The schedule keeps on getting tougher for the Battle Mountain High School football team and results keep on getting better week after week.
Battle Mountain made the trip to eastern Nevada on Friday to play White and left Ely with a 46-12 win to improve to 4-0 on the year.
"We knew White Pine would be a good test for us, and our kids rose to the occasion,” said BMHS coach Mitch Domagala.
The Longhorns opened the contest in style, as Terrance Fetterly ran the opening kickoff back 86 yards for a touchdown and an 8-0 lead after the 2-point conversion by Cody Ostler.
White Pine quickly went 3-and-out on its opening possession and the Longhorns answered with a 5-play drive that resulted in a 24-yard run by Aldo Castellanos. Battle Mountain missed the 2-point conversion to go in front 14-0.
Battle Mountain appeared to add to the advantage on White Pine’s next play, but the defensive touchdown was brought back. On White Pine's first play of the next possession, Ostler stripped the ball and returned it for an apparent touchdown. However, the officials had sounded an inadvertent whistle and White Pine retained possession of the ball. The Bobcats gained two first downs before turning the ball over on downs.
White Pine shut down Battle Mountain’s offense for the first time early in the second quarter, but turned ball over two plays later when Ostler recovered a fumble. Three plays later, Ostler scored from 22 yards to make the score 2-0 after the missed conversion.
After being shut down for much of the first half, White Pine responded with its first points of the night, when Devin Starkey connected with Tyler Lawrence on a 34-yard touchdown pass to make the score 20-6.
Battle Mountain responded with a dominant 13-play drive that ended with a 24-yard pass play from Castellanos to Jose Guizar and a 28-6 lead at halftime.
A Battle Mountain fumble in the early stages of the third quarter allowed White Pine to cut the deficit to 28-12 when Starkey and Lawrence connected for a second time. That proved to be all the scoring for the Bobcats on the night.
After trading punts, Battle Mountain added to its lead on a 38 yard run by Castellanos. The 2-point conversion was no good and Battle Mountain led 34-12.
Battle Mountain’s special teams and defense came up big in the fourth quarter. The Battle Mountain defense pinned White Pine deep in its own territory and stopped a fake punt attempt. Moments later, Castellanos scored on a 1-yard run for a 40-12 lead.
On the next White Pine offensive play, Castellanos intercepted a Starkey pass and three plays later, Ostler scores on a 20-yard run for the final points of the night.
"The middle of our defense looked real solid tonight,” added the coach. “Kobe (Lake) played his best game yet."
Castellanos was 5-of-15 passing for 84 yards and the junior added 129 yards on the ground on 16 carries. Fetterly had two catches for 47 yards, Guizar also had two catches for 27 yards and Ostler had one reception.
Ostler rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. As a team, Battle Mountain rushed for 268 yards.
Battle Mountain steps out of state on Friday to play American Falls, Idaho, at 7 p.m. The Longhorns are back home on Friday, Oct. 11, to play North Tahoe at 7 p.m.
