For the second time in the first four games of the season, the Lowry High School football team was back in scenic Lake Tahoe.
The Buckaroos were looking to collect their first win of the season last Friday, but costly mistakes proved too much to overcome, as South Tahoe picked up its first win of the year, shutting out Lowry 27-0.
“We didn’t play very well,” said LHS coach Taua Cabatbat. “We just keep shooting ourselves in the foot with mistakes. We need to cut out the miscues and finish.”
Lowry turned the ball over on its fourth play of scrimmage, and South Tahoe took advantage, driving 48 yards to take a 7-0 lead after a 13-yard pass from Mason Cain to Noah Jackson with 5:52 left in the first quarter.
The Buckaroos appeared to have an answer on their next drive, only to see it stall out inside the 30-yard line on downs. That turned out to be the best drive of the night for Lowry.
South Tahoe jumped on the board moments later on a 39-yard screen pass from Tommy Cefalu to Jackson, with 10:38 to play in the first half. The score remained 14-0 going into halftime.
After both teams traded punts to begin the second half, South Tahoe increased its lead to 20-0 on a 17-yard run by Darren Jackson.
The final score of the night came early in the fourth quarter, when Cefalu connected with Darren Jackson on a 35-yard pass play that went down the middle of the field.
The Buckaroos (0-4 overall, 0-4 Division I-A North) turned the ball over on downs on their next possession and the Vikings ran nearly eight minutes off the clock to seal the victory. It was the first time South Tahoe shut out a team since 2005, against Foresthill, Calif.
Jacob Hernandez led the Lowry rushing attack with 74 yards on 14 carries. Alan Mayorga added 12 yards and Jackson Brown 11. Brady Lange was 10-19 passing for 88 yards. Nate Nelson had six catches for 40 yards, Hernandez had one reception for 30 yards, Teichert had two catches for 12 yards and Austin Robison had one catch for six yards.
Lowry will look to pick up its first win of the season tonight against Dayton at 7 p.m. The Buckaroos are also celebrating their Homecoming. The Dust Devils are 0-5 on the season and have been outscored 258-0.
