Justin M. Bowen

Las Vegas High’s Reggie Bullock runs in his second touchdown of the night against Valley on Oct. 3. Despite posting some of the best rushing statistics in the state, Bullock will not head to a Division I program because of academic problems.

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Sat, Oct 4, 2008 (1:55 a.m.)

Players from Las Vegas High's football team had this game circled on their calendars since the schedule was released in the spring.

The Wildcats, one of the state's perennial powers who have lost only four league games since 2000, were out to avenge one of those setbacks. They were limited to seven points last fall in a two-touchdown loss to Valley, a team that was 1-5 and eventually missed the playoffs.

Las Vegas wound up winning its sixth Sunrise Regional in seven years, but the players didn't forget the humbling loss.

Their performance Friday night helped erase those memories.

Emir Lopez passed for 280 yards and five touchdowns as the host Wildcats led by 35 points at halftime in a 52-13 victory against Valley.

"We won this one for our seniors from last year," Las Vegas wide receiver Aaron Frankin said. "We practiced for this game all summer."

Lopez had four touchdown passes in the first half, finding Saeveon Bulter for scores of 15 and 6 yards in the first quarter for a 14-0 lead.

Reggie Bullock found the end zone twice in a span of four minutes in the second quarter. He made several would-be tacklers miss on a 48-yard touchdown run and also scored on an 18-yard pass from Lopez.

"He is a special player. He has a great football sense," Las Vegas coach Chris Faircloth said of Bullock.

Valley (2-4, 0-3 Northeast) quarterback Kerwyn Williams kept the Vikings in the game in the third quarter with scoring runs of 71 and 28 yards. After each score, however, Las Vegas responded with a touchdown — Lopez threw an 80-yard touchdown to Marquan Major 30 seconds after Williams' first touchdown.

"The kids waited a whole year for this game tonight," Faircloth said. "It was a very miserable experience losing that game last year."

Las Vegas still has plenty to improve on, Faircloth said. They were penalized 16 times for 150 yards and came out sluggish in the second half with a big lead.

Lopez, a senior who played at Sierra Vista last year, said the offense still hasn't reached its potential.

"Our offense is real dynamic and it's only going to get better," said Lopez, who added a 5-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. "We have some people who can really put some points on the board."

The same can be said for Valley's Williams. Williams rushed for 194 yards on 19 carries, including several runs where he turned would-be losses into positive yardage.

"The kid is an outstanding athlete. You can't question his ability," Valley coach John Elwell said.

Sports Editor Ray Brewer can be reached at ray.brewer@hbcpub.com or 990-2662.