Sloan Canyon's defense set the tone immediately, stopping SLAM! Nevada on fourth-and-1 on the game's opening possession. Freshman Elijah Tuilaepa stuffed Anthony Edwards for a 2-yard loss, sparking a dominant performance that limited the Bulls to 67 total yards of offense. "They had a great week of preparation that took it one day at a time," Pirates coach Nate Oishi said. "We talk about if they score on us, they’re scoring on our 11, and they were swarming tonight."
The Pirates (8-2) built a 35-0 halftime lead to trigger a running clock. Quarterbacks Cade Hoshino and Derek Backman each threw two touchdown passes, while three different receivers found the end zone. Hoshino completed 5 of 8 passes for 118 yards, and Backman went 6 of 9 for 120 yards. Running back Jermaine Wilson added a rushing touchdown, and Coen MaKinney returned a punt 55 yards for a score.
SLAM! Nevada (4-6) avoided a shutout only after a 54-yard kickoff return set up a short field for their lone touchdown. Edwards led the Bulls with 45 rushing yards and a score on 12 carries.
Sloan Canyon advances to face Mater East (8-3) for the region title on Nov. 13. The Knights defeated the Pirates 27-19 on Sept. 17 but forfeited the victory due to what they called an "administrative oversight" error with the team’s game roster.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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