DeAundre Sanders is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Valley Vista for AZPreps365.com

TUCSON -- Salpointe Catholic shut down Valley Vista at home Friday night on their way to a 50-6 victory in a non-region 6A matchup.

With the help of senior quarterback Taylor Nagore, senior running back Jaxson Banhie and junior tight end Nathan Spivey, Salpointe Catholic’s potent offensive attack was able to run away with the game early in the first half, jumping out to a 28-0 lead before halftime.

“Our offensive line played their butts off,” Nagore said. “They are always great, week in and week out. They work hard and always prepare to the best of their ability.”

Nagore was able to showcase his dual-threat abilities, passing for 153 yards and three touchdowns, while also scrambling for 88 yards and one touchdown, in three quarters of play. His longest run, and the longest run of the game, was on a 32-yard scamper near the Valley Vista sideline on a broken play early in the third quarter.

Banhie pitched in on the offense's production, rushing for 40 yards on eight carries and three touchdowns.

“It wasn’t about their team, it was about us,” Banhie said. “We prepared a lot better this week than in the past. We proved tonight that we can score with anybody, and proved we can hang with anybody.”

Spivey gave the Monsoon secondary problems, catching a 60-yard bomb for a touchdown, giving the Lancers a 27-0 lead with 38 seconds left in the first half. He finished with three catches for 71 yards and two touchdowns before exiting the contest in the third quarter as well.

Valley Vista came out of the locker room looking to spark life into their offense and gain momentum with an unexpected onside kick to start the second half. After bouncing off a Salpointe player, Valley Vista recovered the ball at Salpointe’s 42-yard line.

Three plays later, Valley Vista scored its first and only points of the game off a 12-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Damir Ilicic to junior wide receiver Alexx Williams down the right sideline. Valley Vista missed the extra point, leaving the game at 28-6 with 11:48 remaining in the third quarter.

Ilicic played well, but the tenacious Salpointe Catholic defense played a major role in the outcome of the game, bringing pressure on every play, containing him to 148 yards passing, one touchdown and one interception. Ilicic was sacked four times and surrendered a safety midway through the third quarter.

“It always starts for us up front.” Coach Eric Rogers said. “Overall, just the guys flying to the football. That’s the key for us.”

The inconsistent play on the offensive end made it challenging for the Monsoon (0-4) to move the ball, often allowing the Lancers to start their drive with a short field.

After relinquishing a six-yard touchdown the play before, the Monsoon tried to catch Salpointe Catholic off guard again with a reverse on kick return, but fumbled the handoff allowing the Lancers to recover the ball. It took just one play for Salpointe Catholic to capitalize on the Monsoon’s error with an 8-yard scramble by Nagore, exploding the lead to 42-6 with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.

“We were inconsistent throughout the week in our preparation, and that showed here,” Coach Derek Wahlstrom said. “We had moments of getting it done and then we would stall ourselves. We have to be better throughout the week in order to be better on Friday nights.”

Valley Vista will travel to Queen Creek next Thursday to face the Casteel Colts (3-1,0-0).

Salpointe Catholic (4-0,0-0) will host Desert Vista (1-3,0-0) on Sept. 29.