In a season of close calls, the Lowry High School football team experienced another this past Friday night in Sparks, but came up short on the scoreboard.
The Railroaders used two touchdowns in the second half to break a 20-20 tie at halftime and went on to win 38-27, to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Buckaroos dropped to 1-7 in the Northern 3A and 1-8 overall.
After turnovers by both teams to start the first quarter, Sparks completed a 74-yard drive the second time they had the ball. Jorge Dominguez scored the first of his four touchdowns, closing out the possession with a 1-yard touchdown scamper for 7-0 lead with 4:32 left in the first quarter.
The Buckaroos quickly answered with an 80-yard drive in just over three minutes. Lowry used the running games of Anthony Peterson and Victor Rosas to move the ball. Lowry cut the lead to 7-6 on a 1-yard run by Rosas.
It took the Railroaders just 61 seconds to increase the lead to 14-6, as Dominguez scored on a 51-yard run on the final play of the first quarter. It took Sparks just three plays to travel the 65 yards.
Special teams led to the next Sparks touchdown, as the Railroaders blocked a punt deep in Lowry territory. Sparks was back in the end zone three plays later on a run by Cody Mcabee to make the score 20-6 with 8:44 left in the first half. The Buckaroos bounced back two minutes later, as Rosas got free in the Sparks secondary and raced in from 55 yards out on fourth and three to make the score 20-12 after the missed extra point.
The Buckaroos quickly got the ball back as Cade Billingsley recovered a Sparks fumble, but Lowry gave the ball back to Sparks inside the redzone after a pass by Brendan Domire was tipped and intercepted.
Lowry forced Sparks to punt on its next possession and the Buckaroos were able to capitalize after that. The Buckaroos drove 50 yards in less than a minute, finished off by a 31-yard pass from Domire to Dorsey Naveran to tie the game at 20-20.
The Railroaders quickly moved the ball into Lowry territory in the final seconds of the first half, but could not add any points.
Sparks broke the tie on their opening drive of the third quarter, behind the running of Dominguez. The senior did much of the work on the 56-yard drive and gave the Railroaders a 26-20 advantage after a 14-yard run.
The Buckaroos had a chance to tie or go in front on their first possession of the third quarter, but two unsportsmanlike penalties on the same play ended the drive.
Late into the third quarter and start of the fourth quarter, Lowry had another opportunity to go back in front, but saw a drive stall out inside the Sparks 10-yard line on downs.
The momentum quickly shifted as Dominguez broke free for nearly 85 yards on the next play. Two plays later, Dominguez scored on an 8-yard run with 8:29 left.
With the aid of some trickery, including a hook-and-ladder play, Lowry closed the gap back down to five points at 32-27 on a 1-yard touchdown run by Rosas.
That was as close as the Buckaroos got as Sparks’ Vashisth Patel scored on 1-yard run with 1:54 to play. Lowry drove back down the field, but an interception in the final seconds ended the comeback.
Lowry closes out its season on Thursday at home against Churchill County at 7 p.m. It is also senior night.
