WINNEMUCCA - After celebrating its homecoming the week before, the Lowry High School varsity football team spoiled Sparks' homecoming on Friday, Oct. 5.
The Buckaroos extended their winning streak to five games with an easy 53-6 victory over the Railroaders. Lowry scored four touchdowns in the first quarter and never looked back.
"It was an ugly game," said LHS head coach Tim Billingsley. "There were a lot of penalties and the play was sloppy. We went in knowing what to expect. We just didn't want to get anybody hurt and have them ready for the final three games of the year."
Lowry (6-1 overall, 5-1 Division I-A) was on the scoreboard less than three minutes into the game on a 1-yard touchdown run by Michal Arenas.
The Buckaroos scored 44 seconds later, after Daniel Pollock picked up a Railroaders' fumble and ran the ball in from 13 yards out for a 13-0 lead with 8:43 left in the first quarter.
Sparks fumbled on its next possession and Lowry made them pay for it. Arenas closed out the drive with a 9-yard touchdown run and a 19-0 advantage after the missed extra point.
The Buckaroos had an opportunity to add to their lead, when Calvin Connors ran back a Sparks punt to the 5-yard line. However, two penalties and a fumble ended the Lowry drive.
The Railroaders gifted the ball right back to the Buckaroos and this time Lowry did not self destruct. On fourth-and-goal from the 6-yard line, Connors connected with Robert Stepper for a touchdown and a 25-0 lead.
After forcing Sparks to turn the ball over on downs midway through the second quarter, Lowry moved the ball 55 yards, a drive capped off by a 5-yard run by Arenas, the third of the night for him. Connors added the 2-point conversion to make the score 33-0.
The Buckaroos got the ball back at midfield with just a minute left in the first half and put six more points on the board - a 16-yard touchdown pass to Stepper from Connors.
"We didn't run a lot of plays and didn't have the ball for a long time," Billingsley said. "We made the best of our opportunities when we had the ball. We were still sloppy at times with fumbles and missed extra points."
The game went into a running clock two minutes into the third quarter, as Lowry drove 70 yards and scored on a 17-yard run by Beau Billingsley. Connors added the 2-point conversion to give the Buckaroos a 47-0 lead.
Billingsley scored his second touchdown of the night in the fourth quarter on an 8-yard touchdown scamper. The sophomore also had a 50-yard touchdown run called back on a holding penalty.
Sparks prevented the shutout with three minutes left in the game on a 21-yard run by Hennessey Banks.
"We had our really young kids in by that time," Billingsley said. "We had our starters in for the first drive in the second half and the reserves in the rest of the way."
Lowry ran just 40 plays on offense on the night, accounting for 308 yards. Connors was 7-of-14 passing for 107 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, the junior had two carries for 10 yards.
Brandon Okuma led the rushing attack with 72 yards on just five carries, while Arenas had eight carries for 55 yards. Billingsley ran for 49 yards and Elijah Frei had 15 yards rushing on three carries.
Lowry travels to Spring Creek tonight for a 7 p.m. kickoff with the Spartans. The Buckaroos can clinch a playoff spot with a victory. Fernley and Churchill County, who are both 6-0 in Division I-A play, have already earned playoff spots. Fernley ended Truckee's 41-game win streak on Saturday. Churchill County and Fernley play each other this week.
Truckee is 5-1 in league and tied with Lowry for third but own the tiebreaker over the Buckaroos on the strength of their 27-7 victory over Lowry earlier in the season. The top four teams in the Division I-A advance to the regional playoffs.
"It is a tough stretch for us to end the year," Billingsley said. "We know what we are going to get out of Spring Creek. The top teams in the league play each other in the final couple of weeks and things will sort themselves out."
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