Legacy overcomes heat, rolls past Mojave

Despite an early morning start time and increasing heat, Legacy’s football team rolled Saturday a 50-14 home win over Mojave.

Roberto Valenzuela threw for four touchdown passes — two to Davick Clark — and ran for one score to lead the Longhorns. Amere Foster also returned an interception 35-yards for a score as part of a 26-point second quarter rally that turned a one-score game into a halftime rout at 38-6.

Things got somewhat chippy in the third quarter, when two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, along with a holding call, turned a Legacy first-and-10 into a first-and-30 near the Longhorns goal line. An intentional grounding in the end zone followed, and Mojave got some momentum back when Elijah Alvarez returned the free kick 60 yards for a touchdown to make it 38-14. However, Legacy scored twice more for the final margin.

Legacy Coach John Isola said while he was not pleased with the penalties, he did see the heat as a factor.

“This is why you don’t play a game in the daytime in Las Vegas in September,” Isola said. “It’s not good for the kids, it’s not good for anybody. It made for a sloppy game. It (the third quarter) was probably the worst quarter of football that I’ve seen in four years of coaching here that our kids have played. All those penalties, a safety. It was the first kick return we’ve given up in my four years of coaching. That sloppiness has to be corrected, but we did our job.”

Valenzuela threw for 168 yards, with five completions going to Elisha Jackson and four to Davick Clark. Amorey Foster had a touchdown catch, and Jerry Martin and Aubrey Washington each scored rushing touchdowns for the Longhorns.

Quincy Smith hauled in a touchdown pass for the Rattlers.