The Pershing County Mustangs never pass up an opportunity to improve.
That’s why they headed to Elko County this past Thursday.
“We were surprised with an offer for our varsity to play Spring Creek, as we did not have a game scheduled for the week, but with the smoke and Covid we knew there was a chance somebody’s schedule would open up,” said PCHS head coach Mike Brooks. “It worked out well because our JV was already there.”
In 2019, the Spartans finished with a 5-6 overall record and 5-5 in their league. They earned the No. 5 seed for the regionals and beat Lowry (No. 4) on the road in the first round of the playoffs.
In the semifinals, Spring Creek fell to the Fallon Greenwave 34-10.
The bulk of the Spartan linemen have returned for the 2021-2022 season.
“The Mustangs responded well to the higher level of competition which is what we were hoping for,” said Brooks. “Spring Creek is a good program.”
The Spartans earned all 33 of their points in the first half, racking up 27 points in the second quarter.
The Mustangs struggled to get past their defense to score.
Even so, Pershing County gave it their all.
“Mariano Gomez and Noel Zaldivar played well,” said Brooks. “Wyatt Diaz had a good game as well.”
“The final score was 33-0 but the preseason is all about learning experiences,” said the coach. “We are planning to build off of this going forward. We don’t have a lot of depth and are fairly young for a varsity group, but that’s what makes coaching fun — skill building and challenges.”
Quarterback Devin Moura, Esteban Vidrio, Diego Gonzalez, Ashton Nolf, Gomez, Ulises Corona, Nick Flores, Jose Jimenez and Brayden Wagner graduate in the spring with the Class of 2022.
Diaz, Blake Burrows, Zaldivar, Eric Holtsclaw, Seth Provstgaard, Russell Stokes, Nikolas Jimenez and Wyatt Myers are juniors. Brian Kauvaka is a sophomore.
On Friday, Sept. 3, the Mustangs host the Dayton Dust Devils.
The game starts at 7 p.m. Meanwhile, on Thursday, Sept. 2, the JV boys head to Pyramid Lake.
