Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

high school football:

Stout defense drives Cheyenne to win over depleted Mojave

high school football media day 2015

Christopher DeVargas

Cheyenne High football players A.J. McConnico, Zavieh Harrell, George Carmona, and Ashton Lawson before the 2015 Season.

Silence filled the stadium as Mojave running back Elijah Smoot was carted off the field and into an ambulance with a serious injury to his left ankle.

It’s a scene no one wants to see at any sporting event, let alone a high school game.

And with starting quarterback Lamaja Cunningham already lost for the season with a broken right clavicle, Mojave’s chances of defeating Cheyenne left the field with Smoot.

The Rattlers were unable to overcome the injuries as they amassed only 97 yards of offense in a 28-0 loss to Cheyenne on Friday night.

The injury, which happened in the final minute of the first quarter with the score 7-0, caused a major delay in the game.

Players from both teams tried to stay warm during the downtime, while occasionally giving words of encouragement to Smoot.

“No one wants to see that happen to a kid, whether it’s your player or from the other team,” Cheyenne coach David Cochran said. “And it kind of stalls the game out a little bit.”

“Playing football you know it can happen to anybody,” said Cheyenne quarterback Anthony McConnico. “There was a time delay but we just stayed warm and as a team we came together and got through it.”

Smoot left the field to a standing ovation from both teams, as well as the sizeable homecoming crowd in attendance.

Unfortunately for Mojave, it would be the final time the crowd cheered.

The Rattlers’ offense was smothered by Cheyenne, and junior quarterback Kyle McMillan was overwhelmed by the Desert Shields' speedy secondary.

McMillan, who started for Mojave’s junior varsity team just last Thursday, was unable to complete a pass in his first varsity game, and threw one interception to Cheyenne’s Corwin Bush.

“Our defense flies around and follows their assignments,” Cochran said. “We coached them up to what we saw on film, and the guys adjusted to that and played well.”

The Desert Shields’ defense held Mojave to only 70 rushing yards on 30 carries for just over 2.2 yards per attempt.

“They are the backbone to our team,” McConnico said. “It’s great to know that if the offense isn’t clicking we have somebody to keep us in the game.”

Despite outgaining Mojave 423-97, Cheyenne struggled to pull away until late in the game.

With 10:16 left and the score still stalled at 7-0, McConnico finally broke the scoring drought with a 12-yard touchdown toss to senior fullback George Carmona.

That opened the floodgates, and Cheyenne would go on to score three touchdowns in the final 10 minutes, with two other scores called back due to holding penalties.

McConnico finished the night an efficient 15-of-21 for 145 yards and two touchdowns.

“He’s getting better,” Cochran said. “Anytime you put in a brand-new offensive scheme it takes time. Everyone wants it to work right away and that would be nice, but everyone is starting to come along.”

Junior receiver Bush, who had the interception on defense, caught five passes for 76 yards and a touchdown, but also had two touchdowns — that amounted to 100 yards — called back for penalties.

After opening the first half with mostly spread formations and McConnico in the shotgun, Cochran decided to play smash-mouth football in the second half.

“We still want to be known for being able to run the ball when we need to,” Cochran said. “That’s what we talked about, making those adjustments at halftime, to try to come out and pound the ball and grind the clock down.”

Senior running back David Walker carried the Desert Shields’ offense with 22 carries for 208 yards.

The win gives Cheyenne sole possession of second place in the Sunset Division and the inside track to a home playoff game in the first round.

“It’s a big win,” Cochran said. “We haven’t had a home playoff game since 2012, so it’s big to try to secure that. We still have two more games, of course, but to get home field — even if it’s only for the first round — it can’t get better than that.”

Cheyenne finishes up the season by hosting winless Western next week, before traveling to Clark for the season finale.

Jesse Granger can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Jesse on Twitter at twitter.com/JesseGranger_.

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