WINNEMUCCA - A game of keep-away broke out Friday night in Winnemucca.
Dayton, and its double-wing offense, did its best to keep the ball away from the Lowry High School varsity football team.
The Dust Devils held the ball for nearly 20 minutes of the first half, with nothing to show for it in the end. The Buckaroos ran just 12 plays in the first 24 minutes of the game, but made them count and took a 14-0 at halftime on their way to a 47-14 win.
"Those guys are dangerous and we knew coming in it was going to be a fist-fight all the way," said LHS head coach Tim Billingsley. "Dayton goes out there and tries to keep the ball from you and they run time off the clock. I thought we did a good job of preparing for them and I was pleased with how the defense played. You don't see that offense very often and it takes a long time to prepare for. Until you get into the game it's hard to simulate what they run."
Lowry (4-1 overall, 3-1 Division I-A North) scored 83 seconds into the game on its fourth offensive play of the night - on a 48-yard pass play from Calvin Connors to Nate Eldodt. The Buckaroos did not touch the ball on offense again until the second quarter.
The Dust Devils used up the final 10:28 of the first quarter and the first seven seconds of the second period, only to see their drive stall out on downs at the Buckaroo 7-yard line.
Lowry took advantage of an interception of Dayton quarterback Jack Phillips by Tanner Lecumberry midway through the second period. On the next play, the Buckaroos' Michal Arenas scampered 75 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead. The play was originally meant to go inside but the senior broke the run to the outside and tight roped along the Lowry sideline. Some Dayton players stopped on the play, believing he stepped out of bounds.
"I was very proud of the team offensively and defensively," Billingsley said. "We come out and scored right away on a nice pass play by Calvin and Nate. The run by Michal was beautiful; I don't know how he stayed in bounds. It caught some of the Dayton defenders by surprise."
Dayton used the legs of Austin Fletcher to get itself back into the game, as the junior scored on a 33-yard run, just two minutes into the second half to cut the deficit to six points at 14-8.
However, the Dust Devils self-destructed from there, with three costly turnovers in the third period, leading to 20 Buckaroo points. Lowry capitalized on the first mistake, as a Fletcher fumble bounced into the hands of Lecumberry, and the senior ran 39 yards the other way for the score.
"Tanner had a good night on defense," added the coach. "He was there for three of the turnovers and was in the right place at the right time for that fumble."
Dayton fumbled again two plays later and after Daniel Pollock recovered the ball, Brandon Okuma scored from 19 yards out for a 27-8 lead. The Buckaroos scored the two touchdowns in a 39-second stretch.
Dayton went three-and-out on its next possession and Lowry was quick to strike, scoring on the first play of the drive on a 55-yard pass from Connors to Jesse Studebaker. Connors was nearly perfect on the night, going 6-of-7 for 131 yards and three touchdowns.
"It has been a while since we have thrown three touchdowns in a game," said the coach. "Calvin is a dual threat at quarterback and is making good decisions for us."
The final nail in the coffin occurred when Dayton fumbled on its next offensive play. The Buckaroos used the short field to their advantage and Connors threw his third touchdown pass of the night, this time a 2-yard fade pass to Robert Stepper with 1.1 seconds left in the third quarter for a 40-8 advantage.
"The game plan was to wear Dayton down," Billingsley said. "They have some good players but not very many of them. They had some kids missing with injuries but we are pleased with the win. Frankly they had us worried going in."
Both teams added touchdowns in the fourth quarter, with Beau Billingsley scoring on a 2-yard touchdown run with 4:54 to play. The Buckaroos had a chance to add to the advantage late in the game, but took a knee in the final seconds instead of scoring.
Lowry ran just 39 plays on the night, accounting for 431 yards of total offense. Arenas led Lowry with 91 yards rushing on five carries, Okuma added 66 yards on seven carries. Elijah Frei and Donovan Brumm accounted for 58 and 51 yards, respectively, all in the fourth quarter, and Billingsley ran for 21 yards.
"Our backs did a good job of running the ball," Billingsley said. "Elijah and Donovan came in the fourth quarter and ran hard."
Lowry is back at home on Friday to play rival Elko at 7 p.m. The Indians are 0-3 in league play this year. It is also homecoming for the Buckaroos.
"Hopefully, we can keep this momentum going," Billingsley said. "It is another big game for us and Elko always plays us tough. Elko is a big rival for us and we are looking forward to a good homecoming week."
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