Coming off a draining triple-overtime victory over rival Pershing County the week before, the Battle Mountain High School football team could not afford a letdown when it traveled to West Wendover last Friday.
The Longhorns made sure that did not happen, jumping out to an early lead and cruising to a 45-0 victory over the Wolverines. The win clinched a home playoff contest for Battle Mountain on Friday, Nov. 6, against Pershing County.
“The kids showed up and played solid football all night long,” said BMHS coach Mitch Domagala. “Defensively, we are focusing on not giving up the big play. Offensively, it’s all about execution. The kids did a good job on both of those.”
Battle Mountain grabbed a 13-0 lead in the first quarter and doubled that total going into halftime. The Longhorns added three more touchdowns in the third quarter, as the game was played with a running clock with about three minutes left in the third quarter.
“We talked all week about being focused on Wendover and putting last week behind us,” Domagala said.
Bryan Chavira had a strong night passing the ball, going 18-for-31 for 243 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Calvin Goddard had three receptions for 94 yards, including one for 61 yards. Regan Knight and Kort Beaver each caught five passes for 52 and 45 yards, respectively. Each of them had a touchdown.
Arturo Serrano, Brenden Petersen and Matt Rochester also caught passes on the night.
Battle Mountain (3-1 Division III North, 5-3 overall) provided an equally tough running game, rushing for 195 yards on 35 carries.
Chavira led the way with 99 yards on 15 carries and one touchdown. Serrano collected 62 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries, and Beaver and Petersen combined for 27 yards and a touchdown apiece.
The Battle Mountain defense created havoc for much of the night, forcing multiple turnovers by West Wendover. Petersen picked off Wolverine quarterback Zade Elton twice, and Andrew Cox also had an interception.
Regan Knight, Jeff Oakes and Zach Heese recovered fumbles, and D.J. Potter blocked a punt and had a quarterback sack. Serrano led the team with 14 tackles, Cox was in double figures with 10 and Truxton Price added seven tackles.
West Wendover was held to 180 yards of offense.
“This was a must-win game for us,” Domagala said. “This win clinched the number two seed in the north and a first round home playoff game.”
Battle Mountain closes out the regular season Thursday night at Incline at 7 p.m.
The first round of the regional playoffs are set for Friday, Nov. 6. West Wendover will travel to Yerington, the two-time defending Division III state champion. Pershing County will be at Battle Mountain on Nov. 6.
The last time the rivals played, the Longhorns rallied from a 22-point fourth quarter deficit to win 42-36 in triple overtime.
