Green Valley football rallies to win Henderson Bowl over Basic

Green Valley players observe aft Green Valley defeated Basic successful the yearly Henderson Bowl astatine Basic High School successful Henderson Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. Green Valley backmost Michael Lewis (15) is astatine right. Photo by Steve Marcus

The Henderson Bowl prep shot rivalry betwixt Basic and Green Valley was decided Friday nighttime connected a tract extremity effort — for the 2nd consecutive season.

Last year, Green Valley’s rushed effort missed. This year, Basic’s 51-yard effort had the region — but sailed wide left.

The endings reaffirm what galore person agelong felt astir the rivalry betwixt Henderson’s oldest schools: It’s the champion successful Nevada.

The Green Valley Gators’ thrilling 25-24 triumph volition spell down arsenic 1 of the champion games successful the bid — and lone due to the fact that of the ending.

The Gators trailed 18-0 astatine halftime and struggled to lucifer Basic’s intensity.

“I apologized to the squad astatine halftime due to the fact that I didn’t bash a precise bully occupation of getting them acceptable to play,” manager Bill Powell said of his halftime speech. “Our violative coordinator — Max Johnson — stepped successful and said, ‘you cognize what, shot is simply a crippled of 4 quarters.’”

The travel of the crippled changed little than 2 minutes into the 2nd fractional erstwhile antiaircraft backmost Elyjah Cobwell stepped successful beforehand of a walk and returned it astir 30 yards for a touchdown.

Just similar that, Green Valley had the momentum.

“We talked astir getting 1 play to get america backmost successful the game, due to the fact that to our recognition today, I thought we played large defence successful the 2nd half,” Powell said.

The Gators would people 19 unanswered points — including touchdown receptions from Trey Glasper and Evans Williams — to instrumentality a 1 constituent pb successful the 4th quarter. 

Basic’s discourtesy had been held successful cheque the full 2nd fractional and the consciousness was the Wolf Pack wouldn’t beryllium capable to determination the ball. But this, aft all, is Henderson Bowl.

Basic pieced unneurotic a beauteous scoring drive, wherever Elijah Jones galloped implicit a defender for a 20-yard touchdown tally for a 24-19 pb with 1:35 play. The momentum was backmost for big Basic — finally.

Then, the Oregon State perpetrate Glasper took implicit successful a crippled that’s adjacent and beloved to his family. Dad, Jamar, is 1 of the Gators’ champion all-time players, starring the complaint successful the precocious 1990s erstwhile Green Valley dominated the series.

Trey Glasper caught a 15-yard touchdown walk from Michael Lewis for the winning points with 49 seconds remaining. Lewis had much than 200 passing yards and 2 touchdowns.

“Being capable to people that winning touchdown is truly a blessing,” Glasper said. “I’m conscionable grateful that I’m capable to travel retired present with my brothers and bring the Henderson Bowl backmost to Green Valley.”

Glasper was billed arsenic the champion subordinate connected the tract and didn’t disappoint with 7 catches for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns. 

“Trey Glasper is the man, truthful you know, we made definite to get him the ball,” Powell said.

This Henderson Bowl volition spell down arsenic legendary, conscionable similar the interaction of begetter and lad successful rivalry that seems to ne'er disappoint. Trey Glasper was 1 of the archetypal Green Valley players to drawback the game’s trophy, hoisting it up to teammates successful a chaotic celebration.

It’s the benignant of postgame amusive immoderate of the players person waited their full careers to beryllium included successful — and thing the Gators surely cherished.

“I wanted to wage tribute to this rivalry and respect it,” said Powell, a seasoned manager from California who is successful his archetypal twelvemonth helming the Green Valley program. “We person 29 seniors. This night’s for them. They were fortunate capable to triumph a playoff crippled past year, but this feeling is truthful different. I’m really, truly blessed for the kids to beryllium portion of (tonight).”