Moapa Valley, Virgin Valley reach Class 3A state football final

It will be a rematch of the Hammer Game for the Class 3A state football championship after Moapa Valley and Virgin Valley won their semifinal games Saturday.

Moapa Valley pulled away from Churchill County late for a 42-21 home win, and Virgin Valley left Elko with a 23-16 victory. The teams will play for the state title at 7 p.m. Thursday at Allegiant Stadium.

Peyton Neilson threw for 293 yards and three touchdowns for Moapa Valley (11-0). Two of the TDs went to Austin Heiselbetz, who finished with 134 yards receiving, a team-high 76 yards rushing and threw a pass to Elias Cox for a 2-point conversion.

Benjamin Jolley caught Neilson’s other touchdown pass, and Landon Wrzesinski scored a rushing TD for the Pirates.

Churchill County (7-4) scored late in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 21-14, but the Pirates scored 21 straight in the fourth.

Virgin Valley 23, Elko 16 — At Elko, Ashten Roman hauled in a 65-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter to give the Bulldogs the lead for good.

The game was close throughout, with Virgin Valley (10-2) scoring on a safety in the first quarter, an 11-yard pass from Gavin Brown to Jimmy Kelly in the second and a Brown 3-yard run in the third.

Elko (7-3) had a touchdown and 2-point conversion in the first and third quarters that tied the score at 16.

Class 2A state semifinals

The Meadows 43, Battle Mountain 14 — At The Meadows, Sean Gosse threw for 235 yards and four touchdowns, and the Mustangs dominated the Longhorns to reach the 2A state championship game.

Cole Cateenwalla caught two of Gosse’s touchdown tosses, and John McGill, who had a team-high 91 receiving yards, and Tanner Woods pulled in one apiece for The Meadows (11-1). Gage Rinetti ran for 93 yards and a touchdown for the Mustangs, who scored 36 consecutive points after Battle Mountain (7-3) struck first.

The Meadows will meet Yerington (8-0), a 26-18 winner over Democracy Prep (6-4), for the title.

Class 1A state semifinals

Pahranagat Valley 64, Virginia City 12 — At Beatty, Jaren Leavitt ran for 237 yards and three touchdowns for the Panthers.

Paul Lewis ran for 90 yards and three touchdowns and caught two passes for 93 yards and a score for Pahranagat Valley (9-1), which will meet Eureka (6-0), a 50-12 winner over Spring Mountain (6-3).

The championship game will be played at 1 p.m. Saturday at White Pine High in Ely.

Contact Jason Orts at jorts@reviewjournal.com. Follow @SportsWithOrts on Twitter.