We are through one week of the high school season and it's time to overreact in a good way and in a bad way from what we saw from teams in northern Nevada.
It was good for the Lowry High School football team to begin the season in Reno at North Valleys. The Buckaroos have opened the year in the past against Battle Mountain, which is nice for both communities, but it was time for change.
The Buckaroos lost a ton of talent from a 10-2 squad in 2013 that reached the state semifinals, before losing to Faith Lutheran. Lowry looked good on offense for the most part. A few mistakes cost the Buckaroos more points.
Lowry did give up a few points against the North Valleys read option, which is tough to prepare for. The Buckaroos had many opportunities to put the game out of reach when Nate Nelson saved the day with a batted ball in the end zone, preventing the winning touchdown from North Valleys. Both defenses were on fumes in the final 12 minutes.
The contest had a bit of an edge to it as the Panthers were looking to improve on their 2-7 record in Division I. North Valleys asked the NIAA to drop to I-A but that was met with a no from schools in Division I-A. It was a double-edged sword in Reno. If Lowry beats up on North Valleys, it's a way for the Panthers to show they need to move down. A North Valleys win would have stopped all the talk of changing leagues.
Lowry's opponent on Friday -Fernley - lost to Hug 48-14 to begin the season. The Hawks last won a game on Oct. 25, 2012, against North Valleys. The Hawks were 1-37 dating back to 2010 before the Fernley win.
Now the question: is Hug that much better or has Fernley taken that big of a step back? The Vaqueros were a decent squad a season ago and gave Churchill County everything it could ask for in the regional playoffs. I know Fernley has the athletes to compete. Perhaps it was an off night.
We will know if the Vaqueros are for real or the team that lost to Hug when the Buckaroos make the trip to Fernley for a second consecutive year.
After winning four consecutive state championships and 47 out of 48 games, Truckee was hit with a taste of its own medicine in 2013. The Buckaroos beat the Wolverines 48-0 and it could have been 70-0.
Truckee had an interesting opener last week against Yerington. The Lions came in as the defending Division III state champion, ending Pershing County's run of three straight crowns.
Yerington, like most schools in northern Nevada, lost a number of players. The game was tied 0-0 at halftime and Truckee used a touchdown with 10 seconds to play to account for the final score of 14-0. The Wolverines may be on the upswing, but lack the talent they have had in the past. Truckee will not field a freshmen team this year.
For Yerington it was a good way to open against a larger school and get ready for its season. I thought the Lions would score some points, but with new personnel that's always questionable.
Dayton used a punishing running attack to stop Pershing County 27-12. The Dust Devils' game plan is to keep the ball away from you. The Mustangs are young and in rebuilding mode. That will happen as you have cycle of players. Pershing County had a pretty good stretch for about five years.
Dayton always stays close with the top teams in the Division I-A North, but slips up somewhere along the way against someone they shouldn't. If Fernley is down, the all Lyon County match-up may mean something at the end of the year.
Churchill County headed west into California to open the year against Cardinal-Newman. The Greenwave held its own for much of the night before Cardinal-Newman won 56-32. Churchill County may be the best team in the Division I-A North, but Lowry and Elko may have something to say about that.
Wooster picked up a 48-7 victory over Rite of Passage. There is not much to get from this one. The Colts are improving and you never know what you are going to get out of the Rams.
Elko, Spring Creek, South Tahoe and Sparks were all off on week one. It's their turn to show what they have this weekend.
Contact Tony Erquiaga at t.erquiaga@winnemuccapublishing.net.[[In-content Ad]]
