All you needed to know about the outcome at the home debut of the Battle Mountain High School football team was that the Longhorns ran 12 plays through three quarters and scored touchdowns on six of those plays.
Battle Mountain led 42-0 at halftime and scored on its first and only play of the third quarter, en route to a 49-0 win over Coral Academy on Friday night.
“We did a lot of good things and are headed in the right direction,” said BMHS coach Mitch Domagala. “A lot of kids got to play a lot of different positions. We are pretty thin with numbers and you have to be versatile.”
Junior running back Cody Ostler, with help form his offensive line, scored on a 57-yard run on the first play from scrimmage and the rout was on from there.
After forcing the Falcons to punt on their first possession, the Longhorns drove 42 yards in just under two minutes to extend the gap to 14-0 after a 5-yard run by Kade Quintana.
Battle Mountain needed just two plays on its next drive to lead 21-0. Following another punt by Coral Academy, Ostler galloped 27 yards on the first play and quarterback DJ Martinez scored from two yards out on the next play.
The Falcons used some trickery to keep their next drive going, nearing midfield after a fake punt but the drive eventually on downs. Three plays later, as the time expired on the clock in the first quarter, Martinez connected with Aldo Castellanos down the field for a 44-yard touchdown and a 28-0 lead.
Coral Academy went three-and-out on its next drive and Battle Mountain struck one play later on a 40-yard run by Ostler. That score gave the Longhorns a 35-0 lead and created a running clock with 10:03 left in the second quarter.
The Longhorns closed out the scoring in the first half on an 80-yard interception return by Isaiah Diaz.
Coral Academy held the ball for more than nine minutes to start the third quarter but could not make much progress on the drive. The Falcons drive stalled out, giving the ball back to the Longhorns.
On the next play, Ostler broke free again and scored on a 28-yard run to make the score 49-0.
“We were pretty efficient on offense,” Domagala said. “I am sure we will find a few things on film that we need to clean up. We need to tighten some things up on defense and keep improving.”
Martinez was 2-of-5 passing for 77 yards and a touchdown. Marcus Jury and Castellanos each had a reception. Ostler had five carries and 164 yards and three touchdowns for the Longhorns.
Battle Mountain is back on the road Friday ti take on West Wendover at 7 p.m. (MDT). The Longhorns return home on Friday, Sept. 21, to play White Pine at 7 p.m.
“We can’t take anything for granted,” Domagala said. “We need to come out and be ready to play West Wendover.”
