Pirates Win Home Opener

By DAVE BELCHER

Moapa Valley Progress

It was as if two different teams were playing for the Pirates on Friday night, as the Moapa Valley High School Football team used a second half to pound Democracy Prep 41-6 in Moapa Valley’s home opener.

The Blue Knights were the fifth ranked team by Nevada preps.com in the southern 3A. Democracy Prep was moved up from the 2A last year. After stunning Coronado last week, they came to Moapa Valley riding a lot of momentum. That confidence was shown on the first play as they threw a deep ball down the visitor sideline where it was intercepted.

Moapa Valley moved the ball to the Knights 10-yardline when a bad snap was fumbled and was recovered by the Knights.

The Pirates struggled on offense through the first half, not scoring at all from the offensive side. The second series for the Pirates ended after a 17-yard pass attempt was intercepted by the Knights on a ball thrown short to Derek Reese on a fade.

The Knights started the second quarter with the ball where quarterback Micah Gayman threw a flat pass to the right side. Reese read the play perfectly, stepping in front of the pass and returned it 24-yards for a pick six. Leo Rios kicked up the extra point giving the Pirates a 7-0 lead.

Moapa Valley fumbled on their next series setting up a Vanell Meeks 35-yard run around the right end for a touchdown. The extra point missed sending the Pirates in at halftime with a narrow 7-6 lead.
“We couldn’t get out of our own way,” said Pirate head coach Brent Lewis. “We made a couple of adjustments; one of which we saw the defensive end lining up inside our tight end.”

In the second half, the Pirates seemed like a whole new team. Moapa made some down blocks giving Braeden St John and Trysten Lehman room to run. St John scored from 10-yards out. That was followed by a couple of touchdowns by Lehman: a 21-yarder in the third quarter and a 6-yarder midway through the fourth. Will Uri finished off a drive with a 1-yard plunge at 2:45 to play. On the ensueing kickoff the Knights fumbled the ball just outside of the endzone where Coby Longman recovered it in the endzone for the final touchdown of the evening.

Moapa Valley finished with 317-yards of total offense: 249 on the ground and 68-yards passing.
Kashten Frei started at quarterback this week finishing the first half with three completions on seven attempts. He threw two interceptions in the first half.

Luke Bennet started the second half completing three passes for 36 yards and throwing a pick.
St John ran the ball 15 times for 108-yards total with a touchdown. Lehman scored twice having carried the ball 12 times for 95 yards. Hayden Redd carried the ball 8 times for 33 yards while Uri finished with 8-yards on 2 carries and a touchdown.

Democracy Prep finished with just 98-yards of total offense.Twenty-nine times they ran the ball. They totaled just 59-yards.
Gayman finished with four pass completions for 39 yards.
Ramon Green had 29-yards rushing with Chuck Holiday and Meeks running for 13-yards apiece. Meeks scored the team’s loan touchdown.

The Knights were a good-sized team who could lay a hit. They were hot-headed, as evident in the fourth quarter when they were called for two personal fouls: a hold and offsides after reaching the Pirates 20. They ended with a third down and 55 on that series.

Moapa Valley will host Valley High School this Friday night. Valley created controversy when they convinced the NIAA to move them down from the 4A last spring.

Valley comes into the game at 0-2 having lost to Bonanza 21-0 then to Desert Oasis 40-26.
In that last game, Desert Oasis ran for 299-yards scoring six touchdowns on the ground. They finished with 323 total yards of offense.

Valley passed for 261-yards and finished with 291-yards of total offense. Isaiah Ramirez started the game with a 95-yard kick-off return for a touchdown while Keenan McNair scored twice including a 59-yard pass reception.

Come support the Pirates this Friday night.