TRUCKEE — The Truckee football team looked like the Wolverines of old Saturday.
Using their full arsenal of offensive weapons, the Wolverines gained 461 yards with 12 different players, while six players scored touchdowns in a 54-13 win over visiting Lowry.
“We try to spread the love out. We have a lot of athletes on this team, and we try to rotate guys in and keep everyone engaged,” said Truckee coach Josh Ivens, whose Wolverines evened their record at 1-1 in the Northern Division I-A.
While Truckee’s offense fired, Lowry (0-2 league) struggled to maintain drives most of the afternoon. The Buckaroos lost three fumbles, all of which led directly to Truckee points, and were limited to 231 yards of total offense.
“We didn’t take care of the trenches like we expected to,” Lowry coach Taua Cabatbat said. “Truckee’s a good team. I don’t want to take anything away from them, but we came out flat and did not have a great afternoon.”
The Wolverines led 20-0 before the Buckaroos got on the scoreboard in the second quarter. The hosts were sharper yet in the second half, outscoring Lowry 21-7 in the third quarter and 13-0 in the fourth to pull away.
Junior running back Carson McCarron led the charge with a game-high 124 yards on 12 rushes. Junior teammate Cole Harrity finished with 80 yards rushing and two touchdowns, including a 53-yard scoring play during Truckee’s big third quarter. In all, nine Truckee running backs accounted for 373 yards of rushing.
“Our running backs, wow, I love ‘em,” said Truckee senior lineman Erik Swalander. “We open up the holes and give them a little space, and they score touchdowns. I love ‘em.”
Junior running back Jacob Hernandez led the Buckaroos with 74 yards rushing on 14 carries, highlighted by a 27-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
The Buckaroos managed to keep the Wolverines out of the end zone early in the contest despite two promising opening drives. That gave junior All-League kicker Jose Araiza a chance to show off his leg as he booted field goals of 24 and 46 yards — the second of which sailed over the center of the crossbar with room to spare.
Lowry put together its own promising drive on its opening possession, marching 40 yards before turning the ball over on a fumble.
The Buckaroos went three-and-out on their next possession before Harrity scored his first touchdown on a 5-yard run on the last play of the quarter. Araiza kicked through the PAT — he was 6-for-7 on the day — and Truckee took a 13-0 lead.
Truckee extended its lead to 20-0 after recovering another Lowry fumble early in the second quarter. The Wolverines covered the short field in five plays, capped by a 7-yard run by junior fullback Wulfe Retzlaff.
Lowry answered with an efficient drive, as the Buckaroos marched 80 yards in 13 plays for their first score. On the touchdown play, senior running back Mason Morrison took the handoff at the 7-yard line and lost the football, which bounced into the hands of senior teammate Nate Nelson as he crossed the goal line. Truckee stopped the two-point conversion attempt by Hernandez.
The teams traded interceptions to close out the half — with Nelson stepping in front of a pass by Truckee quarterback Tyler Davis, and Connor Bullion picking off a pass by Lowry quarterback Brady Lange on the next play.
After the clubs traded fumbles early in the second half, Truckee scored on back-to-back possessions midway through the quarter. Senior fullback JJ Bellon rumbled into the end zone on a 10-yard run, and Harrity followed with his 53-yard TD run after a Lowry three-and-out.
The Buckaroos responded with an 80-yard drive in just four plays, including a 30-yard reception by Nelson, an 18-yard run by Lange and a 27-yard TD run by Hernandez. Shaun Mentaberry kicked through the PAT as the visitors adjusted the score to 34-14.
It was all Truckee the rest of the way. The Wolverines scored touchdowns on their next three possessions — on a 9-yard run by Tony Felix at the end of the third quarter, a 10-yard pass from Davis to Conor Jacobs early in the fourth, and a 6-yard run by Connor Bullion with 2:51 remaining.
Ivens credited Truckee’s line play on both sides of the ball, as well as his corps of running backs.
Both quarterbacks posted similarly efficient lines, with Davis finishing 9-of-13 for 88 yards, and Lange finishing 9-of-12 for 87 yards.
Lowry hosts Wooster on Friday at 7 p.m.
