Jovantae Barnes rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns today for the Desert Pines High football team in a 41-17 victory against visiting Faith Lutheran in the Mountain Region quarterfinals.
Faith Lutheran scored on its initial possession for a 3-0 lead, but regional favorite Desert Pines answered back two minutes later with a 32-yard touchdown run from Barnes to take the lead for good.
“Our offense is explosive. We have a lot of playmakers,” Desert Pines coach Tico Rodriguez said. “We really don’t panic because we know we can score with any team in town.”
RJay Tagataese completed 10 of 18 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns, hooking up with Deandre Moore and Malik Brooks for scores. Moore had five receptions for 77 yards.
Darius Stewart also tallied two touchdowns on the ground for the Jaguars, who advance to next week’s regional semifinals against Canyon Springs. Desert Pines, undefeated on the season, beat Canyon Springs 49-14 earlier in the season.
“But the playoffs are a new season,” Rodriguez said, “and they have gotten better. They have gotten hot.”
Riley Schwartz passed for 308 yards and two scores for Faith Lutheran, connecting 10 times for 110 yards with Peyton Thornton.
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
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