By DAVE BELCHER
The Progress
It was just a couple of positive COVID tests that grounded the Moapa Valley High School varsity football team last week. Those results, largely without symptoms, kept the team at home for most of the week.
All but a handful of varsity players were quarantined for five days. Those who were vaccinated were not required to quarantine.
The team had been tested the week before on Wednesday, Aug. 18. With results not yet back, they travelled together on Friday, Aug. 20 for a game against Eldorado in Las Vegas. Then the test results were fully released on Monday morning indicating that two players had tested positive. This shut down all activities for the team, including practice.
Last week, on Wednesday, Aug. 25, the team was tested again at the Logandale Quick Care clinic. The varsity players returned to practice on Thursday afternoon. But it was too late for the varsity team to play Friday’s game scheduled against Cadence Pinecrest in Las Vegas. So the Pirates sent members of the Junior Varsity and Freshman B teams instead.
That game ended with the Pirates pounding the Cadence Cougars 46-6.
Cadence, a charter school, is playing its first season in the 3A. This is the first year that the school’s student body enrollment qualifies them to compete in the league.
It didn’t take long for the Pirates to put numbers on the scoreboard on Friday. Gunner Redd returned the opening kick-off to the Cadence 38 yard line. Then Tyson Redd carried the ball 30 more yards for the first Pirates touchdown. The point after attempt was a bad snap. But it still resulted in 2 points after the ball was recovered and ran into the endzone for a 8-0 Pirate lead.
Cadence was forced to punt after only three plays. The ensuing punt was returned to the 5 yardline setting up a short touchdown run by Ben Jolley. Another bad snap resulted in the ball being downed in the backfield and gave the Pirates a 14-0 lead.
Another Cadence punt resulted with the Pirates at the Cadence 40 yard line as the kick went out of bounds. Redd took the hand off and ran 40 yards for the third Pirate touchdown. The extra point try was kicked through the uprights for a 21-0 lead.
The JV and freshman played the rest of the game. The next touchdown was a 19 yard pass from Shandon Matheson to Gunner Redd for a 27-0 lead. And all that was just the first quarter.
Deegan Jones finished a short Pirate drive with a 5 yard run. Then the next series Tanner Hammons caught a touchdown for a 39-0 lead.
The final touchdown for the Pirates was scored in the second quarter when Mateo Bradshaw ran the final 14 yards giving the Pirates a 46-0 lead after the extra point.
Cadence finally scored with a run in the fourth quarter for the final 46-6.
The Pirates varsity squad will be back this week and seeking revenge as Boulder City rolls into town this Friday night for the first home game in two years.
