Members of the Mojave High football team pose for a photo at the Las Vegas Sun’s high school football media day July 20, 2016 at the South Point. They include, from left, Taiwan Braden III, Blake Fitzgerald, and Khalid Walker.
Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016 | 3:49 p.m.
Prep Sports Now
Football: There is no close second
Las Vegas Sun sports editors Ray Brewer and Case Keefer ring in the start of football season by discussing some of the valley's top storylines and teams, like Bishop Gorman, Liberty, Arbor View and Desert Pines.
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The Mojave High football team’s trainers saw too much work last season.
After a 3-1 start, the Rattlers lost playmaker after playmaker to injury, from quarterback Lamaja Cunningham to running back Elijah Smoot.
While the injuries may have derailed last season, they catapulted younger players onto the field and gave them experience that should help Mojave this year.
Most notably running back Khalid Walker, who stepped into the starting lineup and provided firepower to the Rattlers backfield.
Walker ran for 385 yards and two touchdowns in limited action, and averaged 5.6 yards per carry as a junior.
“The main thing is working as a team and if everyone does their job and everyone stays discipline we will be good,” Walker said.
Mojave will be experienced on both sides of the ball, with more than half of last year’s starters returning on offense and defense, but will be under first year head coach Abraham Gonzalez who takes over for Joe Delgado.
“It’s been exciting,” Gonzalez said. “It’s taken a lot of work getting used to the new position, but we have been having a lot of fun and I’ve been enjoying the experience.”
Gonzalez was an assistant coach last season and says the Rattlers will continue to use the same defensive scheme and run the spread offense.
Mojave held opponents to 15.9 points per game last year, and will be led again by senior linebacker Blake Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald and the Rattlers’ defense dominated some games (holding opponents to one touchdown or less in six games) and failed to show up in others (giving up 41 to Desert Pines and 30 to Faith Lutheran).
The offense struggled, especially after the injuries took their toll, and Mojave scored only 20 points combined in its four losses.
This season’s success could fall on the shoulders of junior quarterback Kyle McMillan, who didn’t complete a pass in 2015.
He will get help from running back Taiwan Braden, who ran for 110 yards and six touchdowns last year.
With the additions of Desert Pines and Sunrise Mountain to the Sunset Division it will be difficult for Mojave to repeat its third-place finish from a season ago, but players have even higher expectations.
Last season the Rattlers shutout Chaparral on opening day but lost to the Cowboys in the first round of the playoffs.
“We made the playoffs but we just wanted to beat them so bad,” said Taiwan Braden. “(Chaparral) made it so far, so we could have made it that far.”
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