Late conversion lifts Green Valley to dramatic win

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008 | 12:45 a.m.

Green Valley High’s football team could have easily called it a night and boarded the bus.

Instead, the Gators’ offense drove 70 yards in the game’s final 43 seconds Friday night against the host Del Sol Dragons to pull off a comeback for the ages.

Green Valley quarterback Nick Libonati threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Halasz with no time left on the clock, and the Gators’ Quincy Bagsby ran in the 2-point conversion for a dramatic 28-27 victory.

The win, the Gators’ fifth straight, puts them in the driver’s seat to win the Southeast Division title with two weeks left in the season. They close with Silverado and Basic, who is also undefeated in league and tied with Green Valley for first place.

“I’m speechless,” Bagsby said. “We just kept our heads up and kept fighting hard. Our defense played great all game. We had to score for them.”

Del Sol’s Derek Eamon scored on a 4-yard touchdown run with 49 seconds to play to give the Dragons a 27-20 lead.

But Libonati connected with Skylar Holloway for a 26-yard completion and Halasz for 16 yards to set up the final play.

Libonati calmly threw a fade pass to Halasz in the corner of the end zone and the 6-foot-2, 180-pound receiver out-jumped the coverage to haul in the touchdown.

Then came the decision — attempt the extra point to force overtime, or go for the 2-point conversion and victory.

The decision was a no-brainer, Green Valley coach Matt Gerber said. He immediately called a running play and Bagsby broke through Del Sol’s line for the decisive points.

“We had the momentum on our side. We had to go for two,” Gerber said.

Green Valley (6-2, 5-0) trailed the entire game.

Del Sol’s Earnest Hall started the scoring with a 39-yard touchdown run with 8 minutes, 36 seconds to play in the first quarter. Green Valley answered with a Nolan Kohorst 50-yard field goal and trailed 7-3 at the end of the quarter.

Del Sol (6-2, 3-1) extended its lead to 14-3 in the second quarter on an 85-yard touchdown run from Eamon, who finished with 196 yards on 20 carries. But Green Valley answered 49 seconds later when Libonati threw a 29-yard touchdown to Holloway to cut the deficit to 14-10 at halftime.

Hall scored on a 25-yard run on Del Sol’s first drive of the third quarter, but Kohorst booted a 46-yard field goal to keep the Gators in striking distance.

Libonati completed seven of nine passes in the final four minutes, including hooking up with Holloway for a 25-yard touchdown to even the game at 20 with 3:13 to play and set up the wild finish.

It’s a finish Green Valley believes should put it among the Las Vegas Valley’s elite. If it weren’t for losing three fumbles and giving up a two big runs, the Gators would have dominated a Del Sol team that had won 13 of its last 14 league games.

“We finally put a good game together,” said Libonati, who passed 278 yards and three touchdowns. “We have really come together as a team and put together a good run (of victories).”

Del Sol linebacker Jon Kirschbaum, arguably the Dragons' top player, missed most of the game with an injured hip. Another top player, defensive back Jordan Molina, played with an injured ankle and noticeably limped.

Still, Del Sol coach Preston Goroff isn’t using that as an excuse.

“Losing a game like that leaves a bad taste in your mouth,” Goroff said. “But you have to give them credit. Green Valley played a great game.”

Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or [email protected].