Jaguars show no ill effects from forfeits, rout Rancho
It certainly has been an emotional few days for the Desert Pines football team.
On Wednesday, the No. 3 Jaguars suffered their biggest loss this season when it had to forfeit victories against Moapa Valley and Chaparral due to the use of an ineligible player.
The Jaguars showed no ill effects Friday, routing host Rancho, 48-0.
The Jaguars (6-2) only had the ball for only 6 minutes, 2 seconds of the first half, but scored six touchdowns on their way to a 42-point halftime lead.
“We move in silence,” said Desert Pines running back Isaiah Morris, who rushed for 210 yards and three touchdowns on just six carries. “We don’t do much talking, we let our football performance do all the talking. It’s for others to do the talking, not us.”
Morris’ performance certainly spoke volumes, as the junior had TD runs of 81, 11 and 87 yards. Morris also caught a 44-yard TD pass from quarterback Marckel Grayson despite double coverage.
“Yes, it’s been an interesting week to say the least,” said Desert Pines coach Tico Rodriguez. “We have a family atmosphere with this team, and we have banded together. I’m not going to say much about the situation; we will just move on and concentrate on football.”
The Jaguars had to forfeit wins of 34-20 over Moapa Valley and 60-13 over Chaparral. As a result, Desert Pines fell to 3-2 in the Sunrise League and can finish no better than third.
“The goal is still the same, we will just have to go a different way,” said Rodriguez, whose team finished with 375 yards. “We need to worry only about what we can control, which is to get better every week and get ready for the playoffs.”
Desert Pines racked up 265 rushing yards, and Grayson completed 7 of 10 passes for 110 yards against the Rams.
Just as impressive was the Jaguar defense, which held Rancho (2-6) to 28 total yards. Of the Rams’ 39 plays, 19 were for no yards or negative yardage.
The special teams unit chipped in with a blocked punt and added a 59-yard punt return from Randal Grimes for another touchdown.
“We know we have things to improve,” said Rodriguez. “We have things to clean up and continue to get better. One thing I’ve learned about our team that this is a resilient group.”