WINNEMUCCA - Coming off a 26-6 loss at Elko last week, the Lowry High School varsity football team looked to restart its season this past Friday with its Homecoming game against winless Sparks.
The Railroaders recovered an onside kick to begin the game, surprising the Buckaroos, but that was the only thing that went right for the school.
Lowry's defense stopped Sparks on downs on the ensuing drive and the 54-0 rout was on from there. It was the third shutout of the year for the Buckaroos.
"I liked the energy and enthusiasm we came out with," said LHS head coach Tim Billingsley. "We wanted to refocus after the loss to Elko and I felt we did a good job of that tonight. There are still some things we need to work on and clean up. The best thing about tonight is that we came out and played with a sense of energy. We can't take plays off. We have three tough games to close out the season."
The Buckaroos needed just three plays to complete a 74-yard drive as Beau Billingsley scored on a 62-yard run that saw the junior cut back across the field for the final 35 yards and a 7-0 lead.
Lowry scored 14 seconds later after Billingsley dislodged the ball out of the Sparks' running back and Brandon Okuma scooped up the loose ball for a 17-yard touchdown and a 14-0 advantage with 9:38 left in the first quarter.
"I thought we did a good job on defense," Billingsley said. "That was our third defensive touchdown of the year. We made some changes on our line to give our offensive guys some rest and I think that worked out. Anytime we can give those guys a break, it's a plus for us."
The Railroaders fumbled on their next possession, but the Buckaroos gave the ball right back one play later on a fumble, one of the few mistakes on the night. Lowry punted on their next possession, but the Buckaroos scored points every time they touched the ball the rest of the night.
Lowry (5-1 Division I-A North, 6-1 overall), scored the first of its three second-quarter touchdowns on a 35-yard run by Okuma to close out the drive. Billingsley and quarterback Calvin Connors had long runs prior to the score by the senior running back.
Sparks punted on its next two possessions and Lowry scored both times it got the ball back. Connors capped off a 53-yard drive with a 12-yard scamper through the Railroader defense to give the Buckaroos a 27-0 lead.
With a minute left in the first half, Lowry quickly drove 55 yards in 50 seconds with Connors connecting with Tytus Millikan on a diving 8-yard catch for a 33-0 advantage at halftime.
The Railroaders touched the ball twice in the third quarter and they punted once and turned the ball over on downs on the second drive. The Buckaroos turned those stoppages into points on both occasions.
Lowry needed to move the ball just 28 yards on its initial drive of the second half, with Okuma scoring his third touchdown of the night on a 2-yard run. After the Railroaders turned the ball over on downs, Connors threw a 40-yard pass to Okuma, and then a play later the senior quarterback hooked up with Josh Shaver for a 23-yard touchdown pass with a minute left in the third quarter. The Buckaroos took a 47-0 lead and the game was played with a running clock the rest of the way.
The miscues continued to add up for Sparks, as they fumbled on the next possession, leading to the final score of the night.
The Buckaroos drove 75 yards, aided by a 40-yard run by Thomas Schwartz. Lowry capped off the drive with an 18-yard run by Elijah Frei.
"I have a lot of confidence in this team and their work ethic," added the coach. "I think they realize nothing comes easy in this league. We are better off after that Elko game and the kids know that now. We had to get back to work."
Connors was 3-of-9 passing on the night for 71 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 36 yards and another score.
Billingsley led the Buckaroo running backs with 146 yards on 12 carries, while Okuma ran for 61. Frei and Schwartz ran for 42 and 40 yards, respectively, and Shaver had one carry for 36 yards on a reverse play. Okuma, Shaver and Millikan each had one catch for 40, 23 and eight yards, respectively.
The Buckaroos play their final home regular season game of the year on Friday night at 7 p.m. against Spring Creek. If the Buckaroos win, they clinch a playoff spot in the in the regional playoffs.
"This is the first of three tough ones is a row for us," Billingsley said. "We are going to find out a lot about ourselves in the next few weeks."[[In-content Ad]]
