MCDERMITT - When the calendar starts turning its pages to the fall months, one of the more popular sports to play or follow is football.
Last year, there was a void left at McDermitt High School, when there were not enough players to field a football team, cancelling the season. After a year's absence, the Bulldogs can enjoy playing football on Friday and Saturday afternoons, as the program is back with 13 players.
"It was just good to get back on the field and play a game," said MHS head coach Richard Egan. "The boys have been waiting a long time to play. They were disappointed when the season was cancelled last year. It is a learning experience for us right now."
McDermitt took to the field for the first time since October 2011, when it hosted Silver Stage this past Friday. The Nighthawks, a member of the Division III North, broke open a 14-0 game with 32 points in the third quarter to win 46-0. Both Silver Stage and McDermitt are playing the 2013 season as independents and are not eligible for postseason play.
"I thought we played pretty well in the first half," Egan said. "We gave up a couple of big plays, but I thought our defense played well in the first half. We were moving the ball on offense but mistakes and penalties hurt us."
Silver Stage started the scoring early in the first quarter, needing just two plays to complete a 38-yard drive. Jesse Harper gave the Nighthawks an 8-0 lead after scoring on a 21-yard run. Harper also converted the 2-point conversion.
After going three-and-out on its initial drive of the game, McDermitt drove to near midfield after a 14-yard run by Tyler Coble, but the drive bogged down and the Bulldogs were forced to punt.
Silver Stage was not able to move the ball on its next possession, but took advantage of a couple of McDermitt miscues the next time the Bulldogs had the ball. McDermitt looked poised to move the ball once again, but a first down run by Coble was called back due to a penalty and the Bulldogs threw an interception on the next play.
Two plays later, Silver Stage scored on a 20-yard run to increase the lead to 14-0 with 3:02 left in the first quarter.
McDermitt followed with its best possession of the first half as Tanner Coble kept a drive going with a 3-yard run on fourth and inches. Frank Muratore added a 14-yard run, allowing the Bulldogs to cross midfield for the first time. However, the drive stalled out on downs.
Silver Stage would hold the ball for the final seven minutes of the first half, but could not put any points on the board. Penalties on both teams kept the drive going, with flags being tossed on five consecutive plays once again. After the aid of a personal foul penalty on McDermitt, Silver Stage had one last chance to score but was stopped at the 2-yard line to end the half.
Silver Stage broke the game open in the third quarter, scoring all four times it had the ball. The Nighthawks took the opening possession of the third quarter and drove 65 yards, capped off by a 25-yard run, 90 seconds into the second half.
The Bulldogs fumbled the first time they touched the ball in the third quarter and the Nighthawks was back in the end zone one play later on a 15-yard run by Mason Wungnema for a 30-0 advantage.
McDermitt fumbled on its second play from scrimmage on its next drive but turned the tables on Silver Stage when Devin Dowd intercepted a Nighthawks pass.
McDermitt could not take advantage of the good field position and were forced to punt on the ensuing drive. Silver Stage added to its lead with a 1-yard touchdown run and after a Bulldogs' fumble increased the advantage to 46-0 on a 2-yard scamper that made the score 46-0 with 45 seconds left in the third quarter. The game was played with a running clock the rest of the way.
McDermitt lost two players to injuries in the second half, with Tyler Coble suffering an ankle injury and Keegan Crutcher a knee injury.
"We just could not get any momentum going," Egan said. "We hurt ourselves with some mistakes and Silver Stage took advantage of it. We started getting thin at the end with a couple of injuries and were down to eight kids at the end of the game."
McDermitt is off this week and returns to the field when they host Eureka on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 1 p.m.
"The biggest thing that hurt us was the penalties. They were the worst of us," Egan said. "We gave them a lot of extra yardage. It is something we have to fix in the future. We are going to go back and look at the video of the game and improve on things that we can."
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