Defense makes life easy for Green Valley offense in victory over Silverado

By Paul Delos Santos

Friday, Nov. 1, 2013 | 12:20 a.m.

Most, if not all, of the questions surrounding Green Valley entering the season were focused on whether its defense could mature fast enough to take the Gators to the next level.

If Friday’s 28-6 victory over Silverado is any indication, the answer is yes.

The Gators forced five turnovers, giving its potent offense plenty of short fields to produce points.

“I think guys are figuring out where they need to be and do what they need to do,” Green Valley coach Brian Castro said. “We knew that our defense was going to be young coming into the year. … They’re more than capable of (playing well week in and week out).”

Quarterback Christian Lopez threw for 179 yards and a touchdown.

Brian Norman rushed for 79 yards with two touchdowns.

Kyler Chavez caught six passes for 88 yards with a touchdown. All-Sun selection Markus Varner caught two passes for 60 yards. Gio Hernandez had a quiet day, catching one pass for four yards.

But even without Hernandez having a big game, the offense did more than enough to come out with a victory.

“That’s one thing that is a luxury of the offense with the guys out there,” Castro said. “If someone is taken away or not having a good night, the others can help you be successful.”

The Sunrise playoffs are set to begin next week, and Green Valley (7-2, 5-0 Sunrise Northeast) picked up the top seed from the Northeast division.

Silverado (3-6, 2-3), meanwhile, draws Liberty in the first round.

Paul Delos Santos can be reached at 990-2416 or mail to [email protected]. Follow Paul on Twitter at twitter.com/pauliedelos.