Legacy thrives after drought

When Arbor View and Legacy met Oct. 25, neither team had won a Northwest League game.

In fact, Legacy never had beaten a varsity team, with the school’s only football victory having come against Las Vegas High’s junior varsity.

But the Longhorns prevailed 32-29 over the Aggies, starting a seven-game winning streak that has left Legacy (5-0, 2-0) as one of two undefeated Class 4A teams in Southern Nevada.

Only four 4A teams in the state remain undefeated as the Longhorns host Arbor View (4-1, 1-1) at 7 tonight. Legacy was 3-15 entering this season. Arbor View was 4-25.

“I think that was a big turning point for us as a football program,” Legacy coach Dave Snyder said of the victory over Arbor View last season. “We had not, up to that point, won a varsity football game, period.”

The Longhorns beat Shadow Ridge the following week to finish 2-8 and then spent the summer working toward a stronger showing this year.

“Over the whole summer we were talking about those two wins,” senior William Purcell said.

Running back Deshae Edwards said: “Winning those two last games last year really brought us momentum into this year, and now we’re 5-0.”

Edwards and senior running back Prince Oroke have had a big say in the fast start. Edwards, a 5-foot-7-inch, 155-pound junior, has 857 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Oroke, a 6-2, 215-pounder, has run for 570 yards and six TDs.

“It definitely gives us an advantage because they have to account for power and also speed,” Edwards said of the two-headed rushing attack. “If you stop the power, then you have to find a way to stop the speed at the same time.”

Snyder said the team’s offensive line of seniors Chris Latham and Lino Garcia and juniors Anthony White, Brandon Paquin and Dom Fuiava has had a lot to do with the team’s rushing success.

“I didn’t think it was going to be that good,” Snyder said. “I thought we were definitely talented as far as our two running backs were concerned. I didn’t realize that our offensive line was going to develop the way it has.”

And the team is eager to keep developing after the strong start.

“No one likes to lose,” Purcell said. “The fact that we’re 5-0 and one of the only undefeated teams in the state kind of makes it exciting. Everyone wants to keep that going.”