Wildcats awaken, handle Vikings

After going three-and-out on its opening drive Friday night, third-ranked Las Vegas reached the end zone on seven of its next eight possessions on the way to a home rout of Valley.

Emir Lopez threw for five touchdowns and ran for one as the Wildcats cruised to a 52-13 victory.

For a brief time, the Vikings appeared as if they would be competitive with the perennial powerhouse of the Northeast League.

Valley (2-4, 0-3 Northeast) got a 50-yard run from quarterback Kerwynn Williams on the game’s third play and was deep into Las Vegas territory before turning the ball over on downs.

The Wildcats (5-1, 3-0) then failed to gain a first down before punting the ball to the Vikings.

But it was on that next Valley drive that a key defensive play seemed to ignite the Las Vegas offensive onslaught.

Jonathan Tagle intercepted a pass that deflected off the hands of a Valley receiver, setting up the Wildcats at the Vikings’ 47-yard line.

Three plays later, Lopez connected with Saeveon Butler on a 15-yard touchdown pass with about three minutes left in the first quarter.

Lopez added a scoring pass to Butler later in the quarter, then hit Kevin Cormier and Reggie Bullock on TD passes in the second quarter as Las Vegas opened a 35-0 halftime lead.

“We knew going three-and-out to start, we needed to pick it up,” Lopez said. “We put it to them, and we never looked back.”

Bullock also had a TD run in the second period. He had 142 yards on nine carries.

The transfer from Western is playing his first season at Las Vegas.

“If teams spread out to cover the pass, it opens the run game and he can take it to the house on any play,” Las Vegas coach Chris Faircloth said.

One of the major factors that contributed to the Wildcats’ first-half domination was their control of field position.

The average start for the six Las Vegas drives in the first half was their 47. Conversely, Valley’s seven drives averaged starting at its 19-yard line.

“Our special teams are getting better, and I think that had a lot to do with that,” Faircloth said. “We struggled early on (in the season), but we’re getting there.”

One of the key performers in that area was Aaron Franklin. The senior had a 40-yard punt return to the 5-yard line that set up the Wildcats’ second score. He also had four catches for 80 yards.

Marquan Major had three receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown.

Williams had a strong game for Valley. The senior quarterback ran for 205 yards on 18 carries, including two third-quarter touchdowns.