Some things in life take getting used to – like watching the boys of fall play football in March.
But Lovelock fans are adaptable. About 25 cars full of supporters watched from their vehicles on Friday night, leaning on their horns whenever the Mustangs advanced against the visiting Battle Mountain Longhorns.
Pershing County fought back from a 20-point deficit to beat their rival school 23-20.
That brings Lovelock to 4-0 for the season with two games left on the clock.
This Friday, they’re headed to West Wendover to take on the Wolverines.
They’ll end the 2021 season at home against the Yerington Lions on April 9, starting at 5 p.m. Check online for updates and last-minute changes.
The rivals bounded onto Yanni Field with confidence.
However, despite their high energy, Lovelock got off to a slow start. “We were shooting ourselves in the foot,” said coach Mike Brooks.
Longhorn Anthony Silva ran up the middle and scored the first touchdown of the night. The extra point attempt fizzled.
In the second quarter, Declan McClary got past the Mustang’s D-line. Once again, the two-point conversion faltered, bringing the score to 12-0, Longhorns. Jose Guizar added another six-points for Battle Mountain.
A successful conversion brought the score to 20-0.
Pershing County did not allow Battle Mountain to score again. From there on out, it was all Mustangs.
Finally, midway through the second quarter, Pershing County’s Raul Rincon put points on the board for the Mustangs. Diego Gonzalez added a good kick, and Lovelock began chipping away at the deficit.
The half ended at 20-7.
Rincon ran in another touchdown in the third quarter. Gonzalez’s kick narrowed the gap to 20-14.
The spirit squad kicked into overdrive, leading a back and forth with about 30 students seated in bleachers decorated with red and black balloons. Some huddled under blankets as the temperature dropped and the night grew chilly.
Evenson kept up his banter, introducing the officials and cheerleaders.
On a sad note, he asked for a moment of silence in memory of Doug McLean, a longtime Mustang supporter and father of Coach Dave McLean.
“Do you think the Mustangs can turn this around?” Evenson asked. They could and did. In the fourth quarter, Lovelock scored a safety when Nikita Pavlov tackled the Longhorn QB in the Battle Mountain end zone, bringing the tally to 20-16.
With less than a minute left on the clock, Rincon lit up the scoreboard again. Gonzalez kicked in the extra point, ending the night at 20-23 for the Mustangs.
“The kids never gave up on themselves or the team,” said Coach Brooks. “I’m glad it turned out in our favor.”
JV boys winding
up season
The JV boys beat Battle Mountain 46-6. They’ll finish their season on Friday, Apr. 2. This time, they’ll travel to Longhorn country. The game begins at 4:30 p.m.
“The coaches and I couldn’t be happier with the effort of our team this week,” said coach Dan Murphy. “It’s always good to come out on top in a rivalry game. The JV team has improved so fast in this short season. It’s a shame we only have one game left, but we’re grateful that we were able to get kids onto the field.”
