RENO - If every game is going to be like the season-opener, it will be quite an interesting year for the Lowry High School football team.
The Buckaroos traveled to Reno last Thursday night and used a deflection in the end zone by Nate Nelson with 30 seconds to play to beat the Panthers 33-28 in the non-conference match-up. Lowry has won its first game of the season for six consecutive years.
The contest featured a bit of everything on the first night of the year, with turnovers, penalties and a crushing hit by Garrett Naveran on a North Valleys player late in the fourth quarter that stopped play for nearly 10 minutes.
In addition, the Panthers were set to petition to the NIAA last fall to drop to the Division I-A North, but it was met with hesitation by administrators in Division I-A and the move never happened.
"We knew we were going to get tested coming in here and that is why we played the game," said LHS coach Tim Billingsley. "They have a nice quarterback and good running back. They will be an up and coming team. They are better than what their record was last year. It was an intense game and we are glad we got the win."
After forcing North Valleys to punt on the initial drive of the game, Lowry quickly struck for six points aided by a 46-yard screen pass from Christian Gray to Donovan Brumm. Beau Billingsley scored the first of his three touchdowns on the next play, scampering for 11 yards to give the Buckaroos a 6-0 lead with just two minutes gone in the first quarter.
The first 12 minutes proved to be sloppy on both sides, as Lowry failed to take advantage of two pass interference penalties on North Valleys on its next drive. The Buckaroos eventually gave the ball back to the Panthers on a fumble.
North Valleys was in the giving mood as well, handing the ball back to Lowry on a turnover and the Buckaroos did not let that opportunity get away. Lowry scored 75 seconds later on a 6-yard run by Gray to the corner of the end zone for a 12-0 advantage after the missed extra point.
It took North Valleys just 38 seconds answer, as Alex Palko broke free on the second play of the drive for a 61-yard touchdown run to make the score 12-7 with 1:49 left in the first quarter.
As he did for much of the night Thomas Schwartz put the Buckaroos in excellent field position with a kickoff return to the 49-yard line and Lowry marched right back down the field. Garrett Naveran and Gray switched spots on the field and the two connected for a pass to the North Valleys 1-yard line.
It appeared the Buckaroos had increased the lead on the next play, but a touchdown pass was called back by a penalty and the drive fell apart after that. Lowry fumbled two plays later ending the drive.
"That was a big momentum shift right there," Billingsley said. "We played OK, but still have some things to work on. We made some mistakes tonight and took advantage of mistakes by North Valleys."
Instead of having a secure double-digit lead, a second turnover by the Buckaroos turned into seven more points for the Panthers, as quarterback Melando Cachapero scored on a 5-yard run with 3:36 left in the first half to give North Valleys a 14-12 advantage.
Late in the first half, Lowry was back in business after North Valleys snapped the ball over the punters head and one play later Gray connected with Naveran on a 16-yard pass play to put the Buckaroos up 20-14 at halftime after the 2-point conversion.
"We have two pretty good quarterbacks and we want to use them both," Billingsley said. "Garrett is such a good tight end that we want to use him there as well. Those guys played catch a lot last year. They are used to throwing the ball to each other."
Lowry finished off a run of 19 consecutive points, beginning the second half with a drive that lasted six minutes and consumed 47 yards. The drive was kept alive on a roughing the passer penalty on North Valleys on an incomplete pass on fourth down. The drive continued and Billingsley scored on a 7-yard run to put Lowry in front 26-14.
Cachapero had not completed a pass all night until the start of the fourth quarter but made it count completing a long pass on third and eight that put the ball on the Lowry 4-yard line. Palko did the rest, scoring from three yards out two plays later, cutting the gap to 26-21.
As it was for much of the game, Lowry had an answer and it began with a 65-yard kickoff return by Schwartz to the North Valleys' 34-yard line. A quarterback sneak by Gray on fourth and one was successful by inches and Billingsley later scored from 12 yards out for his third touchdown of the night, giving Lowry a 33-21 advantage with 7:22 to play.
With both defenses exhausted on the warm August night, North Valleys used two completions on third down to move the ball 92 yards and Palko added his third touchdown on a 3-yard run with 5:06 to play, cutting the deficit to 33-28 with 5:06 to play.
Lowry could only used two minutes on the clock before punting again, setting up the final three minutes. North Valleys need to drive 65 yards for the winning drive and was moving the ball until a holding penalty put a stop to the drive. Without the flag, the Panthers would have been at the 10-yard line with 50 seconds to play.
Just plays later, Nelson knocked down a pass by Cachapero in the end zone to secure the win.
"Our defense was exhausted out there but they did a good job," added the coach. "That was a great play by Nate to knock the pass down. It was just good to come down to Reno and beat a Division I team. It sets the stage for the rest of the season. The kids realize they have a lot of work to do."
Lowry will be back on the road Friday to open the Division I-A North season at Fernley at 7 p.m. The Buckaroos beat the Vaqueros 29-19 last year in Fernley.
"It doesn't get any easier for us," Billingsley said. "It was good to get a tight game under our belt and we have to get ready for a good Fernley team."[[In-content Ad]]Lowry 33,
North Valleys 28
Lowry 12 8 6 7 - 33
N. Valleys 7 7 0 14 - 28
First Quarter
L - Beau Billingsley 11 run (kick failed) (9:49)
L - Christian Gray 5 run (kick failed) (2:27)
NV - Alex Palko 5 run (Rivas-Lucas kick) (1:49)
Second Quarter
NV - Melando Cachapero 5 run (Rivas-Lucas kick) (3:36)
L - Christian Gray 16 pass to Garrett Naveran (Naveran run) (:42)
Third Quarter
L - Beau Billingsley 7 run (conversion failed) (6:05)
Fourth Quarter
NV - Alex Palko 3 run (Rivas-Lucas kick) (10:41)
L - Beau Billingsley 12 run (Andy Mendoza kick) (7:22)
NV - Alex Palko 3 run (Rivas-Lucas kick) (5:06)
