After sitting on the sidelines for the first week of action, the Battle Mountain High School hit the field for the first time last Friday in Las Vegas.
Despite a slow start and giving up two first-quarter touchdowns, the Longhorns rallied for the final 27 points to beat The Meadows 35-13.
“We had a slow start, but recovered well. Once we settled down, the kids played good football.”
The Meadows were unkind hosts, scoring on the first play of the game, as Adam Martinez scampered for a 65-yard touchdown run. The Mustangs led 7-0, just 22 seconds into the contest.
Battle Mountain quarterbacks Bryan Chavira and Gabe Naveran each ran for two touchdowns as the Longhorns topped host The Meadows 35-13 on Friday.
Battle Mountain’s (1-0) defense held The Meadows scoreless over the final three quarters while forcing three turnovers.
Chavira had touchdown runs of seven and 13 yards and finished with 98 yards on 14 carries. Naveran supplied rushing scores of nine and 19 yards, finishing with 91 yards on 10 rushes.
Arturo Serrano ran for 78 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown plunge. On the other side of the ball he supplied a sack and a fumble recovery for the Longhorns.
Adam Martinez had a 65-yard TD scamper on the first play from scrimmage for The Meadows (1-1), and quarterback Jack Berkley scored on an 11-yard keeper to give the Mustangs a 13-8 lead with 4:03 left in the first quarter.
While The Meadows went the quick-striking rout, Battle Mountain fought back into the game with a five-minute drive that resulted in a 7-yard run by Bryan Chavira to cap off a 57-yard drive. Arturo Serrano added the 2-point conversion to give the Longhorns an 8-7 advantage.
The back-and-forth battle continued, as The Meadows used a 7-play, 57-yard drive to back in front with four minutes left in the opening quarter. Jack Berkley scored on a 11-yard run to put the Mustangs up 13-8 after the missed extra point. That turned out to be the final points for The Meadows.
Early in the second quarter, Battle Mountain turned the field position around after blocking a punt. The Longhorns needed just six plays to go 39 yards, as Gabe Naveran found the end zone on a 19-yard run. Once again, Serrano added the 2-point conversion to put Battle Mountain up for good at 16-13.
The Longhorns closed out the first half with a 79-yard drive that ate up the clock. Battle Mountain finished off a 10-play drive on a 1-yard run by Serrano to make the score 22-13 at halftime.
After a combined 35 points in the first half, both defenses stepped up after the break in the third quarter. Battle Mountain was forced to give the ball back on downs twice and fumbled on another occasion.
It was as tough for the Mustangs, with DeAndre Powell intercepting a pass in the third quarter. The Meadows' offense stalled out for much of the final 24 minutes.
Battle Mountain extended the margin to 15 points halfway through the fourth quarter, with Naveran capping off a 10-play drive with a 9-yard run. The Longhorns missed the extra point.
The Meadows came back with four incomplete passes on its next possession and Battle Mountain too over at the 30-yard line.
Three plays later, Chavira found the end zone for his second touchdown of the night on a 13-yard run. Mason Fuller added the extra point for the 35-13 lead.
“The offensive line play was our strong point,” Domagala said. “They kept opening holes for the running backs all night, and kept the rush away from the quarterback.”
The offensive line includes Erik Martinez, Zach Heese, Jesse Edgar, Mason Chopp and Christian Figueroa.
The Longhorns sealed the win, as Marcus Jury intercepted a pass by The Meadows in the end zone.
Defensively, Zach Heese recorded two sacks and Martinez (10) and Bobby Kester (8) combined for 18 tackles.
Chavira and Naveran shared duties at quarterback and combined for two completions.
“I think with the first game jitters out of the way, our passing game will be greatly improved over the next few games,” added the coach.
Battle Mountain did its damage on the ground, rushing for nearly 300 yards on 47 carries. Chavira led the way with 126 yards and two touchdowns and Naveran had 101 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns.
Serrano finished with 82 and Mike Piramide had 21 and Kester nine.
“It was a good first game,” Domagala said. “The kids did a lot of things real well, but we definitely have some things to work on.”
Battle Mountain heads n north this week to Idaho to take on Wendell at 7 p.m.
