Highlights from Week 10 of high school football

WHAT WE LEARNED

1. Liberty’s passing is better than advertised.

The Patriots hadn’t thrown the bell very well this season, and had leaned on running back Zyrus Fiaseu in recent weeks. But Liberty opened things up a bit on Friday, passing for 249 yards and two scores in a 40-7 win over previously unbeaten Foothill.

The Patriots completed 14 of 18 passes against a Falcons team that had allowed only 55 points all season. Liberty starter Lonenoa Faoa had his best game, completing 10 of 13 passes for 174 yards.

2. Bishop Gorman’s defense might be suspect.

The Gaels allowed 34 points to No. 9 Durango on Friday. That’s one more point than they allowed to a Nevada team in the entire 2017 season. It also is the most Gorman has allowed to a Nevada school since beating Liberty 56-34 in the state semifinals on Nov. 26, 2011.

Durango threw three third-quarter touchdown passes to pull within 43-26. The Trailblazers got 258 yards and four TD passes from quarterback Kaden Renshaw.

Of course, Gorman quarterback Micah Bowens completed 15 of 18 passes for 359 yards and four scores in the 57-34 win.

3. When in doubt, go find a rugby kid.

Desert Oasis was without star running back Christian Vaughn this week, so coach Michael Ovens turned to former rugby player Alvin Pomare to carry the offensive load.

Good idea.

The junior rushed for 321 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries. Pomare had just 22 carries all season entering Friday’s game.

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UPSET OF THE WEEK

Spring Mountain 36, Pahranagat Valley 34 — Any time someone knocks off the Panthers it’s an upset, although a Spring Mountain win over Pahranagat Valley isn’t quite as rare as it used to be.

Da’Juan Brown threw a tying TD pass to Chris Mosley with one second left and Brown’s 2-point conversion run ended Pahranagat Valley’s 17 game win streak. It also was the school’s first league loss since at least 2005.

The Panthers hadn’t lost since Nov. 19, 2016 when Spring Mountain beat them 68-46 to end their 104-game win streak.

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STANDOUT PERFORMANCES

Passing

Micah Bowens, Bishop Gorman — 15-18 passing, 359 yards, 4 TDs

Da’Juan Brown, Spring Mountain — 26-41 passing, 308 yards, 4 TDs

Sagan Gronauer, Faith Lutheran — 18-32 passing, 305 yards, 5 TDs

Kaden Renshaw, Durango — 13-24 passing, 258 yards, 4 TDs

Paul Myro, Basic — 20-30 passing, 248 yards, 2 TDs

Jarrett Zibert, Valley — 14-25 passing, 248 yards, 4 TDs

Rushing

Alvin Pomare, Desert Oasis — 35 carries, 321 yards, 3 TDs

Thorsten Balmer, Boulder City — 24 carries, 200 yards, 5 TDs

Daniel Mitchell, Arbor View — 15 carries, 171 yards, 2 TDs

Xavier Gomez, Shadow Ridge — 18 carries, 165 yards

Jerry Martin, Legacy — 15 carries, 163 yards, 2 TDs

Receiving

Rome Odunze, Bishop Gorman — 6 catches, 168 yards, 2 TDs

Jayden Nersinger, Durango — 6 catches, 134 yards, 3 TDs

Jeremiah Towns, Western — 6 catches, 129 yards, 1 TD

Donovan Smith, Bishop Gorman — 5 catches, 110 yards, 1 TD

Keagan Touchstone, Faith Lutheran — 3 catches, 104 yards, 2 TDs

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QUOTABLE

“That’s very important, especially with how successful we’ve been running the ball. It was good to open it up a lot today and being successful.”

— Liberty quarterback Lonenoa Faoa after the Patriots passed for 249 yards and two scores in a 40-7 rout of Foothill.

“It’s honestly amazing, coming out here and doing it for the last time, at least in the regular season. It’s amazing how four years just fly by like that. I can’t wait to see what happens going forward.”

— Faith Lutheran quarterback Sagan Gronauer after passing for 305 yards and five TDs in a 36-19 victory over Palo Verde in the team’s final regular-season home game.

“I wanted to be aggressive. I told the coaches I wanted the ball, so they gave me a chance. Once the ball was in the air, I knew I was going to make the catch.”

— Cheyenne receiver Rayvion Brown, who caught a 37-yard TD pass on the final play of the game to secure a 36-30 home win over Del Sol.

“Defensively, it was the worst defensive performance since I have been here at Gorman. And I am the defensive coordinator, so I did a horrible job getting them ready for this game.”

— Bishop Gorman coach Kenny Sanchez after his team’s 57-34 win over Durango.

“They hit us with some big plays in the first half. I think our kids were sleeping until they began to show that they’re a good team.”

— Basic coach Jeff Cahill after his team’s 41-27 home win over Coroando.

“Alvin stepped up, and he really carried the workload for us tonight and did a great job. We had to teach him American football, and he’s turned out to be a pretty good player, pretty important player for us.”

— Desert Oasis coach Michael Ovens on junior Alvin Pomare, a former rugby player who rushed for 321 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries in a 28-20 win over Spring Valley.

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HOW THEY FARED

A look at how the teams in the Nevada Preps rankings fared in Week 10.

Class 4A

1. Bishop Gorman (5-3) beat No. 9 Durango, 57-34. Next: vs. Spring Valley, Thursday.

2. Arbor View (8-1) beat Shadow Ridge, 39-15. Next: at Palo Verde, Thursday.

3. Liberty (3-4) beat No. 4 Foothill, 40-7. Next: vs. No. 10 Basic, Thursday.

4. Foothill (7-1) lost to No. 3 Liberty, 40-7. Next: at Green Valley, Thursday.

5. Desert Pines (6-2) beat Las Vegas, 55-7. Next: at Eldorado, Thursday.

6. Faith Lutheran (5-4) beat Palo Verde, 36-19. Next: at Bonanza, Thursday.

7. Canyon Springs (5-3) beat Eldorado, 23-7. Next: at Legacy, Thursday.

8. Centennial (6-3) beat Bonanza, 51-6. Next: at Cimarron-Memorial, Thursday.

9. Durango (5-4) lost to No. 1 Bishop Gorman, 57-34. Next: at Sierra Vista, Thursday.

10. Basic (4-4) beat Coronado, 41-27. Next: at No. 3 Liberty, Thursday.

Class 3A

1. Moapa Valley (9-1) beat Virgin Valley, 35-0. Next: Class 3A playoffs, Friday, Nov. 2.

2. Pahrump Valley (6-3) beat Valley, 36-33. Next: Class 3A playoffs, Friday, Nov. 2.

3. Boulder City (6-3) beat Sunrise Mountain, 48-12. Next: vs. Del Sol, Thursday.

4. Cheyenne (8-2) beat Del Sol, 36-30. Next: vs. Sunrise Mountain, Thursday.

5. Virgin Valley (7-3) lost to No. 1 Moapa Valley, 35-0. Next: season complete.

More preps: Follow all of our Nevada Preps coverage online at nevadapreps.com and @NevadaPreps on Twitter.

Contact prep sports editor Damon Seiters at dseiters@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4587. Follow @DamonSeiters on Twitter.