After two weeks of close calls, the Lowry High School football team finally picked up its first win of the season on Friday night in Winnemucca.
The Buckaroos celebrated Homecoming in style, scoring on their first possession of the night to beat Dayton 42-6.
“It is the win we were looking for,” said LHS coach Taua Cabatbat. “It’s a big confidence-booster for us. We did some good things tonight and [were] able to get our offense going. Anthony (Peterson) and Victor (Rosas) ran the ball well. We are looking forward to our next two games. We think they are winable games.”
Lowry (1-5, Northern 3A, 1-6 overall) scored three minutes into the contest as Brendan Domire connected with freshman Anthony Peterson on a 19-yard pass play across the middle of the field.
Dayton’s initial drive of the night stalled out on downs and on the ensuing punt, Matthew Souza returned the ball 83 yards to the Dayton 3-yard line. On the next play, Victor Rosas scored on a 3-yard run to give Lowry a 14-0 lead with 4:20 to play in the first quarter.
A 42-yard run by Austin Lunz moved Dayton deep into Lowry territory late in the first quarter. However, a personal foul two plays later on Dayton hindered the Dust Devils’ drive. Dayton eventually fumbled at the 1-yard line on fourth and goal and turned the ball back over to Lowry.
Moments later, Peterson extended the Lowry lead to 22-0 on a 70-yard run a minute into the second quarter. The Buckaroos were inside the Dayton 5-yard line on two more occasions in the second quarter, but could not score. Jeffrey Walker intercepted Domire on one drive and the Dust Devil defense held on the other.
“Those were about our only mistakes of the night,” Cabatbat said. “We still need to finish drives when we have the chance. It was a good game for us, a good Homecoming. The kids deserved the win. They have been working hard. We have been close the last couple of weeks. I just want them to know what winning feels like.”
Lowry tacked on two touchdowns in the third quarter, starting with a 91-yard run by Victor Rosas. Rosas was caught from behind, but fell into the end zone.
The Buckaroos led 35-0 with 34 seconds left in the third quarter after a 5-yard pass from Domire to Ren Mattson. Mattson had the ball knocked out of his hands just as he caught the ball in the end zone, but was given the touchdown.
The Buckaroos increased the lead to 42-0 with 4:02 to play in the fourth quarter on a 3-yard pass play from Domire to Rosas.
Dayton (0-6 Northern 3A, 1-6 overall) prevented the shutout in the final two minutes of the contest when Walker scored on a 3-yard run. The Dust Devils recovered the ensuing on-side kick, but could not score again.
Lowry travels to Elko on Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Indians started the Northern 3A with two wins, but have lost four games in a row. Elko lost 32-14 to Churchill County last week.
The Buckaroos still have a slight chance at making the playoffs as the sixth seed. Lowry would need to beat Elko, Sparks and Churchill County in its three remaining games and get some help with other losses from those teams.
Fernley beat Spring Creek last week to take sole possession of first place in the Northern 3A at 6-0. Spring Creek, Churchill County and Truckee are tied for second at 5-1. South Tahoe is fifth at 5-5 and Sparks rounds out the top six at 2-4. Elko is also 2-4, but Sparks beat them earlier in the season.
“We are still learning as a team and coaching staff,” Cabatbat said. “I am satisfied [with] how we did tonight. We have some to work on. We want to end this season on a high note.”
