Special to the Sun
The football teams at Bonanza and Spring Valley highs play each fall in the “Banner Game.”
Friday, Aug. 28, 2015 | 11:59 p.m.
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Kickoff time
Las Vegas Sun sports reporters Ray Brewer and Case Keefer spend some extra time on the three biggest games of the week — Arbor View at Desert Pines, Chandler (Arizona) at Bishop Gorman and Liberty at Saint Louis (Hawaii) — before getting to their full picks. They also discuss the hypothetical first pick of a high school football fantasy draft.
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On the road and pinned deep in their own territory with the score tied 28-28, the Spring Valley Grizzlies took a gamble.
“We kept shooting ourselves in the foot with penalties and we were backed up, so we decided to take a shot,” coach Marcus Teal said.
Senior wide receiver Antony Vazquez ran a hitch-and-go route, leaving his defender helplessly behind, and quarterback K.C. Moore found him for a 73-yard touchdown pass that clinched the game for the Grizzlies.
The touchdown capped a second half in which Spring Valley outscored Bonanza 22-6, completing the come-from-behind victory at Bonanza Friday night.
The 36-28 win gave the Grizzlies “the Banner” for the second straight year after they beat Bonanza 41-0 last season.
“This was a tough one,” Teal said. “Bonanza they gave us a fight. They had a great game plan in place and they got after it.”
After trailing 22-14 at the half, Spring Valley switched things up.
“Being down one score, with the way that things were going in the first half, we knew the comeback was possible,” Teal said. “We talked to the kids at the half, and I just told them that we were playing (Bonanza’s) style of ball in the first half.”
Spring Valley was expected to handle Bonanza fairly easily, but rivalry games often bring out the best in the underdogs. Teal said that no matter how close the game ended up, he is just glad to leave Bonanza with the win.
“We really take pride in it,” Teal said. “It’s not the Cleat or the Bone, or any of the more prestigious rivalry trophies, but the Banner means a lot to both of our teams, and we gave our fans a great show and I think that they enjoyed it. Tonight everybody got their money’s worth.”
Jesse Granger can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Jesse on Twitter at twitter.com/JesseGranger_.
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