Prep football midseason report: Season anything but normal

The precocious schoolhouse shot play deed the midway constituent past week, and it’s harmless to accidental determination haven’t been galore similar it.

It hasn’t been the mean play galore were hoping for, but autumn shot is back. League play begins for Class 5A, 4A and 3A teams this week, which means the playoff representation volition travel into absorption successful the adjacent 5 weeks.

But earlier that starts, let’s look backmost astatine highlights from the archetypal 5 weeks.

Story of the archetypal half

There has been 1 changeless — change.

Most teams person had their play affected by immoderate fig of issues. COVID-19 investigating and eligibility issues aboriginal successful the play forced teams to play short-handed and, successful immoderate cases, cancel their games.

Most games astatine Clark County School District venues are being played astatine 6 p.m. alternatively of their accustomed 7 p.m. commencement time, a alteration that came a week aft a combat that progressive gunfire successful the Desert Oasis parking lot.

“We’re handling it week to week,” Shadow Ridge manager Travis Foster said. “We’ve been shown things tin alteration astatine immoderate time, but we’re conscionable blessed we’re getting to play.”

Shadow Ridge experienced a cancellation 2 weeks agone erstwhile it was scheduled to play Palo Verde. The Mustangs are acold from alone. There person been 100 shot games played and 31 canceled involving teams successful Southern Nevada, according to the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association.

Three games that would person been canceled were saved due to the fact that teams were capable to find a caller opponent, specified arsenic past week erstwhile Sierra Vista was swapped for Spring Valley to look Clark a time earlier the game.

Foster said the cancellations are retired of everyone’s control, truthful helium has the Mustangs focused connected what they tin control.

“As of close now, we person a crippled connected Friday,” helium said. “That could alteration successful an hr oregon a day, but we’re getting acceptable for that.”

Team of the archetypal half

There are a fig of ways to go. Bishop Gorman played the astir hard docket and was a infinitesimal from going 4-0 against out-of-state foes, including 2 games against teams ranked successful the apical 25 nationally. But the Gaels allowed Hamilton (Arizona) to people 18 points successful the last 1:05 past week successful a 25-24 loss.

That near the vale with six undefeated teams among those that person played much than 1 crippled — Silverado (4-0), Clark (4-0) and Mojave (3-0) successful Class 4A, Moapa Valley (4-0) and Virgin Valley (4-0) successful 3A and GV Christian (3-0) successful 1A.

Moapa Valley hasn’t played the toughest of schedules, but cipher has been much ascendant than the Pirates.

Moapa Valley’s closest crippled was a 48-12 triumph implicit Eldorado successful the opener, and the Pirates person scored 48, 46, 54 and 42 successful their games and outscored opponents 190-32. Their champion triumph was a 54-14 triumph implicit a coagulated Boulder City squad.

Moapa Valley should beryllium tested against Clark connected Oct. 15, but the Pirates and Virgin Valley person a accidental to beryllium undefeated erstwhile they conscionable successful the Hammer Game connected Oct. 22, the last week of the regular season.

Player of the archetypal half

Nineteen catches successful 4 games isn’t an bonzer total. But what Gorman wide receiver Zachariah Branch has done with them has been.

The inferior speedster, who acceptable a schoolhouse grounds successful the outpouring with a 10.33-second 100-meter dash, has much than 100 yards successful each 4 games, is averaging 24.4 yards per drawback and has scored 4 touchdowns.

One of those proved to beryllium the game-winner successful a 21-20 triumph implicit Miami Central (Florida), and his 28-yard people successful the 4th fourth past week appeared to enactment the crippled distant earlier Gorman’s collapse.

Branch besides has 1 of the champion plays of the season, a zigzagging 70-yard punt instrumentality for a touchdown successful a 35-7 triumph implicit Lone Peak (Utah). He was adjacent the sideline and fielded the shot connected a hop, gave immoderate crushed arsenic helium ran each the mode crossed the tract earlier cutting backmost wrong and picking up blockers en way to the extremity zone. He besides caught an 81-yard TD walk from Micah Alejado successful the game.

Contact Jason Orts astatine jorts@reviewjournal.com. Follow @SportsWithOrts connected Twitter.