 35 times for 286 yards and three touchdowns.

Bonanza (4-2, 3-0 Southwest) jumped to 14-0 lead in the first quarter but Western countered in the second with two straight touchdowns. The first on  an 11-yard pass from quarterback Devin Wiedemann to Dante Warren and the second on a 23 yard scamper from tailback Brian Mickel.

Bonanza responded with an 84-yard touchdown pass from Sterling Sprau to Aaron Beals on a third down-and-20 with 3:30 to go in the second quarter.

In the second half, the teams traded scores five times before Bonanza’s Aaron Simon sealed the victory for the Bengals. He scored on a 98-yard kick return for a touchdown with 4:26 to go in the contest.

Western (1-4, 1-2) was led by Wiedemann who finished with 202 yards passing with 13 completions on 21 attempts and two touchdowns.

Canyon View (Utah) 36, Desert Oasis 0 — At Cedar City, Utah, Canyon View scored 29 second-half points to turn the game into a blowout.

Desert Oasis fell to 2-4 in its inaugural season.