Las Vegas pro sports roundup: Knight Hawks’ QB powers strong start

The Vegas Knight Hawks won 11 games their first two seasons in the Indoor Football League.

They have a legitimate chance to match that total in Year 3. Quarterback Ja’Rome Johnson is the main reason why.

The second-year passer from Bowie State in Prince George’s County, Maryland, is the catalyst behind the Knight Hawks’ 7-2 start. He’s done it by using both his arms and his legs.

Johnson is fifth in the IFL with 23 passing touchdowns. He’s also run for 19 touchdowns, third-most in the league.

“Just being a dual-threat quarterback helps a lot,” Johnson said. “Being able to extend plays, use my legs and have the receiving corps I have, it’s making my throwing job a lot easier.”

Johnson didn’t play Saturday in the Knight Hawks’ 58-52 home loss to the Northern Arizona Wranglers, their second in a row after starting the season 7-0.

The team, despite missing the two-time IFL Offensive Player of the Week, didn’t lose because of a lack of offense. Backup quarterback Jorge Reyna threw for 171 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 73 yards and two scores.

The Knight Hawks’ downfall has been closing games the last two weeks.

They lost 51-50 in overtime to the Tucson Sugar Skulls on May 18. The Wranglers scored the game-winning touchdown with 14 seconds left Saturday to cap off a 24-point fourth quarter.

The Knights Hawks are still in a good position to make the playoffs for the first time.

They’re second in the Western Conference with seven games remaining. Johnson attributes the strong start to the team’s chemistry.

“We’re playing well together and understanding each other’s strengths,” he said.

Coach Mike Davis said what’s impressed him about Johnson is the quarterback is still learning the nuances of being a professional football player. Johnson had 36 total touchdowns last season with the Green Bay Blizzard.

Davis said it helped Johnson to be involved in a tough quarterback competition with Reyna and last season’s starter Joe Mancuso.

“It makes it easier when you surround someone with good talent,” Davis said. “For him, he’s got a great supporting cast. He just has to be the facilitator. We joke with him all the time (that) he just needs to be the point guard.”

The Knight Hawks, barring a bizarre collapse, are going to make the playoffs in a stacked eight-team Western Conference. The top four teams in each conference make the postseason. Five teams in the West are currently above .500.

The Bay Area Panthers are atop the conference at 8-1. Their lone loss was against the Knight Hawks on May 4 at San Jose, California.

The Knight Hawks believe they can make a deep playoff run. It starts with who’s under center.

“There’s a lot of tough competition in the West,” Johnson said. “As long as we do our job, we can play anybody any given day.”

Around the minor leagues

Las Vegas Aviators

Shortstop Nick Allen’s RBI single in the 10th inning Sunday at Las Vegas Ballpark gave the Aviators (29-28) their second walk-off win in three days.

The victory was the team’s third straight and its fourth in six games against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. Designated hitter Jordan Diaz’s two-out RBI single in the ninth inning Sunday extended the game.

The Aviators opened the six-game set with a 9-5 win Tuesday. They then lost two straight to Sugar Land, 20-7 on Wednesday and 10-9 on Thursday. The Space Cowboys scored nine of their 10 runs in the third inning Thursday.

The Aviators rallied in the ninth inning Friday to get back in the win column. First baseman Ryan Noda tied the game with a two-run home run in the ninth. Second baseman Hoy Park singled in the 10th to give the Aviators a 7-6 walk-off win.

The team’s offense poured it on Saturday in a 13-7 win. The Aviators had 10 runs after the first three innings. Catcher Carlos Perez had three RBIs his first two at-bats.

Las Vegas Lights FC

The Lights’ winless streak reached eight games with a 0-0 draw against Phoenix Rising FC on Saturday at Cashman Field.

The Lights outshot Phoenix 23-9 and had 10 shots on target, but couldn’t break the goalless tie.

The Lights (3-7-3) have not won a United Soccer League Championship match since April 6 against San Antonio FC. Their last win came April 17 in the U.S. Open Cup against Spokane Velocity FC.

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.