Jesse Jones scored two touchdowns in Pahranagat Valley’s 40-6 win at Carlin. He scored on runs of 40 and 25 yards. The Panthers have the week off and play at Spring Mountain, Oct. 19.
At Carlin last week, Jesse Jones had a pair of touchdown runs to lead the Panthers to a 40-6 win over the home team Railroaders.
Jones scored on runs of 25 and 40 yards in the first half to help the Panthers to a 40-0 halftime lead.
A three-touchdown onslaught in the second quarter helped cement things for Pahranagat
Midway through the first quarter, Stockton Maxwell took a 20-yard TD pass from Preston Higbee for the Panthers first score.Then, near the close of the period, Jones got loose on a 25-yard scoring run.
Higbee added a five-yard TD run at 8:36 of the second period. Less than a minute later, Jones ripped off his 40-yard touchdown, and three minutes after that, Higbee had his second touchdown pass of the game, a 15-yard scoring strike to Paul Lewis with 4:58 to go before halftime.
Carlin (4-3) got their only score at 4:27 in the fourth quarter on a 15-yard pass from Toby Pinell to Josh Urie.
Offensive coordinator Brian Higbee said the Pahranagat boys “came off the bus ready to play even though we had the long trip. We executed very well offensively and defensively. We got going early and put several drives together that were pretty impressive. Carlin was pretty physical, too, with some big boys, and it’s a credit to our guys in the trenches for holding them to only one score and to be able to move the football like we did. We were able to run effectively and then throw it. When you can do that, it makes it tough on a defense to zero in on something specific.”
This week, Pahranagat Valley (5-0, 3-0) has the week off which will be preparation time for the game against league co-leader Spring Mountain Oct.19 at their field, the highest elevation of a high school field in the nation, 8,600 feet. Clouds have been known to blanket the field at times.
The question to ask about Spring Mountain is whether they are a one-dimensional team behind quarterback Da’Juan Brown.
As of Oct. 9, Brown has 448 yards passing, six touchdowns, and two interceptions. He is also the team’s leading rusher with 355 yards on 31 carries and nine touchdowns.
Teammate Chris Mosely has 225 yards on 30 carries and eight touchdowns.
Spring Mountain hosts Beatty this Friday.
The Eagles (4-1, 2-0) are averaging 64.4 ppg, while giving up only 9.6 ppg, and have shutout their last four opponents.
Coach Aaron Masden said, “The 2018 version of the Golden Eagles football will bring an improved team speed and physicality across the board in all phases.”
He noted, “Despite having to rebuild each year with an entirely new group of players, we look to lean upon recent tradition and a large group of upperclassmen focused on hard work and competition.”
In comparison, Higbee for PVHS has 482 yards passing, 10 touchdowns, and no interceptions. Reece Thornton is the leading rusher with 405 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Panthers are averaging 53.2 ppg, while giving up 5.6 ppg. So, it appears the game will be a real battle of offense and defense.
Another team to watch is Central League leader Tonopah.
The Muckers (7-0) have been having their way in the Central League this season and even had a nice non-league win on the road against Virginia City, who has been the top team in the 1A North three of the past four years.
At present, quarterback Dillan Otteson has 1,888 yards passing (117-of-179) and 28 touchdowns. He also has 358 yards rushing and nine touchdowns.
The Muckers have a good stable of running backs to complement Otteson. Koby Bunker has 791 yards and nine touchdowns. Brandon Scobee has 575 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The way the NIAA playoff schedule is set for this year, the No. 1 from the Central League will host the No. 2 from the Southern League, and the No. 1 Southern League will host the No. 2 Central League.
Thus, it appears that if all things remain the same, either Pahranagat Valley or Spring Mountain are going to have to start the playoffs at Tonopah, Nov. 2.
