Junior backup keys Silverado

Silverado knew someone would have to step up on offense to account for the absence of the team’s starting quarterback and leading rusher.

Enter tailback Dariouse Gravely.

The junior scored three touchdowns Friday night to help the Skyhawks to a 21-13 road victory over Centennial.

Silverado (3-0), which was missing quarterback Trenton Tipton and tailback Terran Madu-Jules because of injuries, also got 125 yards rushing from Michael Wadsworth.

“It was actually really strange because it just felt like a normal week,” Wadsworth said. “We have really good guys backing up, so we felt confident.”

Gravely was one of those capable backups. After carrying the ball just five times in the first two games, he ran for 69 yards on 13 carries and scored a touchdown in each of the first two quarters to give the Skyhawks a 14-0 halftime advantage.

Gravely credited his relationship with Madu-Jules for much of his success.

“I’m like his shadow right now, like his little brother,” Gravely said. “I tried to do the best I could, just like him.”

Gravely added another score early in the fourth quarter, before two late Centennial touchdowns accounted for the final margin.

Silverado recovered two Centennial onside kicks in the fourth quarter to preserve the victory, but the earlier defensive lapses did not sit well with Silverado coach Andy Ostolaza.

“We should have never let them score, and they put up two bad ones at the end,” he said. “We did what we had to do coming in without two-thirds of our backfield. It was good to see other guys step up.”

In the first half, the Skyhawks took advantage of several key Centennial mistakes to take the lead.

On the first scoring drive, the Bulldogs committed a personal foul penalty on a fourth-down play, then allowed Wads-worth to run for a first down on a fake punt.

Then in the second quarter, another personal foul was committed on a play that would have resulted in a fourth down. Silverado again capitalized on the penalty and scored a touchdown.

The bright spot for Centennial was Matt Holley.

The senior had 91 yards on eight carries and caught seven passes for 86 yards and a score. He also intercepted a pass.

After a slow start, quarterback Chris Henderson completed his last seven pass attempts to finish 9 of 14 for 112 yards and a touchdown for the Bulldogs (2-1).

Quarterback Kyle Simmons was 3 of 10 for 27 yards for Silverado, but Ostolaza credited him for running the offense smoothly.

“He played mistake-free football for us,” Ostolaza said.