By DAVE BELCHER
Moapa Valley Progress
Effects of Realignment
With the start of the new sports season in high school athletics, many changes have taken place. There are new members in the Southern 3A. Also there are schools, once belonging to the 3A, that now belong to the 4A after Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) realignment last spring.
Gone is Desert Pines the football state champions of the past two seasons. Also advanced to the 4A are Mojave, the last year state football runner-up; and Chaparral as well.
Joining the 3A will be Rancho who will join the Sunrise division. Valley High School is also a late addition to join the Sunset division. Democracy Prep moved up from the 2A.
With all the additions and subtractions there are eleven schools in the fall football southern 3A.
In the north, the 3A lost Wooster who moved up to the 4A. But Wooster was replaced by North Valleys to keep the number of schools at ten schools in the northern 3A.
Southern 3A-Sunrise
Boulder City Eagles
Last year the Eagles decided to play an independent schedule to help build their program which was lacking in players. They have lost 14 of their 27 players from last year. Hoping to help boost their program is a new football stadium with artificial turf.
The Eagles finished last season with a record of 3-6. They suffered a 16-0 loss to MVHS. Virgin Valley also beat the Eagles 36-12. Pahrump beat the Eagles 30-14. They did beat Western at 29-13.
The Eagles will return their quarterback Shaun Jones who threw for 557 yards, four touchdowns and seven interceptions.
They will also return the leading rusher, Thorston Balmer who carried the ball 116 for 836 yards and ten touchdowns. Jimmy Dunagan will also return with 43 carries for 203 yards with a touchdown.
The Eagles will start this season next week by hosting Cheyenne.
Rancho Rams
The Rams have won just three football games since the 2011 season for a 3-51 record during that time. They last won a state championship in football back in 1988 one of four state titles in their history.
Rancho was mainly a running team last year as 862 yards of their total 1099 yards came on the ground.
Rancho travels to Las Vegas High School this week for their first game of the season in the second biggest rivalry in the state. It is called the “Bone Game” which Rancho hasn’t won in a decade.
Sunrise Mountain Miners
The Miners return to the Sunrise Division this year after a couple of years in the Sunset.
Last year the Miners beat Moapa 30-28 for the first time in history. The loss came in the first round of the playoffs in Moapa Valley. It was the first time since the new school in Moapa Valley was built that the Pirates have lost a home playoff game.
The Miners were 6-5 overall including a loss to the Pirates in the opening game of the season in Moapa Valley 13-12.
Chris Sawyers who was the Miners’ head coached moved to Cedar City, Utah to take over at Canyon View High School.
Returning this year is quarterback Tyree Hayes, a senior, with 1591 yards passing, 15 touchdowns and just five interceptions last year. He figures to help carry his team into a deep run in the post season.
Xavier Kyles also returns after leading the team in receiving last year with 40 catches for 540 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Desert Pines beat the Miners in the second round of the playoffs 48-0. They lost to Virgin Valley 30-27 in the regular season.
Virgin Valley Bulldogs
The Bulldogs have had two years to win a state championship that has eluded them since 2006. They have had their best two teams since then and couldn’t get past the second round in the playoffs.
The Dawgs finished last season with a 7-4 record overall and a 2-1 league finish. They won the 1# seed due to tie breakers with Moapa.
The Bulldogs have lost 17 players to graduation of 27 from last years roster. The big loss came with the Nevada male athlete of the year: Jaden Perkins. Quarterback Cade Anderson also graduated.
The Dawgs have very little experience returned this year. Lineman Tauaimalo Fiso returns as a junior to lead the offensive and defensive lines. But that’s about it.
Yori Ludvigson resigned as the head coach of the Dawgs to take over as athletic director. Then he hired Matt Woods as head coach to replace him.
Last year the Bulldogs hosted the Mojave Rattlers twice. The first time Mojave beat the Dawgs 26-0 in the Dawg Pound. They crushed the Bulldogs in the second round of the playoffs, again in the Dawg Pound 46-20. This ended any thoughts of a state title for the Bulldogs.
Virgin Valley beat Pahrump Valley in the first round of the playoffs 43-34 in Mesquite to advance to the second-round game.
