ELKO — The Elko Indians scored early, and then scored often Friday against the Lowry Buckaroos, running away with a 42-6 Homecoming victory at Warrior Field.
The Buckaroos ran only one play on their opening drive, throwing an interception to Elko senior cornerback Dustin Baum near midfield.
Elko received two personal foul penalties from the sideline, moving the Indians clear back to their own 21-yard line – no matter. It took the Indians exactly one play to chew up 73 yards, as senior quarterback Alex Puentes began a run to the left of center and reversed field to the right sideline — scampering all the way to the Lowry five-yard line.
He called his own number on the next play, finishing the two-play, 79-yard drive. The extra point by senior Nick Smiley was good, and Elko took a 7-0 lead with less than one minute rolling off the clock.
On its next drive, Lowry elected to go for a fourth-down conversion in its own territory. The attempt was thwarted, and Elko took over on the 28-yard line.
Puentes found junior Kyrin Allen over the middle for a first down. Puentes then ran the ball twice, scoring on the second attempt from five yards out on consecutive drives. Smiley added the extra point, and the Indians built a 14-0 lead with 7:48 remaining in the opening period.
Lowry experienced some success on its following drive, mixing in the run and the pass. The Buckaroos moved the ball to the Elko 36, but a failed 4th-and-6 play gave the ball back to the Indians.
The Indians placed junior Austin Smith in the shotgun, running a jet sweep to Puentes — who was lined up on the outside. Elko utilized a long run by senior running back Jacob Pengelly, who received multiple carries with Puentes on the drive.
Elko scored on its last snap of the opening quarter, as Puentes threw an 18-yard touchdown to Allen down the seam. Smiley kicked the extra point, and the Indians took a 21-0 lead with four seconds remaining in the period.
Buckaroo junior running back Jacob Hernandez gave Lowry a shot of life on its opening play of the drive to start the second quarter.
He broke a tackle, which would have provided the Buckaroos a minimal gain. Hernandez broke free down the right side of the field for a 60-plus yard gain.
The Buckaroos were stuffed short on their next three plays, the third on the Elko one-yard line, after quarterback Brady Lange was tackled by Elko junior cornerback Angelo Jones. Facing another fourth down, the Buckaroos finally punched through with a tough run by Hernandez.
The two-point conversion failed, but Lowry had pulled to within 21-6 with 9:36 remaining in the second quarter.
Lowry (1-5 overall, 1-5 Division I-A North) attempted an on-side kick, but the Indians recovered near midfield.
The legs of Puentes and Pengelly moved the Indians down the field, reaching the Lowry 26. Puentes found the Allen all alone near the right pylon. The kick by Smiley was good, and Elko took a 28-0 lead with 6:36 on the clock.
A bobble on the ensuing kickoff was recovered by Elko junior Trevor Basaraba on the Lowry 32.
Allen caught a 30-yard pass from Puentes, and Pengelly finished the drive with a two-yard rush. After the extra point, the Indians had claimed a 35-6 lead.
One of the most exciting moments of the season occurred on Elko’s next drive, which ended in a punt — not ideal.
However, the person who went into the backfield to kick brought the sideline and crowd to incredible emotions — cheers, tears to name a few. Senior Benton Wickersham, who suffered a “season-ending knee injury,” said he was not going to have the play at Sparks be the final football memory of his career.
With a torn ACL and reconstructive surgery coming Tuesday, Wickersham unleashed a punt, drilling a 50-yarder that pinned the Buckaroos on their own two-yard line.
The Indians scored the only points of the second half, capping off a five-play, 54 yard drive with a five-run by Puentes with a little less than 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter..
Lowry travels to Sparks on Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
