By DAVE BELCHER
Moapa Valley Progress
The annual Hammer game pitting the Moapa Valley High School Football team against arch-rival Virgin Valley High School was played on the Pirate’s home turf on Friday night. Virgin Valley, who has alternated this season between struggling at times and looking good at others, came to face the Pirates and were beaten 35-7.
The Bulldogs came fired up and ready to give their all for the win. They had nothing to lose and everything to win.
The stadium was over-flowing as usual. The Moapa Valley students wore blue for the blue out. Virgin Valley fans came in their green. Everyone was ready for a battle.
MVHS quarterback, Zach Hymas, who rolled his ankle last week at Rancho, started the game for the Pirates. He had a rough time as he missed on his first couple of passes. He appeared to struggle planting his feet with the sprain.
Still, it didn’t stop him as he found Cole Mulcock on a slant over the middle. Mulcock took the ball 65 yards for the Pirates first touchdown with 9 minutes remaining in the first quarter.
By the end of the game, Moapa would have 421 yards total offense on 46 plays. Thirty-three rushes resulted in 152 yards. Kaleb Bodily ran for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Andrew Huerta added 51 yards on 5 carries.
Bodily got the second Pirate touchdown, on a 4 yard run, with 34 seconds remaining in the first half. The Pirates had a 14-0 lead at half time.
Virgin Valley twice tried fake punts and completed passes both times to keep drives going. After the first fake punt, Bulldog quarterback Cody Jones threw a pass which was tipped by Pirate junior Jay Mortenson and finally caught by Bodily.
After the second fake, Virgin Valley was at the Pirate 33 yard line looking like they were going to score. But Pirate junior Derick Cope stopped the drive when he picked a Jones’ pass at the 17 yard line.
Huerta would then take a hand off 45 yards for an apparent touchdown. But it was called back after Pirate junior RJ Hubert was called for a block in the back, setting Moapa up at the Bulldog 27. The Pirates were held out of the end zone.
Jones would throw another interception a few plays later, this one to Mortenson at the Virgin Valley 31. It set up Bodily’s first touchdown with 34 seconds remaining.
Virgin Valley tried to move the ball down the field in the final seconds of the half. But Cope got his second pick and returned the ball to the 2 yard line as time ran out.
Virgin Valley would cut the lead to 7 late in the third quarter when Junior Paongo took a handoff to the right, out-racing Moapa to the end zone for the Dawgs only touchdown of the night.
Virgin Valley ended up with 193 total yards offense, 106 yards rushing. Paongo was the leading rusher with 80 yards on 17 carries. Virgin Valley completed 6 passes on 21 attempts. The Dawgs threw 5 interceptions for the game. These were key as they stopped drives and gave the Pirates opportunities of their own.
The second half started with Virgin Valley’s fifth interception. Jarron Linge came in for Jones and threw to Moapa Valley’s Justin Gentry at the Pirate 22 yard line. Moapa Valley would get their third touchdown on 4th and 4 at the Bulldog 33 yard line. Nate Cox was in for Hymas and threw to Mulcock who ran past the Dawg secondary for the touchdown.
Virgin Valley punted on their next possession turning the ball over to the Pirates. Cox would then hit Mulcock on the run where he was stopped at the Virgin Valley 5 yard line. Bodily took it in from there with 8:16 remaining in the game.
Sterling Simmons scored the final Pirate touchdown with a run up the middle from 19 yards out.
Moapa Valley is 7-0 overall and 4-0 in league play; in first place. Virgin Valley is 3-4 overall and 1-3 in league play.
Virgin Valley needs to win their next two games against Chaparral and Boulder City to make the playoffs. Chaparral will be in the Dawg Pound for homecoming this week.
Moapa Valley will host Boulder City for their Homecoming this week. Freshman and JV games are on Wednesday with the Varsity game on Friday.
