By DAVE BELCHER
Moapa Valley Progress
Southern 3A playoffs
Pahrump at Virgin Valley
It was a chance the Bulldogs had not had for several years: the possibility of a second round game in the state playoffs. And it started out looking like the Bulldogs would be in control start to finish and coast into the the quarter final round. But it turned into a dogfight and ended when Cresent Crandall iced the game for the Dawgs with a 55-yard touchdown during the game’s final minutes.
It started with a safety on the first play of the Trojans first drive.
Then on the Bulldogs first play of the game, Jayden Perkins broke an 80-yard touchdown run.
The Bulldogs extended their lead to 16-0 midway through the first quarter. Perkins would finish with 357 yards and four touchdowns. They were on runs of 80, 45, 47 and 67 yards.
Pahrump Valley, who had their best team in more than a decade, played with all they had, scoring 28 points in the first half and trailing by two points at halftime, 30-28.
With the win, the Bulldogs will host Mojave who beat the Dawgs 26-0 in the third game of the season. The game will be played Thursday at 7PM in Virgin Valley.
Chaparral at Mojave
This game was a defensive struggle the whole way. Chaparral was held to just 166 yards of total offense: 141 yards rushing. Mojave also was held below their season average with just 261 yards of total offense: 184 yards were on the ground.
Noah Thompson scored the first touchdown with a run of 5-yards midway through the second quarter. The two point conversion failed giving the Rattlers a 6-0 lead into the fourth quarter.
With just under 10 minutes to play in the game, Dennis Perez of Chaparral kicked a 31-yard field goal to get the Cowboys on the scoreboard trailing 6-3.
On the next Cowboy drive, Iopu Tauliill scored a go-ahead touchdown for Chaparral and with Perez’s extra point held a 10-6 lead with 3:35 left to play.
Chaparral then caught Mojave off guard. They kicked an onside kick and recovered the ball near midfield. Mojave then stepped up their defense and held the Cowboys in 40 seconds to regain possession on the ball with 2:55 to play.
The Rattlers moved the ball passing and found themselves with first and goal. A couple of penalties later it was third and goal from the Cowboy 18-yardline. That is when quarterback Xavier Delong found John Harper in the endzone. Harper went high to pull the ball down for the winning touchdown with 58 seconds to play in the game.
Mojave finished with 8-11 passing for 77 yards, most of that coming in the final drive.
Mojave travels to Virgin Valley on Thursday night.
Del Sol at Desert Pines
The Jaguars showed that they are the team to beat for the whole state as they came away with a huge 54-14 win over visiting Del Sol.
The Jaguars put 19 points on the board in the first quarter alone. Michael Lofton scored the first touchdown with a 4-yard run and the two-point conversion failed. Del Sol’s Taariq Flowers tied the game when he broke a 54-yard run with just over six minutes to play in the first half. The Jaguars would answer with Lofton and a 7-yard touchdown run. He followed that up with his third touchdown, a 12-yard run. All three in the first quarter and in a 7:40 span. Lofton would score two more later in the game.
Midway through the second quarter, Flowers found the endzone again, 5-yards away for the final touchdown for Del Sol. Flowers finished with 105-yards on 30 carries for the Dragons.
Devin McGee found a hole and sprinted 27-yards for Desert Pines followed by Lofton’s fourth touchdown, a 6-yard run ending the third quarter with Desert Pines leading 40-12.
Lofton still in the game scored on a 24-yard run followed by McGee’s 19-yard run and frosting to the score giving the Jaguars the win and a date with Sunrise Mountain on Thursday night at Desert Pines.
Desert Pines finished with 406 total yards Friday night: 284 of the yards on the ground. The Jaguar defense held Del Sol to 196 total yards: 102 of them on the ground.
The winner of this week’s game will advance to the state semi-finals. A Desert Pines win will mean a home game for the Jaguars.
Northern 3A playoffs
South Tahoe at Truckee
This is the second year in a row that these two teams have meet in the first round of the playoffs. Last year South Tahoe won the game and advanced to the state semi-finals to lose to Desert Pines. This year the Truckee Wolverines will get a chance to advance as they beat the Vikings, 35-28.
Truckee started the game with two touchdowns and added two points when a snap on a Vikings punt sailed out of the back of the endzone giving the Wolverines a 15-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
South Tahoe quarterback Peyton Galli found Tyler Wattanchinda in the back of the endzone for the Vikings first touchdown.
Truckee then scored when Galli found Matt Cain who finished with a 46-yard pass and catch bringing the Vikings closer at 21-15.
Truckee quarterback Marcus Bellon was hit in the backfield and fumbled the football where South Tahoe recovered the ball. Two plays later Galli found Cain again for a 21-yard touchdown tying the game.
With 1:04 to play in the first half Bellon threw to Zach Parisi to take a 28-21 lead.
South Tahoe responded when Galli hit an open McCallan Castles who caught the ball with one hand finishing a 72-yard touchdown pass. With the extra point, this tied the game 28-28.
South Tahoe struggled with their offense in the second half running just 15 plays in the half and couldn’t stop Truckee’s game winning drive as the third quarter was coming to a close. Truckee used 12 plays running the ball and used just under 9 minutes to score it.
With the win, Truckee will travel to the top seeded Fernley for a Thursday night game. Fernley had a bye last week.
Sparks at Fallon
Sparks was making its first appearance in the playoffs since 2008. That will have to do for this year because the Greenwave of Churchill County pounded the Railroaders 49-14 in Fallon.
Fallon will travel to Spring Creek this Thursday for a second round matchup with the defending northern champion.