For the second year in a row the Dawgs beat Moapa Valley and still has possession of the Hammer, the trophy for the winner of the regular season game in the state’s best rivalry.
This year the hammer game will be played in Virgin Valley on the final regular season game of the year. That is scheduled for October 19.
Southern 3A-Sunset
Cheyenne Desert Shields
The Desert Shields have struggled over recent years. Last year they finished the season with a 2-6 record overall and 1-4 in league play.
Quarterback Josua Rose returns having thrown for 958 yards with 5 touchdowns and 7 interceptions last year. He was 67 of 125 passing.
Rayvion Brown was second in receiving for Cheyenne last year with 20 receptions for 267 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was a sophomore and will return this year.
Cheyenne’s lone league win came against Western; a 40-0 shutout. They played Desert Pine tough though as they lost 29-0 against their rival. They did not qualify for the playoffs.
Del Sol Dragons
The Dragons finished last season with a 2-8 record overall and 0-3 in league play.
Del Sol receiver Markell Turner returns this year having caught 25 passes for 372 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Maalik Flowers returns as well. He will be a junior.
Moapa Valley beat Del Sol 34-26 last year while Virgin Valley beat them 52-38. Del Sol was beaten by Desert Pines in the first round 54-12.
Democracy Prep Blue Knights
The Blue Knights are the first team the Pirates will face at home this year in the second week of the season. This team is kind of a mystery as they were in the 2A last year. They finished with a 4-5 overall record and 4-3 in league play.
In their first game last year they played Yerington who has dominated the 2A league in recent years. They lost 6-0.
They pounded the next two teams by scoring 110 points and only allowing a touchdown.
They then played Needles, another 2A power, and lost 6-0 again.
They then beat the Meadow 40-0 and Laughlin 42-0.
Then all of a sudden, they lost the final three games without scoring a point including the final game of the season 42-0 at Needles.
The Blue Knights lost only one player from last year to graduation. They return Micah Gayman at quarterback who was 50-106 passing for 752 yards scoring 11 touchdowns and throwing just 3 interceptions.
They had three runners who carried the ball almost equally.Kemari Cooper carried the ball 33 times for 283 yards. Vanell Meeks carried the ball 31 times for 294 yards. Ramon Green carried the ball 29 times for 276 yards. Meeks and Cooper each scored three touchdowns.
Kelly Jones caught 20 passes for 319 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Democracy Prep was known as Agassi Prep until last year when their name was changed.
Pahrump Valley Trojans
Last year the Trojans were the fourth division seed and were the only team from the Sunset who didn’t win a first-round playoff game. They lost a close one to Virgin Valley in Mesquite 43-34.
They played their best ball at the end of the season taking Mojave, the state runner-up, to the wire losing 44-34.
The Trojans reported just 912 yards of total offense for the year; 785 of that came on the ground while 127 yards came from passing.
Its going to be a battle in the sunset for the league title. However, the Sunset will be the weaker league with the lack of experience all the teams have this year.
Valley Vikings
Valley caused a lot of commotion in May after the NIAA realignment was set. When the proposed 5A league didn’t get off the ground, Valley claimed late that they hadn’t known there would be no 5A. The school then made a last minute petition to move to the 3A, rather than be faced with the much tougher 4A. After students, coaches and administration presented their sides the board created havoc by adding Valley to the 3A league upsetting the schedule and adding an eleventh school without the consent of any member of the league.
Last year the Vikings finished the 4A season with a 4-6 record overall and a 2-2 league record.
Valley is a passing team having thrown for 1541 yards and 22 touchdowns. But most of last year’s team graduated last year. The Vikings graduated 27 and will return only 11 from last year.
The Vikings leading rusher is returning with his 545 yards on 103 yards rushing scoring 3 touchdowns.
Valley beat Boulder City last year 33-32 and were beaten by Green Valley in the first round of the playoffs 53-25.
Western Warriors
The Warriors won just one game last year. It was the first game of the year against Rancho, 20-0. They finished last year with 1091 total yards of offense 654 yards passing.
But the Warrior quarterback Jason Medley graduated; as well as Rayvion Reed who was the leading rusher,
