SMALL SCHOOLS: Martinez rallies Mustangs for win

Less than 10 minutes after opening kickoff, The Meadows found itself in a 20-0 hole littered with sacks and turnovers Friday night.

So how was it the Mustangs were able to score 46 unanswered points to rally for a 46-26 home win over Chadwick School?

“A lot of it was our defense putting us in better field position,” The Meadows quarterback Gerard Martinez said.

Though that may be true, Martinez had quite a helping hand himself. The freshman completed 12 of 26 passes for 204 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions.

Martinez hit seven different receivers, including scoring strikes to four players.

On the same night it celebrated the 25th anniversary of the school’s inception, The Meadows (2-1) trailed 20-0 with 2:54 left in the first quarter.

But the Mustangs charged back with a 20-point second-quarter outburst, including Martinez touchdown passes of 78, 40 and 9 yards.

He then fired 5- and 7-yard TD passes in the third quarter.

Chadwick School (0-1), which traveled from Palos Verdes Peninsula, Calif., had two quarterbacks combine to throw the ball 54 times.

Though that netted the Dolphins 315 passing yards, they were smothered for minus-40 rushing yards on 15 carries.

Austin Brown caught four passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns for the Mustangs, who also got touchdown grabs from Pat Kenny, Remington Ross and Richard Martinez.

Kenny carried 12 times for 132 yards and a touchdown for The Meadows, and Brown scored on a 25-yard interception return late in the third quarter.

With 15 starters back from last year’s Class 2A state semifinalist team, the Mustangs are 2-1 heading into league play against Calvary Chapel next week.

“We’ve got to keep this winning going, when it really matters,” Gerard Martinez said.

Moapa Valley 37, Kanab (Utah) 6 — At Overton, Luke Leavitt’s safety started a 16-point third quarter as the Pirates beat the  Cowboys.

Leavitt’s sack of Kanab quarterback Justin Orton was one of eight for Moapa Valley, which held the Cowboys to 202 total yards.

Moapa Valley quarterback Max Jenkins was 7 of 8 for 122 yards. Jenkins had a 30-yard TD pass to Shaun Hilton and a 41-yard TD pass to Matt Newton.

Running back Brad Weiss added 90 rushing yards, including a 34-yard TD run. Weiss also had an 81-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Moapa Valley had 280 yards of offense and no turnovers.

 “I felt confident in our team tonight,” Moapa Valley coach Brent Lewis said. “Our second half was key tonight though, and you always have a better chance to win when you don’t turn the ball over.”

Faith Lutheran 43, Pahrump Valley 14 — At Faith Lutheran, the Crusaders (3-0) scored 21 points in the first quarter and had 33 by halftime in an easy victory over the Trojans (1-2).

Joe Portaro, still filling in for injured starter David Sperry, was 14-for-17 for 288 yards and four touchdowns. He also connected on five extra points and two field goals.

The Crusaders scored the game’s first touchdown after recovering a high snap on a Trojans punt attempt in the end zone with 10:12 left in the first quarter.

Don Pearson had two touchdown receptions, one for 13 yards and one for 58 yards, in the first quarter.

Croix Nikodemus caught a 58-yard bomb for a touchdown to push the Crusaders lead to 28-0 early in the second quarter.

The Crusaders led 33-7 at halftime by scoring a safety in the second quarter after punter Gregory Shippee was called for intentional grounding in the end zone.

Zach Weldon rushed for 81 yards and two TDs on 13 carries for the Trojans.

Boulder City 10, River Valley (Ariz.) 6  — At Boulder City, the Eagles rallied in the fourth quarter in their home opener to defeat the Dust Devils.

“We won our first home game,” first-year Boulder City coach Alex Kazel said. “You can’t ask for much more than that. It wasn’t pretty, but we were effective.”

Junior back-up quarterback Ryan Washburn, subbing for injured senior Jake Phillips, hit senior Joey Western with a 5-yard touchdown pass with 2:30 left for the winning score. Washburn led the team down the field after senior Alex Dillon recovered a fumble (his second) on the Dust Devil 24-yard line with five minutes left.

Bobby Stahel was the workhorse for River Valley, running for 120 yards on 28 carries. Boulder City senior Spencer Sasarita ran for 75 yards on 17 carries.

Stahel ran 62 yards for the only Dust Devils touchdown in the second quarter.

Phillips kicked a 33-yard field goal in the third quarter to cut the River Valley lead to 6-3.

River Valley outgained the Eagles 267 to 191.

Beaver Dam (Ariz.) 54, Spring Mountain 20 — At  Spring Mountain, Jovi Breidel scored five touchdowns, three in the second quarter, as the Diamondbacks routed the Eagles.

Breidel ran for 93 yards on 14 carries and scored on runs of 1, 6 and 5 yards in the second quarter. He scored on a 34-reception in the third quarter and a 48-yard run in the fourth.

Niko Stewart rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown on five carries for Spring Mountain. The Eagles led 6-0 after the first quarter but surrendered the next 46 points.

Stewart scored on a 34-yard run with five seconds left in the third quarter to end the Diamondbacks’ run and make the score 46-12.

David Edwards had a 5-yard TD run in the fourth and finished with 29 yards on three carries for the Eagles.

Foothills Christian (Calif.) 27, Mountain View 24 — At El Cajon, Calif., Foothills Christian scored with three minutes to play to down the Saints.

Mountain View drove to the Knights’ 13-yard line with 30 seconds to go, but was unable to score as Raymond Velarde was sacked on fourth down to end the game.

Velarde was 8-for-11 for 96 yards in the fourth quarter. He finished with 144 passing yards and 173 rushing yards, including a 6-yard TD run.

Alex Watson added 160 rushing yards and a TD for Mountain View. Tanner Peterson caught five balls for 77 yards to lead the Saints’ receivers.

Laughlin 56, Indian Springs 28 — At Indian Springs, the Cougars (2-1) rolled by scoring 20 points in the first quarter and 22 in the fourth.

Adam Reinke completed 7 of 12 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns for the Thunderbirds (1-1). Derek Oliver carried 15 times for 60 yards and two touchdowns for Indian Springs.

Beatty 46, Lund 12 — At Beatty, Anthony Turner accounted for five touchdowns to lead the Hornets (1-1) over the Mustangs.

Turner rushed seven times for 78 yards and two TDs. He also passed for two touchdowns, and returned an interception 30 yards for a score.

Turner intercepted three passes on the night.

Lincoln County 48, Milford (Utah) 23 — At Panaca, the Lynx won behind a huge game from quarterback Eric Rippetoe.

The junior completed 15 of 21 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown, and carried eight times for 53 yards.

Trent Tibbitts carried 13 times for 74 yards and two scores for Lincoln County (1-2).

Calvary Chapel 8, Diamond Ranch (Utah) 0 — At Diamond Ranch, the Lions won on a touchdown pass from Cody Taylor to Juliene Mejia.