On Friday, Sept. 1, at Tim Knight Field, The Battle Mountain Longhorns played host to Southern 2A The Meadows School Mustangs.
The Longhorns dominated on both sides of the ball by forcing turnovers and scoring repeatedly.
The Longhorns took advantage of Mustang mistakes, forcing several turnovers during the game. Battle Mountain’s defense stifled The Meadows’ offense, not allowing them to cross midfield during the match.
The Mustangs struggled to stop Gabe Naveran and the Longhorn offense, who scored touchdowns on the first three drives of the game. After the first quarter, the Longhorns led 21-0.
Longhorn quarterback Naveran went 6-for-13 passing and threw for 99 yards leading the Longhorns to six touchdowns on the day. Including a 12-yard touchdown run by the quarterback in the first quarter.
Running back Kade Quintana, scored a touchdown with a pass thrown from Naveran, helping build a 35-0 lead before the half.
Kicker Nestor Miramontes shook off the game nerves from last week. He had a huge game going 5-for-5 on extra point attempts. Miramontes continued the good day by hitting a 25-yard field goal from the left hash mark, ending the half with a Longhorns' lead at 38-0.
Battle Mountain head coach Mitch Domagala spoke on what the team learned from playing The Meadows. Domagala said, “Basically, this was a good chance to get all the kids in and get a lot of playing time in and find out what they could do. Jesus Piedra never played football before this year and we got a lot of time watching him carry the ball.”
Domagala said he likes the progression that kicker Miramontes is showing. Domagala said, “We made a field goal for the first time in a long time. He is coming along well. Last week he was nervous, but this week he went 5-for-5 on the extra points. I think we will have a real weapon with him.”
The Longhorns scored one more time in the second half, bringing the score to 45-0. The second half continued with a running clock due to the NIAA 35-point mercy rule.
The second-string players got some playing time and Piedra almost scored his first touchdown on a 40-yard run. However, the play was called back due to a holding penalty.
The Longhorns’ next game will be at home this Friday. They play against another Southern 2A team, the Lincoln County Lynx. Lincoln County usually proves to be a tough team.
Domagala said of the Lynx, “We need to protect the ball and play good defense. Other than that. I think we will be OK.” The Longhorns are now 2-0 on the season and hope to remain undefeated after the upcoming game against the Lynx.
