Silverado quarterback Brandon Tunnell (#11) celebrates as time expires during a high school football game against Shadow Ridge at Silverado Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. Silverado beat Shadow Ridge 50-29.
Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021 | 2 a.m.
High school football championships
Today at Allegiant Stadium
Class 2A: The Meadows vs. Yerington (9 a.m.)
Class 5A: Bishop Gorman vs. McQueen (12:20 p.m.)
Class 4A: Silverado vs. Shadow Ridge (3:40 p.m.)
Class 3A: Moapa Valley vs. Virgin Valley (7 p.m.)
Tickets: NIAA.com/tickets (one ticket gives admission to all four games; tickets must be purchased online)
Streaming: Nfhsnetwork.com/associations/niaa
Game after game the Silverado High School football team was defeating opponents in this spring’s passing league tournament by convincing margins.
But in the championship game of the 7-on-7 event, the team met its match in a loss to Sierra Vista — although many Silverado players competed in a track meet earlier in the day and were gassed. Still, the players were devastated, feeling they let a championship slip away.
For coach Andy Ostolaza, the outcome didn’t sour what was a successful run in the club tournament because “we learned we had better athletes than we were used to.”
Those athletes have the Skyhawks on the verge of the first state championship in the school’s nearly 30-year history, as Silverado takes on Shadow Ridge at 3:40 p.m. today at Allegiant Stadium for the class 4A state championship.
Silverado (11-0) has won the most games in program history, also scoring the most points (567) and surrendering the least points (101). Ostolaza, who has been the head coach for 11 seasons, will also tell you this is its best offensive line.
But the biggest difference is arguably junior quarterback Brandon Tunnell, who is so confident and reliable in passing the football that during the COVID quarantine Ostolaza added significantly to the playbook to feature more passing plays.
Ostolaza has long operated under the philosophy of establishing the line of scrimmage with a power running game and strong defense, but he took the personnel at his disposal and made a change that could result in a state championship.
It surely took Shadow Ridge by surprise when the teams met in the second game of the season on Aug. 25. Tunnell passed for 240 yards and three touchdowns, and on many plays had receivers wide open in the secondary as Shadow Ridge was more focused stopping the run.
“They were the more physical team that night,” Shadow Ridge coach Travis Foster said. “That’s on us.”
The chemistry between Tunnell and receivers Donavyn Pellot (23 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns), Jaden Thrower (26 catches for 646 yards and 10 touchdowns) and brother Bryson Tunnell (17 catches for 200 yards and three touchdowns) has been years in the making as the players grew up competing on the same youth team.
In the passing league tournament, Ostolaza became a believer in what Brandon Tunnell had been saying the past two years when he became the starting quarterback as a freshman.
“We realized we can throw the ball, and we can throw it successfully,” Ostolaza said. “When our quarterback Brandon Tunnell came to Silverado, we knew we had something different.”
Tunnell has passed for 1,600 yards and 22 touchdowns on the season. Considering Silverado’s history of being a run-first team, they likely are some of the best numbers in school history.
“I knew we’d have a good team, but I didn’t realize we’d be this good,” Brandon Tunnell said.
All that’s left is defeating Shadow Ridge, which won’t be easy. Many feel the Mustangs have the classification’s best team, especially with a misdirection rushing attack that has proven difficult to slow down. And Silverado had just three days to prepare with the championship game pushed to today for the once-in-a-lifetime chance to play in the NFL stadium.
Prep Sports Now
State games at Allegiant
High school football in Nevada shifts to the big stage of Allegiant Stadium on Thursday, as state champions in four classifications will crowned. We project the winners in another episode of Prep Sports Now.
Shadow Ridge in its semifinal win last week only passed the ball twice, as running back Jaquieze Holland and quarterback Coen Coloma combined to rush for nearly 400 yards. Holland, just a junior, has run for 1,714 yards and 22 touchdowns on the season in averaging nearly eight yards per carry.
The Mustangs have rushed for 3,500 yards in 11 games, including 276 yards in the loss to Silverado.
“People will say they are one dimensional,” Ostolaza said. “Well, it’s a hard-to-stop one dimension.”
Allegiant will host the championship games for four classifications today, capped by the 3A title game between neighboring rivals Moapa Valley and Virgin Valley at 7 p.m. The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association finalized plans with the Raiders two weeks ago to host the games at the stadium, putting Nevada football on a similar stage as state games in Texas at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium or Pennsylvania at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Heinz Field.
When Allegiant Stadium was being constructed, Silverado defensive lineman Derrick Lyons told himself he one day would get to play in the nearly $2 billion facility. Never in his wildest imagination did he think it would be for a high school state championship.
“I was so excited I couldn’t sleep last night,” he said. “I really can’t believe that we get to finish our season in that stadium.”
