Lowry’s Ryder Huitt looks for room to run after making a catch against Elko on Friday night in Elko.
When the Lowry High School football team took on Elko on a hot September Saturday afternoon for homecoming, the Buckaroos made a couple key miscues that prevented an upset victory.
The two long-running rivals met again, this time on a cool and crisp November night in Elko in the opening round of the Northern 3A playoffs.
Ove again, Lowry put a scare into Elko well into the second half, only to see the Indians pull away for a 37-21 win. T
he Buckaroos’ season ended at 2-8.
The Lowry football team comes back to the field after halftime.
The start of the contest looked strangely familiar, as Lowry was able to move the ball on the Elko defense but could not score points.
The Buckaroos took the initial drive of the night to the Indian 30-yard line, before stalling out on downs.
Elko quickly countered with a 65-yard drive that was capped off by a 32-yard run by sophomore Ethan Kraintz a 7-0 lead with 5:42 left in the first quarter.
That turned out to be the lone points of the first half.
The Buckaroos marched right back down the field after the score and were at the Elko 10-yard line, when Lowry turned the ball over on downs.
The Lowry defense stepped up big in the final two minutes of the first half, recovering a fumble at the 6-ayrd line and Matthew Casalez intercepting an Elko pass at the 2-yard line, a play after the Buckaroos turned the ball over on downs.
Lowry's Erick Valencia runs past a Elko defender during Friday's Northern 3A quarterfinal game in Elko.
After forcing Elko to punt on its first possession of the third quarter, Lowry drove 60 yards, aided by an offside call on the Indians on fourth down to keep the drive going. Erick Valencia eventually scored from a yard out, as the Buckaroos tied the game at 7-7 and quieted the Elko crowd.
It took just two minutes for Elko to answer with a 75-yard drive, ending with a 30-yard pass from Kraintz to Coy Jones and a 15-7 lead. After a big kickoff return from Casalez, the Buckaroos attempted a fake punt, which turned the momentum.
Just a couple plays later, Kraintz found his way to the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown and a 21-7 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
The Lowry football team, as they come on to the field.
The fireworks came fast and furious in the opening of the fourth quarter, with Lowry cutting the deficit to 21-14 after an 8-yard pass from Connor Peterson to Anthony Monroy with 9:29 to play.
It took Jones just 13 seconds to travel 92 yards and return the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown and a 29-14 lead. Lowry threw an interception on its next drive and Riott Duke turned into a 40-yard touchdown just a couple players later, growing the score to 37-14 with 7:59 to play.
The Buckaroos had one last scoring drive in their system, scoring a 12-yard pass from Peterson to Jaden Jimenez but that was the final offense from the Buckaroos.
Elko advanced to the Northern 3A semifinals to play at Churchill County and Truckee hosts Spring Creek in the other semifinal match-up.