REGULAR-SEASON ROUNDUP: Coronado comes back from 20-0 deficit, stuns Basic
Coronado overcame a 20-0 first-quarter deficit to beat Basic 24-20 and secure the No. 2 playoff seed in the Southeast League on Friday night.
Chris Laliberte scored three touchdowns to lead the Cougars’ comeback.
“I’ve never scored a touchdown before so that was new,” Laliberte said. “I really think I was just having a good night and just had great vision.”
The Cougars (7-2, 4-1) fell into an early hole after Jaylen Rose connected with Antraye Johnson for a 65-yard touchdown pass in the opening minutes.
Basic’s Thomas Gross picked off Kevin Lucero on Coronado’s next possession. Rose scored on a 15-yard run eight seconds later, and found Devonte Boyd in the corner of the end zone with 2:38 left in the quarter to give the Wolves a three-touchdown lead.
Basic (6-3, 3-2) wouldn’t score again.
Coronado struck early in the second quarter when Lucero hit Laliberte with a 19-yard touchdown pass. Despite the momentum shift, Coronado turned the ball over twice over the next two minutes, including a fumble on the Basic 1-yard line.
“We talked to our team about winning the turnover battle and the field position battle,” Coronado coach Brad Talich said. “We knew if we hung in there that we had a good plan.”
The Cougars scored 17 points in the second quarter. Laliberte made his third TD catch with 6:13 left in the third quarter to put Coronado up, 24-20.
“Chris does a great job sacrificing for other players,” Talich said. “But when the time called, we needed him tonight.”
The Wolves had one last chance to take the lead, but Rose threw an interception on fourth down with 1:47 remaining.
Canyon Springs 33, Las Vegas 12 — At Canyon Springs, Zaviontay Stevenson rushed for 231 yards, including a 79-yard touchdown and a 93-yard run, and the eighth-ranked Pioneers (6-3, 4-1 Northeast) gained 364 yards on the ground to run past the No. 10 Wildcats (6-3, 3-2).
Canyon Springs’ other TDs came on runs by Nigel Perry (13 yards), Joe Jackson (1), Eric Williams (2) and Diamante Luna (6). The Pioneers finished as the league’s No. 2 playoff seed.
For Las Vegas, which will open the playoffs on the road, Trevor Swenson passed for 281 yards and two TDs, both to Joshua Mayfield.
— Mike Sloan
Green Valley 33, Silverado 0 — At Silverado, Gino Jonassaint rushed for 158 yards and four touchdowns on 11 carries, sparking the fourth-ranked Gators (8-1, 5-0 Northeast) over the Skyhawks (5-4, 2-3) to cap an unbeaten season in league play.
Green Valley, the No. 1 Northeast seed, hosts fourth-seeded Foothill of the Southeast on Friday in the first round of the Division I Sunrise Region playoffs.
Jonassaint’s TD runs covered 25, 4, 17 and 23 yards. Christian Lopez was 8-for-8 passing for 104 yards and a TD.
Gio Hernandez and Kelvin Woods recovered fumbles for Green Valley.
Alex Cater gained 170 yards on 38 carries for Silverado, which finished as the No. 4 seed in the Northeast and will visit Liberty for its first-round playoff game Friday.
— Tim Guesman
Liberty 48, Foothill 25 — At Liberty, Kaimana Nacua rushed for two touchdowns, passed for one and caught a scoring pass as the third-ranked Patriots (8-1, 5-0 Southeast) dominated the Falcons (3-6, 2-3).
Nacua gained 72 yards rushing and 111 yards receiving. Niko Kapeli rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown, all in the first half, and Liberty finished with 301 yards on the ground. Austin Fitzgerald kicked six conversions.
Foothill’s Jalen Shepard threw three TD passes to Jordan Primo. Shepard passed for 206 yards, with Primo compiling 113 receiving yards.
— Jamie Bichelman
Del Sol 35, Eldorado 14 — At Eldorado, Cameron Lamont rushed for 212 yards and two touchdowns, caught a scoring pass and made two interceptions, lifting the Dragons (2-7, 1-4 Northeast) over the Sundevils (1-8, 0-5) for their first league and road victory.
Lamont’s rushing TDs covered 3 and 91 yards, and his receiving score came on a 35-yard screen pass from Dylan Greer. Tyrone Rouse scored on an 84-yard kickoff return, and Greer added a 1-yard TD run.
For Eldorado, Justin Brown had a 45-yard TD run and Marvin Williams scored on a 59-yard fumble return.
— Adam Berchin
Valley 52, Rancho 7 — At Valley, Eric Burrell returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown and made three sacks, powering the Vikings (2-7, 1-4 Northeast) over the Rams (0-9, 0-5) for their first league victory.
Quentyn Jefferson ran for three TDs on five carries, including a 31-yarder. Kennedy Williams passed for 95 yards, including a 64-yard TD to Arphaxad Carroll, and also rushed for 89 yards and a score.
Rancho’s James Horton scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter, finishing with 77 yards on 13 carries.
A fight at the end of the first half near the Rancho sideline resulted in three ejections for each team.
— Zac Alexander
