Season Recap For Pirate Youth Football

By NICK YAMASHITA

Moapa Valley Progress

The Moapa Valley Youth Football program ended the season on a high point this year. All teams made the playoffs and placed in the top 3, with the Pirates 8th grade team winning the championship.
For the first time the local teams participated in the Red Rock Youth Football Conference which comprises of teams in Southern Utah.

Starting with the 3rd/4th grade Pirates team, the season started off rough as they lost their first game to Snow Canyon Warriors 6-0. But they bounced back ending the season with a record of 4 wins and 2 losses in regular season play.

The 3rd/4th Pirates went into the playoffs as the number 2 seed where they beat out the Dixie Flyers 19-0 in the semi-finals, securing a spot in the Championship.

In that final round, the Pirates faced the 4th seed Snow Canyon Warriors. But the Pirates dropped the championship by a score of 12-0. However, the Pirates placed 2nd.

The 5th grade Pirates finished their regular season with a record of 4 wins and 2 losses. They went into the playoffs as a number 2 seed and faced the Flyers from Dixie, winning that game with a score of 22-20.

Then they faced off against the tough Hurricane Tigers. Though the Pirates played hard, they fell short and lost the championship to the Tigers, 24-8. The 5th Pirates also claimed 2nd for the season.

The 6th Grade Pirates had a hard regular season road to the playoffs. In the playoffs they were seeded 4th and went up against the dynamite team of the Mustangs who 16-0 and then won a close championship against the Flyers 3-0. The Pirates ended their season tied for 3rd with the Snow Canyon Warriors.

The 7th Grade Pirates ended the regular season at a 3-3 record, placing them at 3rd place in the standings. For the semifinals of the playoffs they would face the 2nd seed Mustangs and would lose 20-6. The Mustangs went on to win the championship by beating out the favored Warriors 18-12, ending the Pirates season tied for 3rd place.

The 8th Grade Pirates had the best season of all of the youth teams. They went into the playoffs as the number one seed and favorite to win with 5 wins and 1 loss record. In the playoffs as they beat out the 4th seed Flyers 30-7 and then claimed victory over Hurricane 8-6, who beat the 3rd seed 8-7. The 8th Pirates were named Champions of the Red Rock League for the 8th Grade Division and completed a near perfect season.

The local football program thanks all parents and locals who volunteered and helped throughout the season as well as those who filled in ranks as coaches, including Coach Bellavance, Coach Stankowsky, Amy Johnson, and more.

The league also expressed a big thank you to Coach and District President Dennis Whitmore who did an unbelievable job running the big show for Moapa Valley.