Interception return helps Foothill stun Las Vegas
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MARTIN S. FUENTES/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Foothill's Kyle Keplinger (21) carries the ball on Friday against Las Vegas. Keplinger ran for one score, caught a pass for another and had a 47-yard punt return to set up a third touchdown in a 27-20 win over the Wildcats. » Buy this photo
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By SAM LEEPER
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Nov. 13, 2009 | 6:33 p.m.
Updated: Nov. 14, 2009 | 12:43 a.m.
Updated: Nov. 14, 2009 | 12:43 a.m.
A week ago, Foothill needed a little help to advance to the postseason.
The Falcons made the best of it Friday night, pulling off 27-20 upset victory of Northeast League champion Las Vegas in the Sunrise Region quarterfinals.
Miles Killebrew picked off a pass from Wildcats’ quarterback Hasaan Henderson and returned it 22 yards for a score with 1:03 remaining to give Foothill the victory.
Las Vegas, winners of the Sunrise Region title for the past six seasons, finished the year at 8-2.
“I probably should send Green Valley a bouquet of flowers,” Foothill coach Martin Redmond said. “Our kids believed all week that they could pull this off and — what a performance. It’s not the biggest win in school history, but it’s pretty close.”
“I got the call from the secondary and just made the play on the ball,” said Killebrew, who was untouched on the winning score. “No one gave us a chance except our team and our fans. It was certainly against all odds, and our team turned in an amazing performance.”
Las Vegas did have one final chance, after Farrell Victor’s kickoff return to the Wildcat 49. On third-and-22, Henderson found Saeveon Butler for 44 yards to the Falcon 19. Two plays later, Henderson hit Victor for 15 yards and the Wildcats were knocking at the Foothill 4 with 12 seconds left.
But Henderson, with his team out of timeouts, ran a draw and was tackled two yards shy of the end zone on the game’s final play.
“This is truly an amazing feeling,” Redmond said. “Our defense was outstanding and turned in a gutsy performance. I’m excited for these kids and for our school.”
Foothill’s Kyle Keplinger ran for one score, caught a pass for another and had a 47-yard punt return to set up a third touchdown.
Foothill (6-5) came in with a gameplan: Short passes to keep the ball away from the Wildcat offense. It worked, as the Falcons held the ball for nearly 19 minutes of the first half to narrowly trail 7-6 at halftime.
The Wildcats, who scored touchdowns on their initial possessions of each half, pushed the lead to 14-6 as Butler caught a 1-yard TD pass from Henderson. The Falcons answered by going 80 yards in seven plays, capped off by Parker Riggin’s 26-yard TD pass to Keplinger. Riggin hooked up with Connor Waitkus for the two-point conversion, tying the game at 14-14.
Early in the fourth quarter, Foothill grabbed its first lead of the night on Riggin’s 4-yard TD pass to Tyrel Garner. Victor scored from one yard out with just over eight minutes left, but Michael Flores’ missed extra point kept the score tied at 20.
Riggin completed 30 of 48 passes for 270 yards, with Garner and Keplinger combining for 225 receiving yards.
Henderson was 16 of 30 for 284 yards. Butler caught seven balls for 115 yards.
The win moves the Falcons into next week’s semifinal at Basic, a 24-17 winner over Desert Pines on Friday.
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angeeel wrote on February 10, 2010 02:15 PM:
uhm, we had a touchdown, it was frkn in the field not outaa bounce. even one of the refs said so; AND HE WAS THE ONE RIGHT IN FRONT OF IT. we shoula wonnn. everyone i sjust mad cause vegas beats everyone in sports. ha. i love my school gooo cats;)
Bridgey wrote on November 22, 2009 02:14 PM: CAMPAS # 51 ALL THE WAY <33:D Bridgey wrote on November 22, 2009 02:13 PM: GO LVHS WILDCATS! WE GOT THIS NEXT YEAR:D<33 M on the Mesa wrote on November 19, 2009 08:06 AM: Nevadapreps.com just made you look stupid! You better check out the small school coverage today and read the RJ sports! The rual small schools do not often get the coverage that the local city schools do. Reporters are kind of lazy and do not like to travel outside the city limits! Moapa has always had good teams they are a football school. Go to the NIAA page and see how many championships they have been to and won! Foothill had a good run this year but I sorry to break it to you but their season ends Friday night. Moapa had a really good JV team this year also. They will have good teams for a long time. You should be worried when they move up. It is a right of passage to play at Moapa! If it will make you feel better we will move to our own page, you non football playing cry baby! If I were you I would quit writing comments until you learn to write properly! If you are an example of Foothill academics then you are sad excuse! To: ALL MOAPA VALLEY FANS wrote on November 19, 2009 03:27 AM: IF YOU'RE SO GOOD, WHY AREN'T THEY WRITING ABOUT YOU ON NEVADAPREPS.COM? QUIT POSTING YOUR B.S. ON THE 1 OUT OF 2 4A SCHOOLS YOU BEAT THIS YEAR! DON'T HATE BECAUSE FOOTHILL IS STILL ALIVE IN THE CLASS 4A PLAYOFFS. GO WIN YOUR 3A CHAMPIONSHIP AND LEAVE ALL YOUR WHINY COMMENTS OFF FOOTHILL'S ARTICLES. I SWEAR, THE LAST ARTICLES WHERE FOOTHILL IS MENTIONED IN A WIN, THE SAME DUDE COMMENTS ON HOW 'MOAPA BEAT FOOTHILL' ON THE REAL, SO WHAT??? THE NIAA WONT BRING YOU UP UNTIL 2011 AND BY THEN YOUR SCHOOL WILL HAVE LOST ALL YOUR 'GREAT PLAYERS' AND YOU'LL BE KING OF 3A ONCE AGAIN. ACBKZ wrote on November 18, 2009 04:16 PM: Moapawho, Why don't you go ask the Foothill coach how good Moapa is? Go to one of their games. Moapa could beat two-thirds of the Las Vegas Teams with twice the student enrolment! You have never even seen them paly but yet you spout off about them! I bet you are not even a football player! I bet you have to pay to get into to the games and/or you are a male cheerleader not even good enough to be the teams student equipment manager! You must be the child of a politician with all the bull you write! MoapaWho wrote on November 18, 2009 06:33 AM: Moapa Valley lovers....no one believes you about how good you are, no one cares about you...and you'll never be on the level of the big boys. With all your blogs(probably the same person) about how great you think you are I'd swear you sound like a politician. To: Crowman wrote on November 18, 2009 12:38 AM: waaah waaah waaah... still crying? LAS VEGAS HIGH SCHOOL IS ON VACATION!!! Foothill is still alive. DEAL WITH IT!!! Crowman wrote on November 16, 2009 10:52 PM: Sorry to say but this game was just bs. One of the referees was a foothill football player father refeeing at this game. The niaa states that there should be no relative refeeing any games that a relative is involved in. Foothill should be disqualified! as;l wrote on November 16, 2009 04:32 PM: all i can say is...i think foothill wanted it more. vegas, your a great team, you guys have a ton of potential, but you dont live up to it. you can blame whatever you want for loosing that game, but the fact is, you played a horrible game against a horrible team. and they rose to the occasion and took advatage of it. never in a million years did i think that would be my last football game of hs thou. Read More Comments |
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