Long plays lift Moapa Valley past Western

Moapa Valley (4-1) raced to a 46-6 halftime lead against the Warriors (1-3) with six scoring plays of 49 yards or more on the way to a 59-6 road win over Western.

Senior running back Conner Mortensen led the Pirates’ three-headed ground attack with 143 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. Fellow captains Sean McConnell and Kasen Hughes added 117 and 108 rushing yards, respectively.

Hughes started the scoring barrage by taking a screen pass from quarterback Josh Repp 74 yards for a touchdown.

Hughes then carried twice on the next possession for big gains before Mortensen punched it in from 5 yards out. The Pirates scored touchdowns on seven of their eight first-half possessions, including a 52-yard interception return by Lance Hilton, a 55-yard Repp pass to Andrew Bellavance and a 54-yard run by McConnell.

Larry Jennings threw for 185 yards and a touchdown to Vadell Wilson for Western.