Green Valley avenged its only loss of the season by defeating host Basic 27-16 on Friday night to claim the first Division II Superintendent's Cup. The Gators won despite losing senior quarterback Michael Lewis to an apparent shoulder injury in the first quarter.
Running back Sonny Uranich carried the offense, rushing for 152 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, with most of his production coming in the second half. Junior quarterback Brady Theel replaced Lewis and completed 6 of 14 passes for a touchdown and an interception, connecting twice with sophomore tight end Nainoa Roston for scores.
The game was scoreless after one quarter before Basic took a 3-0 lead on a 28-yard field goal by Loudon Cahill. Green Valley answered with a fourth-down touchdown pass from Theel to Roston for a 7-3 halftime edge, preserved when the Gators stopped Cahill at the 1-yard line on a fake field goal attempt as time expired.
Basic briefly reclaimed the lead, 10-7, on a Cahill touchdown catch in the third quarter. Green Valley responded with a long drive capped by another Theel-to-Roston touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter, and Uranich added a late score to seal the victory.
"It feels great. It feels unreal, you know," Uranich said. "We wish we could play bigger teams, but we only could play who we got in front of us, and we beat everyone around us. You know, we're No. 1 around here." Coach Brandon Harton praised his team's 'next man up' mentality and the history of winning the inaugural cup.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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