After nearly a month away, the Lowry High School football team returned to Jerry Tobin this past Friday night for homecoming against Spring Creek.
The Buckaroos were coming off losses to Elko and Fernley on the road and needed a win against the Spartans to remain in playoff contention.
The visitors from Elko County had other ideas and ended Lowry’s playoff hops with a 26-6 win.
The Buckaroos dropped to 5-3 overall and 1-3 in the Northern 3A East. Spring Creek improved to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in league play.
Following a Lowry punt, Spring Creek quickly got the scoreboard, as Weston Petersen connected with Jonathan Crawford-Wadley and the junior wide receiver did the rest, avoiding a tackle on the sideline and running for an 85-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Spartan lead, less than five minutes into the contest.
That was about all the offense in the first half for both teams, until late in the second quarter, when Lowry struck for its lone score of the night.
The 85-yard drive stayed alive, as Jordan Bills completed a pass to Bryce Kuykendall on 3rd and 24 to keep the possession going.
The Buckaroos got on the board with 46 seconds left in the first half on a 5-yard pass from Bills to Erick Valencia. Valencia, a freshman, moved up from the junior varsity squad. Lowry missed the extra point and trailed 7-6 at halftime.
The Spartans quickly added to its lead at the start of the second half, with two touchdowns in less than three minutes.
Petersen, scored on a 68-yard run on the first play of the third quarter and after a quick Lowry possession and punt, Petersen was back in the end zone on a 17-yrad run to increase the lead to 20-6 after the missed extra point.
Lowry had two opportunities to cut into the deficit in the second half but saw one drive end on downs at the Spring Creek 8-yard line and another at the 18-yard line of the Spartans.
Spring Creek put the contest out of reach with 2:46 to play, as Petersen found Klayten Pippo for a 38-yard touchdown for the final points of the night.
Lowry closes out its season on Friday at 7 p.m. against league-leading Churchill County. It is also senior night.
