It didn’t take long for the Battle Mountain High School football team to make a statement on homecoming night this past Friday at Tim Knight Field.
The Longhorns scored 14 points in just over three minutes on one offensive play and cruised to a 46-0 win over Silver Stage to improve to 3-0 in the Northern 2A and 4-1 overall.
Battle Mountain senior Sean Bengoa took the opening kickoff back for an 85-yard touchdown and the rout was on from there.
After a bad snap on a punt attempt on Silver Stage’s opening possession, the Longhorns were back in the end zone one play later on a 17-yard run by James Spealman.
That score gave Battle Mountain a 14-0 advantage.
Following a quick three-and-out by the Silver Stage offense, Battle Mountain was poised to quickly add to its lead.
The Longhorns moved inside the Nighthawks’ 20-yard line after a pass from Anthony Silva to Bengoa.
However, the drive end with a fumble inside the Silver Stage 5-yard line.
Midway through the second quarter and following an interception by Bengoa,
Battle Mountain tacked on a 27-yard field goal by Jr Vazquez with 5:54 left in the first half to make the score 17-0.
Silver Stage punted on its next possession, which led to the final score of the first half, as Battle Mountain capped off a 38-yard drive with a 11-yard pass from Silva to Vazquez for a 24-0 lead at the break.
The Nighthawks looked to change the momentum at the start of the third quarter and look as if they were going to finish off a 65-yard drive with a touchdown.
The Nighthawks reached the Longhorns’ 1-yard line, but four straight defensive plays kept Silver Stage out of the end zone.
From there, the momentum quickly shifted and the game was all but over on the next play, as Silva called his own number and scored on a 92-yard run to increase the lead to 32-0 after the 2-point conversion.
It went from bad to worse for Silver Stage on its next possession, as Battle Mountain’s Liam Bundrock intercepted a pass that led to another score.
The Longhorns capped off a 58-yard drive late in the third quarter on a 3-yard run by Spealman.
Following another interception by Bundrock in the fourth quarter, Aden Payzant completed the scoring with a 27-yard touchdown run.
The fight for the top spot in the Northern 2A will be up for grabs on Friday night, as Battle Mountain travels to face Yerington, the defending 2A state champion.
The Lions are coming off a 69-0 win over West Wendover and beat Pershing County earlier in the year as well.
