By Jared Harmon (contact)

Sat, Oct 25, 2008 (2:15 a.m.)

One week after falling to Southeast Division leader Green Valley High, Del Sol’s football team climbed back into the chase for the league title after a 28-27 win over previously undefeated Basic on Friday.

Basic had two chances to win the game on field goals late in the fourth quarter, but the Dragons blocked both kicks to seal the victory and push their league record to 4-1.

“We didn’t do a whole lot different than we normally do,” Del Sol coach Preston Goroff said. “On offense we tried to establish the run and we were able to do that. Defensively we went after their quarterback and put some pressure on him and that worked in our favor.”

The Dragons’ running attack was virtually unstoppable as they compiled 390 yards, highlighted by 213 yards from senior tailback Derek Eamon and 141 yards from fullback Jon Kirschbaum.

Eamon scored in the second and third quarters on runs of 32 yards and 3 yards, respectively, while Kirschbaum punched in the winning score on a 29-yarder at the end of the third quarter.

“Practice was intense this week because we knew I was going to get 20 or 30 carries so we wanted to make sure I was ready to carry the load,” Eamon said. “We knew Basic was good going side-to-side, but we figured I could go up the gut and chip away at them.”

Eamon rushed for 196 yards and two touchdowns against Green Valley, but the Dragons lost 28-27.

“Derek is like a man amongst boys sometimes,” Goroff said. “He’s been amazing. He does a great job for us.”

Basic senior quarterback Robby Faiman completed 19 of 35 passes for 177 yards and drove the Wolves into field goal range twice in the fourth quarter.

However, both of kicker Billy Weathers’ 27-yard attempts were blocked, dropping the Wolves to 4-1 in league play.

“Robby did a lot tonight and we saw we absolutely have to do a better job of protecting him,” Basic coach Jeff Cahill said. “He had pressure on him all night. Our kids took a lot of punishment and tried to come on strong in the fourth quarter. We let this one slip away.”

The Wolves now prepare for the Oct. 30 Henderson Bowl, their annual rivalry game with Green Valley High, which carries added pressure this year as it will decide the league champion.

A Green Valley win gives it the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, while a Basic win would put the Wolves in a three-way tie with Green Valley and Del Sol. Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association tiebreaker rules based on point differential would award Basic the No. 1 seed and the league title if it beats the Gators by two or more points.

“No one’s unbeatable,” Faiman said. “We play with confidence but we don’t let ourselves get cocky. We can still (take the league title) if we execute and limit our mistakes. We can’t quit.”

Jared Harmon can be reached at 990-8922 or jared.harmon@hbcpub.com.