VVHS flag football shuts out Mojave

The Virgin Valley girls flag football team headed into the holiday break after blanking Mojave of North Las Vegas, 20-0, in a non-league contest at Evan Wilson Stadium on Friday, Dec. 19, in Mesquite.

The win improves the Lady Bulldogs to 5-3 overall, with all three losses coming to teams ranked in the top six of the large-school 5A division. Virgin Valley, which won the last four 3A state championships, is now competing in 4A as the NIAA eliminated the 3A division for flag football.

Besides playing up a division, Virgin Valley is adjusting, as are all teams, to the new NFHS rules governing flag football nationwide.

The biggest rule change is the elimination of all blocking, which has virtually done away with the running game. Also, the rush line for defenses has been moved up to just one yard off the line of scrimmage.

Against Mojave on Friday, the Lady Bulldogs scored on their first possession after stopping the Rattlers on their opening drive. Senior quarterback Davie Slack used a series of quick passes to move Virgin Valley into scoring position. On fourth-and-goal, Slack ran the final three yards for a touchdown to put the Lady Bulldogs up 6-0.

Slack, who completed 17-of-30 passes on the night for 160 yards, tossed a 1-yard TD pass to senior Julitsa Silveyra with 26 seconds remaining before halftime to put Virgin Valley up 12-0 at the half. Silveyra had five catches on the night for 21 yards.

The Lady Bulldogs increased their advantage to 18-0 at the 7:54 mark of the third quarter on Slack’s second rushing score of the night from four yards out.

Virgin Valley closed out the scoring with 8:39 to play when senior defender Jaquelin Vasquez sacked Mojave’s quarterback in the end zone for a safety. It was one of four sacks on the night by the defense, with sophomore Mia Bancalari getting two and Slack getting one.

Senior Linita Kioa had five receptions for 65 yards and rushed for 38 yards on six carries on offense while intercepting two passes on defense for Virgin Valley. Senior Denise Silveyra also had an interception.

Freshman Brinley Cunningham led the defense with five tackles and also caught four passes for 42 yards, while senior Yuli Marquez and Slack had four tackles apiece.

Virgin Valley will go almost three weeks before playing again on January 13, 2026, at Boulder City and then will host Valley of Las Vegas in the league opener the following night.

The Lady Bulldogs are one of 36 teams in 4A that are split into four leagues. They will compete in the nine-team Lakes Division and will play each team once in league play.

Earlier in the month, Virgin Valley earned a home win over Moapa Valley, 27-6. The team next travels to Boulder City on Jan. 13.