Desert Pines cherishes win against neighbor Las Vegas

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Christopher DeVargas

Members of the Desert Pines High School football team are pictured during the Las Vegas Sun’s high school football media day at the Red Rock Resort on August 3rd, 2021. They include, from left, Rjay Tagataese, Jovantae Barnes and Jett Solomon.

Fri, Oct 8, 2021 (11:16 p.m.)

Javontae Barnes rushed for 190 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 carries tonight for the Desert Pines football team in a 38-0 victory against host Las Vegas High.

Desert Pines, the 2016 and 2017 state champions, is the clear-cut premier program in east Las Vegas. But not too long ago that label belonged to Las Vegas — the 2005 and 2006 state champions.

“I’ve been at Desert Pines since 2001 and know what this rivalry used to be,” Desert Pines coach Tico Rodriguez said. “Trust me, we value every win against Las Vegas. I remember when Vegas was Vegas, and I’ve got a ton of respect for coach (Erick Capetillo). Any win against Vegas is a good one.”

Rjay Tagataese completed all seven passes he threw for 159 yards and a touchdown to Alex Swift. Ferrari Busby had four carries for 40 yards and a touchdown.

After not scoring in the second half last week in a loss to Green Valley, a shutout victory was definitely a step in the right direction, the coach said.

“We have a young team, so there are going to be some ups and downs,” Rodriguez said. “We have a goal to get better every week and we worked really hard in practice this week.”

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