Littlefield, Swenson help Las Vegas High oust Foothill

By Tristan Aird

Friday, Nov. 7, 2014 | 11:53 p.m.

Jacob Littlefield and Trevor Swenson give the Las Vegas High football team a pair of leaders.

So it was no surprise tonight when the senior pillars of the program spearheaded a monumental win for the Wildcats.

Littlefield rushed for two touchdowns, Swenson fired two TD passes, and Las Vegas rallied from a three-point halftime deficit for a 28-23 road win over Foothill to open the Division I Sunrise Region playoffs.

“We’re excited,” Las Vegas coach James Thurman said. “Foothill’s always a scrappy team, and their kids played hard. Our kids responded. The kids came back and competed.”

Foothill used a Cory Fisher field goal to take a 17-14 lead shortly before halftime, but Las Vegas responded in the second half with a touchdown run by Littlefield and Swenson’s TD strike to Sam Blackburn before holding on for the win.

Swenson also had a TD pass to Kode Mwirigi.

“He’s definitely a team leader for us,” Thurman said of Swenson. “He’s been our starter for three years. We ask him to do a lot of stuff, and he takes care of it for us. We’re real proud of him.”

Littlefield added a touchdown run in the first half. The senior is also a decorated linebacker and has drawn recent recruiting interest from Air Force, Thurman said.

“He’s a phenomenal kid, a great person, a great football player,” Thurman said. “He’s the ultimate competitor. He’s pretty special. It’s an all-heart deal with him. He’s not going to come off the field; he wants the football and makes plays.”

Las Vegas (6-4) advanced to host Basic (5-5) in a Sunrise Region semifinal next week.

“I’m just real proud of the way the kids competed,” Thurman said. “We had a few turnovers in the first half; the kids came together and worked through it. It’s kind of the stuff you preach all year — you’ve got to battle. The kids did that tonight.”

Foothill, which surged to the No. 2 seed in the Southeast with a 3-1 league mark, finished 5-5 overall.

Tristan Aird can be reached at 702-259-8829 or [email protected]. Follow Tristan on Twitter at twitter.com/tristanaird.