Del Sol runs over Silverado to preserve perfect record

By Steve Silver (contact)

Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009 | 12:15 a.m.

The debate is over.

Del Sol now reigns supreme in the Southeast Division after a convincing 27-7 road victory over Silverado in a clash of the undefeated Friday night.

The Dragons (6-0, 3-0) are now the only undefeated team remaining in the Sunrise Region.

"We knew we had a lot of haters out there saying we weren't going to get it done, but we came out strong and handled our business tonight," said Del Sol senior running back Dezerick Reed.

And it was Reed's legs that carried Del Sol to victory.

Reed punished Silverado's defense, especially in the second half, as he rushed for 241 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries.

Reed, who now has more than 900 yards rushing this season, ran for more yards Friday night than Silverado's total offensive output.

"Dezerick is the heart and soul of our football team, there is no other way to say it," Del Sol coach Preston Goroff said. "He is Del Sol."

Silverado's night could not have started any worse as Terran Madu-Jules lost a fumble on the first play of the game.

Reed then rushed four consecutive times before pounding in a one-yard touchdown run to put the Dragons up 7-0 less than three minutes into the contest.

Del Sol's defense proved impenetrable for much of the first half while the Dragons' offense moved the ball effectively.

But quarterback Troy Miller threw two interceptions in the red zone, which allowed Silverado to enter halftime only down seven points.

"We threw some early picks and got into some trouble, but our key to success all year has been our defense forcing turnovers," Goroff said.

After Del Sol strung together an 11-play touchdown drive to open the second half, its defense did what it does best and created a costly turnover.

With Silverado deep in Del Sol's territory, Evan Weinstock intercepted a Trenton Tipton pass and sprinted 70 yards to the end zone to extend the Dragons' lead to 21-0 and deflate any hopes of a Skyhawk comeback.

"We felt confident with our secondary all night," Weinstock said. "I'm just happy that ball got tipped in my direction."

Following that crushing interception, Silverado put Kyle Simmons at quarterback and switched to a five-wide receiver set.

The move to the spread offense did not fair much better as Weinstock intercepted another pass on the following drive.

After Reed's third touchdown of the night gave Del Sol a 27-0 lead, Silverado finally lit up the scoreboard late in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard touchdown run by Madu-Jules.

Now in control of the Southeast Divison, the Dragons host Centennial (3-4, 3-3) next week while Silverado (5-1, 1-1) travels to Liberty (3-3, 1-2).

Steve Silver can be reached at 948-7822 or steve.silver@lasvegassun.com.