Pirates Hammer Virgin Valley, 35-0

By DAVE BELCHER

Moapa Valley Progress

The Moapa Valley High School Football team invaded Mesquite on Friday, waging war upon the rival Virgin Valley team and coming home with the “Hammer”.

The Pirates crushed the Bulldogs 35-0 bringing an end to the the Virgin Valley season. The Bulldog finished with an impressive 7-3 record overall. Their three losses where league losses, though. Their only league win was against Rancho.

Moapa Valley came into the game mentally and physically ready from their very first series of the game.
Virgin Valley started the game with an onside kick trying to catch Moapa unprepared. It did not work! The Pirates were ready for it and recovered the kick to start the first series.

That first series saw a procedure penalty, then a couple of dropped balls forcing the Pirates to punt. The punt was downed inside the Bulldog five-yard line.

Four plays later the Bulldogs were still at the five where they punted from the back of their endzone. Up the middle came three Pirates who had gotten past the Bulldog offensive line. That rush up the middle forced the shortest punt ever as it was shanked travelling a minus two yards. Josh Cox who was in coverage at the left end caught the ball and return it three yards for the touchdown.

That three yard touchdown return must have been the shortest punt return for a touchdown in Moapa Valley history. The Pirates had a 7-0 lead.
That was the beginning of a bad night for Virgin Valley!

The Bulldogs couldn’t get anything going on offense. They repeatedly had to start deep in the their territory receiving Pirate kicks. Six kick offs and a couple of punts. then trying flat passes and runs up the middle over and over again.

The Bulldog offensive line couldn’t move Moapa Valley all night. It was Moapa Valley’s defensive line that was taking care of business.
Hayden Redd scored next for the Pirates with a 6-yard run up the middle running untouched. The Pirates held a 14-0 lead.

Moapa Valley using their two minute drill moved the ball down the field reaching the Bulldog 26-yardline. From there quarterback Luke Bennet found Cox in the endzone having thrown the ball to where Cox was the only one able to catch it on the back shoulder. Cox went high in the air caught the ball then fell out of bounds. But his right foot touched down inside the end zone touching first. The back judge could not see the sideline. The sideline judge saw the completion and over-turned the back judge after a long discussion.

Rios kicked the extra point for a 21-0 Pirate lead at half time.
It was midway through the third quarter that Derek Reese would catch his touchdown: a 26-yarder from Bennett. Rios gave the Pirates a 28-0 lead.

The Moapa Valley defense was awesome Friday night. Led by Jessup Lake who had 10 tackles for the game. Lake was often double-teamed freeing up a linebacker to make a tackle. Hayden Redd had a couple of sacks as both defensive ends put pressure on the back field all night.

This was the Pirates third shutout of the season. The Pirates have only allowed only 13 points in their league games this year. They have allowed just 94 points all season. Thirty-four of those were to Green Valley in the first game of the season.

The Pirates would score their final touchdown when Redd broke a 55-yard run to the end zone with 8:50 to play in the game. With the 35 point lead the game ended with a running clock.
Bennett finished with 155 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception. Redd finished with 132 yards and two touchdowns. He ran hard often carrying Bulldogs on his back.

Josh Cox finished with two touchdowns. Reese had four receptions for 39-yards and a touchdown.
Virgin Valley did not report any individual stats for this game. Wyatt Delano the Bulldogs leading rusher on the season was shut down with just 34-yards rushing in the game.

The Pirates will now await the winner of Cheyenne and Sunrise Mountain this Thursday night. The Pirates have beaten both teams already this year. The Pirates will take on the winner on November 2 at home.

Pahrump will get the winner of Boulder City and Del Sol. The Dragons beat Valley last week to eliminate the Vikings from a chance at the playoffs.

In the north, Churchill County (Fallon) is undefeated and will host the winner of Fernley the 4th seed and Spring Creek the 5th seed. Truckee is waiting for the winner of Elko the 3rd seed and Lowry the 6th seed.