SPRING CREEK - Lowry quarterback Calvin Connors and running back Brandon Okuma are both on the smaller side football-wise.
Both register 150 pounds in the always-generous roster, but both diminutive players performed big Friday in Lowry's commanding 45-9 victory against Spring Creek.
The loss ended any hope of a Spring Creek postseason berth, and the Spartans certainly didn't look like a playoff team Friday. Meanwhile, the Buckaroos earned a playoff spot with the victory.
"They just beat us," said Spring Creek coach Joel Jund. "We gave up way too many big plays. They're a good, explosive team."
Lowry (7-1 overall, 6-1 Division I-A) dominated the line of scrimmage and the Buckaroos' ability to score quick demoralized Spring Creek. The Buckaroos played offense as if time was constantly expiring off the clock.
Lowry's average scoring drive lasted less than five plays and Spring Creek often had a lot to do with that. The Spartans missed assignments in the secondary multiple times, which led to big plays.
Part of Spring Creek's blown assignments can be attributed to Connors, whose speed running the ball and ability to extend plays drew the Spartan defense up looking to make tackles.
The Buckaroos' first two scores were the result of Spring Creek mistakes. After Lowry blocked Colby Patton's punt and recovered deep in Spring Creek territory, Connors found Okuma open for a six-yard scoring pass. In the second quarter Connors found Jesse Studebaker wide open for a 24-yard score.
Spring Creek tried to keep pace with a one-yard touchdown run by Josh Hull sandwiched between Lowry's first two scores, but it wasn't enough. A two-play 44-yard Buckaroo scoring drive late in the second quarter all but gave Lowry enough distance.
A 49-yard Patton field goal as time expired in the first half was the last of Spring Creek's scoring.
The Spartans didn't have a hard time getting the ball. It was just Spring Creek's inability to do anything with it that doomed the Spartans. Spring Creek ran 66 plays on offense, compared to Lowry's 38, and dominated the time of possession competition, to no avail.
"That is a deceiving stat sometimes," Jund said. "The way we were giving up big plays, it didn't matter how long they had the ball."
For most of the night, Spring Creek's offense was relegated to short, inconsequential runs. Senior Josh Hull carried the ball 22 times for 71 yards and Levi Bliss was second on the team with 52 yards on 12 carries. Other than the second drive of the game which ended with Hull's score, Spring Creek was unable to find the end zone.
The second half was completely dominated by Lowry. The Buckaroos scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and kicked a 45-yard field goal by Taylor Martin on their fourth.
Connors finished the game with 142 passing yards on 8-of-12 passing and Okuma accounted for 96 rushing yards on just eight carries.
With just one loss, Lowry is still very much in the thick of the league title hunt. The Buckaroos host Fernley Friday at 7 p.m. and close out the regular season at with Churchill County on Thursday, Oct. 25. If Lowry wins both games and Churchill County beats Truckee this Friday, the Buckaroos win the league title.
Currently Churchill County is 7-0 in the Division I-A North, while Fernley, Truckee and Lowry are all 6-1. Fernley has the tiebreaker over Truckee and Truckee has the tiebreaker over Lowry. All four teams have clinched playoff spots, with seeding yet to be determined.
Spring Creek, however, knows its season will end with road games against South Tahoe and Elko in the next two weeks.
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