On Friday on Yanni Field in Lovelock, another chapter of the rivalry between Battle Mountain and Lovelock played out. It was Lovelock’s first home playoff game since 2018. At stake? Nothing less than a shot at the 2022 Class 2A State Football Championship.
Pershing County came out on top with a final score of 50-19.
“We were excited to play at home and Battle Mountain is always a challenging opponent,” said coach Mike Brooks.
It was a tough loss for the Longhorns. They ended their year ranked third in the Northern 2A with a solid record of 6-4 overall and 5-2 in the Northern 2A.
The last contest between the Longhorns and Mustangs on Oct. 20 was closer, ending in a 39-22 road win for the Mustangs.
Pershing County’s Izayuh McGlothin rushed for the first touchdown of the night, followed by a 2-point conversion, as the first quarter ended at 8-0.
The Mustangs solidified their lead in the second quarter. On the fourth down with five yards to go, Aaron Kienbaum caught a touchdown pass from Travis Donaldson.
Moments later Battle Mountain got back into the game, cutting the deficit in half but that didn’t slow the Mustangs down. Donaldson rushed for a touchdown to end the half at 21-7.
“We made some huge plays in the second half to widen the margin,” said Brooks.
McGlothin rushed for a third quarter touchdown, only to see Battle Mountain score about halfway through the quarter.
Late in the third quarter, Pershing County added to its lead as, senior Noel Zaldivar caught an interception and ran it to the end zone to end the quarter at 35-13.
In the fourth quarter, McGlothin rushed 45-yards to score. Sophomore running back Luis Sanchez intercepted a Longhorn pass. Denzel Zaldivar scored a 65-yard touchdown run.
Battle Mountain’s Anthony Silva ran in Battle Mountain’s third and final touchdown of the night to end the game with the Mustangs up by 31 points.
This Saturday the Mustangs travel to Las Vegas to play the Meadows (10-1 overall, 6-1 league).
Meanwhile Yerington (8-0, 6-0) plays Lincoln County (9-1, 6-1).
The winner of each game will compete in the state championship on Nov. 19.
Last year the fight for the state championship came down to Yerington and the Meadows. The battle took place at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders. Yerington won the title with a final score of 35-26.
“We are excited for the trip to Vegas. The Meadows is a good opponent and we’re looking forward to the challenge,” said Brooks.
