By DAVE BELCHER
Moapa Valley Progress
The Moapa Valley High School Football team hosted Cheyenne High School on Friday night, September 14, and came away with a huge 21-6 win over the previously unbeaten Desert Shields.
Cheyenne got the first break of the game when, on the first series, they were forced to punt deep into Pirate territory on a 4th and 8 from the 13-yardline. The snap seemed to hit the ground and was bobbled by the punter. But finally getting his hands on the ball, the punter ran twenty yards for a first down.
Ten plays later Cheyenne was forced to punt against their own 39-yardline. That went about twelve yards giving the Pirates a first and ten from the Cheyenne 23 yard line.
The Desert Shields scored on their next drive when Majae Madison run into the endzone from 5-yards away for the only Cheyenne touchdown with seven seconds remaining in the first quarter. The extra point was blocked for a 0-6 Cheyenne lead.
The Pirates would finished the first half with an eleven play drive of their own for a touchdown. Braeden St John finished it with a 1-yard run with 13 seconds remaining in the half and with Leo Rios’ extra point gave the Pirates a lead they would not give up.
St John scored again, his second of the night, with a 3-yard run up the middle. With another Rios extra point the Pirates now had a 14-6 lead.
That drive had been setup by Hayden Redd’s 42 yard run on the first play of the second half. Redd finished the game with 10 carries for 135-yards. He also had 3 sacks on defense.
It would be midway through the fourth quarter when Moapa Valley scored their final touchdown. Cheyenne was in punt formation when the snap bounced to the punter. He fell on the ball at the Pirate 8-yardline.
On the first play after that, St John ran up the middle for the touchdown. With Rios’ extra point the Pirates finished with a 21-6 win.
Moapa Valley had 308 yards of total offense: 283 were from running the ball. St John finished with 15 carries for 73-yards and 3 touchdown while Tristan Lehman had 11 carries for 61-yards.
The defense played a great game allowing Cheyenne just 148-yards of total offense, 86-yards rushing and 62-yards passing. Pirate defender, Jessup Lake finished with 2 sacks, giving the Pirates a 5 sack game.
Cheyenne quarterback Joshua Rose was 6-18 passing.
The Pirates will host Rancho this week in the first league game of the season.
