Las Vegas opens league play by shutting down Desert Pines

For a guy whose team had just posted a 21-0 shutout of neighborhood rival Desert Pines, Las Vegas head coach Chris Faircloth wasn’t exactly thrilled with his team’s performance.

“We did what we had to do, at least for tonight,” said the Wildcats coach, whose team was manhandled by Pine View Utah 41-13 last week.

The visiting Wildcats (3-1, 1-0 Northeast) did all of their scoring in the second quarter and held the Jaguars to 116 yards. After giving up 35, 40 and 41 points in consecutive outings, Faircloth hopes this win was  a step in the right direction.

“I don’t think you have to lose to get better,” said the fifth-year coach. “But you better get better if you’re losing.”

Senior Quarterback Emir Lopez ignited a sluggish Wildcats’ offense with a 7-yard TD run midway through the second period. Lopez finished the game with 151 passing yards, including a 6-yard TD pass to Tim Daniels.

Desert Pines (0-4, 0-1) struggled with 39 first-half yards, and gave up two late scores before the half.

Any hopes the Jaguars had of getting back in the game were crushed when a touchdown was taken off the board with over two minutes to go in the third quarter.

After taking over deep in Las Vegas territory after a botched punt attempt, Desert Pines quarterback Dalton Leilua threw what was originally signaled a touchdown on a 24-yard pass to Anthony Ruiz. But the catch was overruled by an official away from the play, who ruled that the ball hit the ground. After a few minutes of discussion with the Desert Pines coaching staff, the officials confirmed that the pass was incomplete. The Jaguars then failed to convert on fourth down.

Las Vegas senior Aaron Franklin set up the Wildcats’ late second-quarter score when he broke away on a 46-yard punt return to the Desert Pines 10-yard line with 22 seconds left. Lopez found Daniels in the end zone two plays later.

“He’s become a much better player than he has been in the past,” Faircloth said of Franklin. “He’s much more focused and has done a better job in the weight room. He really did step and carry us.”

The Jaguars threatened to score in the game’s final minutes, but Leilua was intercepted in the Las Vegas end zone.

Las Vegas' Reggie Bullock finished with 77 rushing yards on 13 attempts and caught four passes for 38 yards.