Moapa Valley walks into Clark and walks out with the Game of the Week

It was a big Thursday night of football in Las Vegas. The whole CCSD slate moved up a day this week with eighteen games in one night, and by the time it was over, five ranked Independent teams had lost. Our No. 3 was one of them. No Prep Rally show this week. Tech problems on our end, not a lack of football. (I effed up some video like an idiot. 🙄). The photos and the reels are still coming. All is not lost, though! The Niners put a BTA on the Rams in Oz. Life could be worse.

Game of the Week: Moapa Valley 42, Clark 35

Clark came into Thursday 3-0 and a week removed from making our Independent top ten at No. 3. Moapa Valley came in off a 63-19 win over Silverado. Somebody was going to have their bubble popped, and it was the home team.

Clark actually had the early lead, 14-12 after a quarter. Then the Pirates put up 16 in the second to take a 28-21 lead into the half, and 13 more in the third to open it up to 41-28. The Chargers got one back in the fourth and made it a one-score game, but never got the ball back with a chance to tie.

Clark’s numbers are ridiculous. Ramiro Reinaldo went 14 of 20 for 239 yards and three touchdowns. Isaiah Romero caught eight of them for 176 yards and two scores on his birthday, and was our player of the game. Unfortunately, we don’t have an interview because I had a brain fart. I owe you one, Zay. I’ll talk to your coach, and we’ll make it happen. Felix Romero, Zay’s younger brother, the junior back who ran for five touchdowns against Boulder City last week, went for 173 yards and two more on 18 carries. That is 412 yards from two players and a quarterback who completed 70 percent of his throws, and Clark lost. Reinaldo’s one interception is the play the Chargers will want back.

Caveat: Niner Taufolo is one of the best linebackers in the state, and the green dot for the Chargers. He did not play this game, and Clark missed him sorely. The Chargers’ defense was out of place in several moments throughout the night, with several players shifting in and out of their normal positions. Clark was without the one player they could not be without. I’d LOVE to see this matchup again. Hopefully in the playoffs.

Moapa Valley won it with balance. Kamden Drosos was 12 of 17 for 260 yards and a touchdown, and threw two picks the Pirates survived. Ashton Hickman was the whole show: 17 carries for 85 yards and two touchdowns, plus three catches for 103. That is 188 yards from a junior who also lines up at linebacker. Moapa named Hickman its overall player of the game, Drosos on offense, Stetson Houston on defense, and Colton Holmstead on special teams.

Both defenses gave up over 400 yards. Neither defensive coordinator is showing this film to anybody. Clark takes its first loss and has our No. 6 Legacy coming to visit next Thursday. Moapa Valley gets No. 1 Palo Verde at home. This was a hard gam for both squads. Next week will be harder.

The Independent Top Ten Took Belts to Booties.

Palo Verde did what the No. 1 team is supposed to do, handling Durango 38-18 to go to 4-0. That was the easy part of the night for our list. It got janky from there.

Sunrise Mountain and Valley gave us the ranked-on-ranked game, No. 2 against No. 4, and Sunrise Mountain won it 26-24. The Miners are 4-0 and is now the only unbeaten team in the top half of the list besides Palo. Valley took its first loss and didn’t lose any respect doing it.

Liberty shut out Desert Oasis 42-0 on the Diamondbacks’ home field. That is our No. 5 getting blanked. Liberty is 2-2 and has scored 42 in two of its four games this year, and both of the losses came against out-of-state teams. The Patriots are A LOT better than 2-2 sounds. I’m getting ready for a fight with Kalani, Alon, Jordan, and Hannah. We’re playing Vegas vs Vegas now. The Patriots are gonna start whoopin’ ass over the next month… Which is good. I need to get Coach Muraco, Hawaii, and all of American Samoa off my head. I’m getting dirty looks at Smith’s! 

Coronado beat Desert Pines 46-10. Our No. 7 got smacked by 36.

Arbor View finally got one, and did it against a ranked team. The Aggies beat Centennial 55-34 for their first win of the season. Centennial, our No. 10, has now lost three straight. I know the FSM staff won’t let them into the list at 1-3, but they’ll be good and pissed off next week. The Independents have had a good month. That month is over. Thaddeus Thatcher will remind us all who the Aggies are.

Legacy shut out Spring Valley 28-0. Foothill bounced back from last week’s forfeit and beat Las Vegas High 35-28. And Basic, a year removed from going 0-10, beat Virgin Valley 38-28 in Mesquite to go to 3-1. The Wolves keep winning, and the list is going to have to keep making room.

Elsewhere on the Independent side: Green Valley 54, Sierra Vista 21. Shadow Ridge 57, Mojave 14. Silverado 34, Canyon Springs 18. Del Sol 22, Eldorado 14. Rancho 31, Cheyenne 14. And Cimarron-Memorial got its first win, 31-7 over Western.

The NIAA Side Waited Until Friday

Bishop Gorman, Sloan Canyon, Mater East, The Meadows, and Lake Mead all had the week off. Sloan Canyon and Mater East are both 3-0, and they play each other next Thursday, September 17. That one decides No. 2 on our list, and it might decide more than that. Nevertheless, you KNOW that will be one of our Games of the Week.

GV Christian needed a good night after taking a 65-0 loss last Saturday, and got one. The Guardians beat Pinecrest Cadence 24-8 in Henderson. Our No. 7 over our No. 10, and a reminder that one bad week is one bad week.

Faith Lutheran did not have the same luck. Morgan came in from Utah and beat the Crusaders 54-36. Faith Lutheran is 2-3, and the record keeps lying about how much talent is on that roster. They’ve had a savage schedule that will get no easier going forward.

Somerset Losee went to Texas and lost to Argyle 70-21. Good Lort. Still to play today: SLAM Nevada at Holtville at 2 p.m., and CIVICA hosts Needles at 5. Those scores go on the live board the minute they are final.

Next Week Is the Real One

Gorman goes to California to play Mater Dei on Friday the 18th. Sloan Canyon hosts Mater East on Thursday, 3-0 against 3-0. Palo Verde goes to Moapa Valley. Foothill goes to Liberty. If you only get to two games next week, make them Sloan Canyon on Thursday and whichever one you can reach on Friday.

Our two top tens drop tomorrow morning before I go to the Raider game. After a night where half the Independent list lost, there is going to be movement in this thang…

Next up: Mater East at Sloan Canyon, Thursday, September 17, 2026, 7 p.m. | Bishop Gorman at Mater Dei, Friday, September 18, 2026, 7 p.m. PT

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— TQ (@tqthetrojan) for Franchise Sports Media

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