Nevada Preps Boys Athlete of the Week: Las Vegas’ Elijah Espinoza
Elijah Espinoza didn’t exactly ease into becoming Las Vegas High’s starting quarterback. He had the job from the first game of his freshman year.
Now Espinoza is a sophomore, and he’s showing why he is the starter for a Wildcats team that clinched the Class 4A Mountain League title. They are in that spot largely because of Espinoza, who completed 32 of 37 passes for 607 yards and six touchdowns in Friday’s 49-15 victory at Durango.
That performance earned Espinoza the Nevada Preps Boys Athlete of the Week.
“Everything was just hitting,” said Espinoza, who is 6 feet tall and weighs 180 pounds. “It’s really just being locked in.”
Las Vegas (6-1, 3-0 league) has one league game remaining Oct. 21 against Del Sol (1-6, 0-2) and holds the tiebreakers against Durango (5-3, 2-1) and Basic (6-2, 1-1), having defeated both teams the past two weeks.
The Wildcats play up a class Friday with a trip to Reno to face 5A Bishop Manogue (6-2).
“They look tough on film,” Espinoza said. “But let’s go and see how it looks in person.”
Espinoza is the player Las Vegas will count on to advance deep into the postseason. If he puts together more games like the one he had against Durango, the Wildcats will be a tough out.
He already is beginning to attract college attention, with coaches from Brigham Young, San Diego State and Utah State having visited him.
“I try not to focus too much on that,” Espinoza said. “I try to go out on the field and play the best I can.”
Contact reporter Mark Anderson at at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.
