It was just another Thursday night in the Battle Mountain and Pershing County High School football rivalry.
One last beautiful fall night and a boisterous crowd greeted the players on the field.
It was a night of momentum for both squads, as Battle Mountain struck for the first 13 points of the game, only to see Pershing County rally for a 39-22 win and secure the No. 2 seed in the playoffs in the Northern 2A.
The Longhorns will likely make a trip to Lovelock to play the same Mustangs squad next week in the postseason.
“We got down early but it was a nice comeback for us,” said PCHS coach Mike Brooks. “They always play super hard against us and it's always a great game. For the past few years, they jumped out on us early but we were able come back. It’s a big rivalry and we told the kids they are coming after us.”
Despite being called for three penalties on its opening drive, Battle Mountain managed to move the ball down the field, which included a third and 25 conversion off a long pass from
Anthony Silva to Jr. Vazquez. The 60-yard drive ended with a 26-yard pass from Silva to Liam Bundrock to give the Longhorns a 7-0 lead four minutes into the contest.
Pershing County used nearly six minutes off the clock to drive deep into Battle Mountain on its initial drive of the night but the possession ended with a fumble that was recovered by Anthony Molina.
The Longhorns were back in the end zone again in just over a minute, as Silva found a wide-open Matthew Farr for a 50-yard touchdown and 13-0 lead with 54 seconds left in the first quarter.
“It was a game of momentum,” said BMHS coach Tucker Vezina. “We came like a ball of fire and we knew they were a great football team. “It’s two heavyweights going at it and we knew they would punch back. They get the running game going and drain that clock. We knew what they were going to do. They just did it a little better than us.”
Aided by a long pass from Travis Donaldson to Noel Zaldivar and a personal foul penalty on Battle Mountain, Pershing County quickly drove 56 yards and capped the drive off with a 2-yard run by Donaldson to close the gap to 13-6 with 8:54 left in the first half.
The Longhorns quickly answered, as Silva threw his third touchdown of the night, this time a 4-yard pass to Bundrock.
That turned out to be the final touchdown of the night for Battle Mountain.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Longhorns were pushed back 15 yards for an unsportsmanlike penalty after the touchdown, which led to an 80-yard kickoff return for a score by Denzel Zaldivar to make the score 19 19-13.
Battle Mountain was forced to punt on its next possession and one play later, Pershing County tied the game at 19, as Noel Zaldivar broke free for a 62-yard touchdown run.
The Longhorns turned the ball over on their next drive on a fumble and the Mustangs looked poised to go in front with a drive at the end of the first half, but was intercepted near the goal line as time expired.
“The end of the first half was big for us,” Brooks said. “I would have liked to get another score there.”
Pershing County went to what it does best on the opening possession of the second half and took six minutes off the clock and took the lead for the first time, finishing off the 73-yard drive on a 4-yard run by Izayuh McGlothin to give the Mustangs a 26-19 advantage.
Battle Mountain closed the gap to 29-22 with 9:32 to play after a 30-yard field goal by Vazquez, but Pershing County put up another six-minute drive when it got the ball back and pushed the lead to 32-22 off a 6-yard run By Donaldson.
“That is what we like to do,” Brooks said. “We want to run the ball and empty the clock.”
Donaldson added another 6-yard touchdown run with 71 seconds to play to clinch the win for the Mustangs.
Pershing County hosts Coral Academy on Thursday at 7 p.m. and Battle Mountain travels to West Wendover on Thursday for a 7 p.m. start.
“The biggest thing I take from tonight is our kids battled their heart out tonight,” Vezina said. “That is all I can ask for out of these guys. I love our guys and love our seniors. They played their butts off. The best thing is we get to do this again. We will come back better and stronger.”
