Pirates haul in four of top five 3A awards

But Moapa Valley’s record-setting senior running back couldn’t help but relish the fact the Pirates took four of the Class 3A Southern League’s top five awards.

“It just shows the talent that we have at Moapa Valley,” Weiss said. “Because of our small town, we kind of get overlooked, but we have a lot of talent that nobody really knows about.”

Coaches knew all about it when they voted on the awards, which were unveiled this week.

Weiss was named league Most Valuable Player after rushing for a school-record 1,815 yards and 23 touchdowns for the Pirates, who capped a 10-2 season with their second straight state championship.

Moapa Valley also snagged Coach of the Year (Brent Lewis), Defensive Player of the Year (Jake Pearce) and Lineman of the Year (Tyler Lomprey).

The lone award that went to a school other than Moapa Valley was Offensive Player of the Year, which was claimed by Virgin Valley running back/receiver Jonathan Gleave.

Weiss, who said he hopes to catch on at Southern Utah, has gone from 3-7 his freshman year to two-time state champion as a senior.

“It was great to see,” he said of the program’s improvement. “It was good to see how much hard work can make a difference and pay off when you get everybody playing hard.”

The first-team offense comprises quarterback Terran Leavitt (Virgin Valley), running backs Colton Teerlink (Virgin Valley), Pearce and Jeremy Smith (Boulder City), receivers Don Pearson (Faith Lutheran) and Gleave, tight end Zach Horlacher (Virgin Valley) and linemen Lomprey, Colton Bulloch (Virgin Valley), Travis Ozaki (Moapa Valley), Riley Staley (Moapa Valley) and Cameron Lim (Moapa Valley).

The first-team defense comprises linemen Lomprey, D’Andre Mathews (Virgin Valley), Andrew Andersen (Moapa Valley), Horlacher and Staley, linebackers Chris Parker (Virgin Valley), Pearce, Ozaki and Steven Kaposta (Boulder City) and defensive backs Gleave, David Sperry (Faith Lutheran), Pearson and Dallin Seely (Moapa Valley).

The first-team specialists were Faith Lutheran kicker Joe Portaro, Moapa Valley punter Max Jenkins and Moapa Valley returner Matt Newton.