Prep Sports Now
Football: There is no close second
Las Vegas Sun sports editors Ray Brewer and Case Keefer ring in the start of football season by discussing some of the valley's top storylines and teams, like Bishop Gorman, Liberty, Arbor View and Desert Pines.
Related content
The Desert Pines football program may play in the 3A classification. And the Jaguars may have fewer than 40 players on the roster.
Yet, eight of those players have Division I scholarship offers, and Desert Pines is widely considered one of the top-5 programs — regardless of classification in the state.
Not only is the Jaguars’ roster littered with players soon to be playing on Saturdays, but they have grown up together, learned to play together, and are on a mission for a state championship this fall.
“Just to look back when these guys were freshmen and now they are seniors,” Rodriguez said. “Seeing them develop as people and football players.”
The group is led by senior quarterback Marckell Grayson, who threw for 1,798 yards and 21 touchdowns last year, while running for 309 yards and eight scores.
“I’ve been around these kids since I was little, and we are just growing and getting better day by day,” Grayson said.
Grayson leads a high-flying offense that averaged 47 points per game last year and topped 40 points in every regular season game despite sitting its starters for most second halves.
“We are just going to keep on with our philosophy of taking what the defense gives us,” Grayson said.
The UNLV commit is surrounded by a plethora of weapons, from speedster Isaiah Morris — who was second in the valley last year with 1,461 rushing yards and 23 total touchdowns — to receiver Randal Grimes, who caught seven touchdowns and is committed to USC.
“When you have great athletes they are always competing with each other,” Rodriguez said. “Not just on the field but in the weight room and in the classroom.”
Up front the Jaguars return most of their offensive line, including 6-foot-4, 280-pound tackle Poutasi Poutasi, who has committed to Louisville.
As loaded as the Jaguars are on offense their defense is equally impressive, led by Arizona commit Tony Fields II at linebacker.
“We want to attack and get hats on the ball on every down,” Fields said. “We want to move as fast as we can to keep the o-line off of us.”
Desert Pines allowed only seven points per game last season. But despite all of the talent the Jaguars have had over the last two seasons, both years have ended with playoff losses to Moapa Valley.
“I actually go back and watch film from the game that we lost all of the time,” Fields said. “Our family bond is getting stronger and stronger. We are working harder and harder to get to where we want to be, which is a state championship.”
The road ahead is a rocky one for Desert Pines, with four Division 4A schools to open up the season including perennial top-5 programs Centennial and Liberty.
“We love the pressure,” Grayson said. “It puts a target on our back and makes us grind harder and strive to be the best.”
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy