Desert Pines reloads with new faces as 3A Sunset rivals attempt to close the gap

By Case Keefer (contact)

Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017 | 2 a.m.

Many championship teams come into the following season insisting they don’t feel like they are defending anything.

For Desert Pines this year, it might actually ring true. The Jaguars lost 30 players off of the team that finally broke through to win the 3A state championship last year.

Desert Pines’ loaded class of 2016 led it for the last three seasons, meaning a mass graduation exodus has left the remaining roster virtually unrecognizable.

“A lot of people are basically sleeping on us and saying we can’t do it, but I know we work hard every day and we put in the work even though we’re low on bodies,” said senior lineman Lorenzo Brown. “We still feel like we can win it because we’ve got the same mentality and we’re not going to go into the season like, ‘oh we’re all this and we’re so bad.’”

Desert Pines is still the favorite in the 3A Sunset Region, but it’s the most inexperienced team in the league — and that gives their opponents hope. It’s not as if the Jaguars mauled all of them last year, either.

Second-place Cheyenne was within a touchdown in the final minutes before two late Desert Pines scores doomed it to a 31-14 loss. Sunrise Mountain, which finished fourth in the league, lost only 27-20 to Desert Pines in 2016.

“We were right there; we just didn’t finish very well,” said Sunrise Mountain Coach Chris Sawyers. “This year’s goal is to win those games, to finish those games. And that’s been our concentration for camp all offseason.”

Unlike Desert Pines, Sunrise Mountain comes into the season with significant contributors returning all over the field. The Miners have 14 returning starters, and that doesn’t include quarterback Tyree Hayes, who’s switching to quarterback after leading the team in receiving last year.

The team’s leading rusher, senior Trayvon Ward, is also back to bolster an offense that should again be explosive. One of the most memorable 3A games of last season was a shootout with Cheyenne, which outlasted Sunrise Mountain for a 52-49 victory.

The Desert Shields are every bit as confident as the Miners this year, with first-year coach Carlton Lamb excited to unleash an explosive running back duo in seniors Clarence Rose and Khalil McKenzie.

“I’ve been telling the guys from day one that I have super-high expectations,” Lamb said. “I’m expecting nothing less but the playoffs. To be honest with you, I’ve set our goals beyond the playoffs.”

Desert Pines was the only Sunset team to win a playoff game last year. Coupled with a close Cheyenne loss to Chaparral and Sunrise Mountain getting shut out by Virgin Valley, Pahrump Valley was blown out by Moapa Valley in the first round.

But the Trojans had a winning record for the first time in more than a decade, the type of breakthrough they felt like they needed before pushing a step further.

“The boys are very familiar,” assistant coach Mike Calucci said. “We’re really experienced in what we do and they understand and are grasping at the attitude we’re pushing on them.”

Complicating matters for the likes of Pahrump Valley, Sunrise Mountain and Cheyenne is the apparent dissolution of a steep drop-off for the two bottom teams in the league. Both Mojave and Western appear much improved in 2017.

The Rattlers could potentially have the most potent weapon in the league in junior running back Tawee Walker, who’s going to run behind an experienced offensive line. The Warriors have lost 43 straight games, but new coach Tyler Tuiasosopo has built up the program’s numbers and preached that losing would be no longer acceptable.

The players have latched onto to Tuiasosopo’s passion.

“Western has historically had victories, had scholar athletes, Gatorade Players of the Year, state players of the year and all we’re trying to do is bring back those traditions,” Tuiasosopo said.

The only 3A Sunset team with Player of the Year caliber talent the last few years has been Desert Pines, and it has most of the favorites for the honor again this year. Junior quarterback Tyler Williams was eclectic in playing the final two games of last year, including a 39-6 state championship win over Spring Creek.

He should have the best receiving pair in the 3A in seniors Jaden Mitchell, a Desert Oasis transfer, and DeAundre Newsome. The Jaguars still look like the team to beat.

“We lost almost everyone but I know the seniors have to step up because we were there last year and we know how it goes,” Newsome said.

Standings

Last year’s finish: Desert Pines, Cheyenne, Pahrump Valley, Sunrise Mountain, Mojave, Western

Projected 2017 finish: Desert Pines, Sunrise Mountain, Cheyenne, Pahrump Valley, Mojave, Western

Big 3

Cheyenne: Running back/linebacker Clarence Rose, running back/linebacker Khalil McKenzie, defensive back Anthony Walker

Desert Pines: Wide receiver Jaden Mitchell, quarterback Tyler Williamson, safety Kaleb Ramsey

Mojave: Running back Tawee Walker, offensive lineman Dylan Mleynek, offensive lineman Ivan Parra

Pahrump Valley: Quarterback/defensive back Dylan Coffman, tight end/defensive back Corey Bergan, offensive lineman/defensive lineman Justin Soliwoda

Sunrise Mountain: Running back Trayvon Ward, wide receiver/defensive back Anthony Proby, linebacker Logan Rollins

Western: Quarterback Joey Medley, wide receiver Anthony Shelby, defensive back Gio Garcia

All-league predictions

Offensive MVP: Desert Pines' Williamson

Defensive MVP: Desert Pines' Ramsey

Rising Star (best freshman or sophomore): Desert Pines sophomore defensive lineman Gabriel Lopez

Coach of the Year: Sunrise Mountain's Sawyers

Game of the Year: Sunrise Mountain 42, Cheyenne 40

Newcomer of the Year: Desert Pines' Mitchell

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.