MCDERMITT — As the season hit the midway point, the McDermitt High School football team stepped out of league play to take on North Tahoe this past Saturday in McDermitt.
The Lakers, who are a 2A school playing as an independent, made the long trip from Tahoe City, Calif., and knocked off the Bulldogs 58-8.
“That is the biggest and most physical team we might see all year,” said MHS coach Richard Egan. “With their size, they were able to move the ball on us. It was a good chance to see a different team. They are a seasoned team and there is nothing soft about them. This is will get us ready for Eureka and Carlin.”
North Tahoe scored two touchdowns in a 10-second span to lead 14-0 in the first quarter. McDermitt had the ball first, but was forced to punt.
It took the Lakers just three plays to find the end zone as Thomas Mercogliano connected with Brett Hurt for a 33-yard touchdown pass. North Tahoe scored 10 seconds later, with Martin Barrera recovering a fumble in the end zone for a 14-0 lead.
Following a North Tahoe fumble late in the first quarter, McDermitt was able to drive into Lakers territory with a pass from Cauy Crutcher to Ben Draunidalo.
Diego Navarro converted a fake punt to keep the drive going, but the Bulldogs fumbled on the first play of the second quarter.
North Tahoe drove 61 yards, capped off by a 45-yard run by Nathan Lutz to push the advantage to 22-0 after the 2-point conversion. McDermitt fumbled the ensuing kickoff and two plays later, Raul Estrada caught a 14-yard pass from Mercogliano to make the score 30-0.
The Bulldogs were pinned deep in their own territory on the next drive and were forced to punt. The Lakers needed to drive just 18 yards, and three plays later Mercogliano connected with Eli Snyder for a 10-yard touchdown pass and a 38-0 lead at halftime.
“I thought we should of have scored a couple times in the first half,” Egan said. “We stumbled a couple times and mistakes hurt us. We had our chances.”
With a running clock was in place for the second half, as Mercogliano took the third quarter kickoff back 71 yards for a touchdown.
The Lakers added two more touchdowns in the third quarter, the first coming off a 20-yard pass from Mercogliano to Dalton Lamberth and a 20-yard run by Lutz, with 48 seconds left in the third quarter.
McDermitt prevented the shutout, with its best drive to close out the game. The Bulldogs drove the length of the field and found the end zone on a 1-yard run by Jagger Hinkey. Hinkey also ran in the 2-point conversion with 40 seconds to play.
“That is something we can build on,” Egan said. “I was happy with how the kids came back and played and finished the game. We never quit. We have to get back to work for the next three weeks. We have some tough games to end the season.”
McDermitt (1-1 Eastern 1A, 1-3 overall) jumps back into league play on Saturday with a 1 p.m. contest against Eureka.
