Silverado cruises despite midweek opponent change
Siverado had a strange week, with its opponent changing three days before its Class 4A state quarterfinal game.
The Desert League champion Skyhawks were set to face Clark, but the Chargers were removed from the playoffs after it was determined they had used two ineligible players. That reinstated Spring Valley, which lost to Clark last week, into the playoffs.
It didn’t seem to faze Silverado. Caden Harris and Marcus Council ran for two touchdowns apiece, and the undefeated Skyhawks cruised to a 51-0 home win Friday night.
Brandon Tunnell threw for 150 yards and a touchdown to Donavyn Pellot, who also ran for a score for Silverado (10-0). Michael Green returned an interception for a score to help the Skyhawks into the semifinals, where they will host Coronado at 6 p.m. next Friday. Spring Valley finishes 4-6.
Las Vegas 27, Sierra Vista 8 — At Las Vegas, freshman Elijah Espinoza threw two touchdown passes to lift Las Vegas to its first playoff win since 2014.
The Mountain League champion Wildcats (7-3) trailed 8-7 at halftime and took the lead for good on an Adonis Jackson touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Espinoza’s scoring strikes went to Alvaro Zetino and Andrew Bowen, and receiver Tommy Vibabul put the final score on the board when a teammate fumbled into the end zone and he fell on it.
Las Vegas advances to host Shadow Ridge in the state semifinals at 6 p.m. next Friday. Sierra Vista overcame an 0-6 start to reach the state quarterfinals and finishes 4-8.
Class 3A Southern Region semifinals
Moapa Valley 49, SLAM Nevada 14 — At Moapa Valley, Landon Wrzesinski ran for 226 yards and three touchdowns to help the Pirates stay undefeated.
Moapa Valley (10-0) scored twice in the first two minutes and never looked back. Austin Heiselbetz ran for two touchdowns, Ethan Stankosky ran for one and Peyton Neilson and Elias Cox connected for a score.
Josephy Kuykendall threw for a 103 yards and a touchdown and ran for a score for SLAM Nevada (8-4). But Kuykendall was picked off three times in the loss.
Moapa Valley will host the winner of Saturday’s game between North Valleys and Churchill County in the state semifinals at 1 p.m. next Saturday.
Virgin Valley 35, Pahrump Valley 0 — At Pahrump Valley, Gavin Brown threw for three touchdowns and ran for two, and the defense did the rest in a Bulldog win.
Brown was 14-for-17 for 215 yards passing and had 30 yards rushing for Virgin Valley (9-2), which will travel north to meet Elko in next week’s state semifinals at 1 p.m. Saturday. Alexander Valley had three of the Bulldogs’ five sacks, and Virgin Valley forced three turnovers. Pahrump Valley overcame an 0-3 start to win the Mountain League title and finish 4-4.
Virgin Valley will go on the road to face Elko at 1 p.m. next Saturday in the state semifinals.
Class 2A state quarterfinals
The Meadows 30, Lincoln County 0 — At The Meadows, Gage Rinetti ran for two touchdowns, and the Mustangs advanced to the state semifinals.
Derek Bain ran for a touchdown, and Sean Gosse connected with John McGill for a score for the Mustangs (10-1), who won convincingly despite only a 194-174 edge in total offense. The Meadows coaxed three turnovers from Lincoln County (5-6), the 2019 state runner-up.
The Meadows will host Battle Mountain in the semifinals next Saturday. The time has yet to be determined.
Class 1A state quarterfinals
Pahranagat Valley 56, Wells 8 — At Pahranagat Valley, Jaren Leavitt scored two rushing touchdowns and one receiving in the first nine minutes, and the Panthers were off to an easy win.
Gage Davis and Braiden Maxwell threw two touchdown passes apiece for Pahranagat Valley (8-1), which awaits Saturday’s winner between Virginia City and GV Christian in next week’s state semifinals.
Contact Jason Orts at jorts@reviewjournal.com. Follow @SportsWithOrts on Twitter.
