Highlights from Week 2 of high school football
Here’s a look at what happened during Week 2 of the high school football season.
WHAT WE LEARNED
1. Our top private schools weren’t quite ready for the top out-of-state competition they scheduled for Week 2.
Bishop Gorman and Mater Dei (California) came into Friday’s matchup having combined to win the last four mythical national titles, but only one of the two looked like any kind of contender on Friday.
The Monarchs throttled Gorman 42-0, shutting the Gaels out for the first time since 2006. Gorman allowed five scoring plays of 34 yards or more.
Faith Lutheran, meanwhile, lost 35-0 at home to Valor Christian (Colorado). There was some hype about the Crusaders’ defense coming into the season with key returnees at several positions and some transfers filling in other spots.
But Faith Lutheran had no answer for the Eagles and quarterback Luke McCaffrey. Valor Christan racked up 372 yards of offense with McCaffrey rushing for 110 yards and passing for 178. He had a hand in three scores.
2. The area’s top public schools, on the other hand, handled their out-of-state road games in Week 2.
Second-ranked Liberty earned a 22-12 win over Saguaro (Arizona), beating the Sabercats for the second consecutive season. Saguaro won 12 games last year and opened this season with a 48-3 win over Poston Butte (Arizona).
Arbor View and running back Kyle Graham also came away with a big road win, beating Valencia (California) 17-14 to move to 2-0. Graham rushed for 189 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings, who also won 12 games last season.
3. Desert Oasis is much improved, and the Diamondbacks might have one of the area’s top running backs.
Statistically, he’s No. 1 right now by far. Desert Oasis entered the season on a 13-game losing streak, but moved to 2-0 thanks to a 40-26 victory over Valley.
And running back Christian Vaughn had nearly everything to do with it. Vaughn topped 200 yards for the second straight game, finishing with 299 yards and six touchdowns on 42 carries.
He leads the area with 501 rushing yards, 196 ahead of the second-best total. The Diamondbacks have topped 40 points in both games after scoring a total of 52 in nine games last season.
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UPSET OF THE WEEK
Del Sol 36, Sunrise Mountain 0 — Sunrise Mountain entered the game ranked No. 3 in Class 3A, and the Miners were coming off a season where they won six games and knocked off Moapa Valley in the first round of the playoffs.
Del Sol was coming off a 44-13 loss to Desert Oasis, which had lost its previous 13 games.
But quarterback Andre Nevarez made sure Del Sol would get in the win column in Week 2. Nevarez completed 16 of 24 passes for 387 yards and three touchdowns, and the Dragons rolled.
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STANDOUT PERFORMANCES
Passing
Andre Nevarez, Del Sol — 16-24 passing, 387 yards, 3 TDs
Jarrett Zibert, Valley — 12-30 passing, 261 yards, 3 TDs
Alex Vincent, Lincoln County — 4-5 passing, 163 yards, 2 TDs
Sagan Gronauer, Faith Lutheran — 11-21 passing 128 yards
Colton Tenney, Centennial — 10-32 passing, 125 yards
Rushing
Christian Vaughn, Desert Oasis — 42 carries, 299 yards, 6 TDs
Marcus Turner, Needles — 22 carries, 260 yards, 1 TD
Jordan Norwood, Cimarron-Memorial — 34 carries, 206 yards, 1 TD
Kyle Graham, Arbor View — 31 carries, 189 yards, 1 TD
Michael Perez, Eldorado — 16 carries, 169 yards
Julian Rohan, Faith Lutheran — 16 carries, 166 yards
Trey Alexander, Del Sol — 14 carries, 163 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Dylan Robinson, Lincoln County — 4 catches, 163 yards, 2 TDs
Maalik Flowers, Del Sol — 4 catches, 159 yards, 2 TDs
Markell Turner, Del Sol — 5 catches, 113 yards, 1 TD
Keenan McNair, Valley — 3 catches, 103 yards, 2 TDs
Justin Bacon, Bonanza — 3 catches, 98 yards, 1 TD
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QUOTABLE
“They pretty much did whatever they wanted tonight. We just got our butts handed to us.”
— Bishop Gorman coach Kenny Sanchez after the Gaels’ 42-0 loss to Mater Dei (California).
“For two years I didn’t win a single game on varsity. It’s the first time I have had that scoreboard flip-flopped. I’m proud of that.”
— Rancho senior running back Ethan Overson after the Rams snapped a 19-game losing streak with a 30-7 win over Western.
“Gavin is the best kicker in the state. He may be one of the best kickers in the entire country. My best player is a kicker, and we love him. He’s the best kicker I’ve ever been around.”
— Coronado coach Terry Riddle on kicker Gavin Wale, who had a 43-yard field goal and an extra point in overtime to secure a 17-16 win over Cimarron-Memorial.
“It’s not the expectation. With the work you put in, you expect a different result.”
— Faith Lutheran coach Vernon Fox after his team’s 35-0 loss to Valor Christian (Colorado).
“Right now, we can rely on our offense by those five guys on the offensive line. It’s the heart of our team, it’s sitting right there. They just did an outstanding job. We had some injuries, but they overcame them. It’s awesome. One of the best games I’ve ever been a part of.”
— Silverado coach Andy Ostolaza after his team rallied from a 20-point deficit to defeat Bonanza, 21-10.
“We were using guys who had never started at tackle. They were learning on the fly. They played hard, but it was sloppy.”
— Desert Pines coach Tico Rodriguez after his team’s 12-6 win over Durango.
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HOW THEY FARED
A look at how the teams in the Review-Journal rankings fared in Week 2.
Class 4A
1. Bishop Gorman (0-1) lost to Mater Dei (California) 42-0. Next: at Centennial (Arizona), Friday
2. Liberty (1-0) beat Saguaro (Arizona) 22-12. Next: vs. Lone Peak (Utah), Friday.
3. Arbor View (2-0) beat Valencia (California) 17-14. Next: vs. Hamilton (Arizona), Friday.
4. Faith Lutheran (0-1) lost to Valor Christian (Colorado) 35-0. Next: vs. Bakersfield Christian (California), Friday.
5. Desert Pines (1-0) beat Durango 12-6. Next: at Bishop Manogue, Friday, Sept. 7.
6. Legacy (1-1) lost to Dixie (Utah) 27-7. Next: at No. 10 Centennial, Thursday.
7t. Green Valley (2-0) beat Centennial 20-14. Next: vs. Sierra Vista, Friday.
7t. Foothill (1-0) beat Galena 49-0. Next: vs. Palo Verde, Friday.
9. Canyon Springs (0-0) was idle. Next: at Orem (Utah), Friday.
10. Centennial (1-1) lost to No. 7 Green Valley 20-14. Next: vs. No. 6 Legacy, Thursday.
Class 3A
1. Virgin Valley (2-0) beat Pahrump Valley 26-24. Next: vs. Del Sol, Friday.
2. Moapa Valley (1-1) beat Democracy Prep 41-6. Next: vs. Valley, Friday.
3. Sunrise Mountain (0-1) lost to Del Sol 36-0. Next: at Pahrup Valley, Friday.
4. Cheyenne (2-0) beat Boulder City 24-7. Next: vs. Rancho, Friday.
5. Democracy Prep (1-1) lost to No. 2 Moapa Valley 41-6. Next: vs. Boulder City, Friday.
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.