The Pershing County High School football team used a dominating performance to defeat Incline 26-6 in the NIAA 2A State Championship this past Saturday at McQueen High School in Reno. It is the first state title for the football program since 2018.
The rain cleared out early Saturday morning but the wind was still blowing hard for a 10 a.m. kickoff at McQueen High School in Reno.
The McQueen field is situated on a hill on campus in one of the most wind-prone areas in Reno.
That meant trouble for Incline, who loves to throw the ball.
Pershing County's Trenton Rhodes knocks down a fourth-down pass from Incline's Tommy Williams to help secure the Mustangs' first 2A state championship since 2018, when the squad won three straight from 2016-18.
Pershing County has won 11 state championships overall.
Tommy Williams, one of the best quarterbacks in Nevada had trouble throwing the ball all day.
With all those factors in play, the Pershing County High School football team won its first state championship since 2018 on Saturday. The Mustangs beat the Highlanders 26-6.
"We were happy to come away with the victory against a high-quality opponent,” said PCHS coach Mike Brooks. “We started a little slow, working the jitters out and getting a feel for the game. Credit to Incline for making plays.”
The Pershing County High School football team celebrates after beating Incline 26-6 the NIAA 2A State Championship this past Saturday at McQueen High School in Reno.
The Mustangs and Highlanders confronted each other for the first time since Sept. 8, 2023, when Incline beat Pershing County 21-14 in Incline Village.
This fall, the Davis Fire on Mt. Rose in Reno scrapped their regular season match-up, so they were both undefeated after months of hard work.
It was Incline's first shot at a state championship since long before any of the players were born — 1981.
They fought hard for their first title since 1973.
Pershing County's Izayuh Mcglothin stiff arms his way for extra yardage during Saturday's championship game.
The Mustangs ended last year as state runners up and league champions.
They lost the 2023 title game against Lake Mead at Allegiant Stadium.
Brooks reflected on the role of last year's loss to this year's win.
"This group is always motivated but it certainly made buy-in a lot easier this season," he said.
Many of the Mustangs had watched their older brothers win state. The memory of the 2016-2018 3-peat was fresh in their minds.
The Pershing County High School football team raises the state championship trophy after beating Incline 26-6 the NIAA 2A State Championship this past Saturday at McQueen High School in Reno.
“This was a long time coming,” added the coach. “It has been way too long since we won the last one."
In the first quarter, Travis Donaldson rushed 8 yards for a touchdown to make the score 6-0 after the missed 2-point conversion. In another highlight, Izayuh Mcglothin intercepted an Incline pass.
Incline answered in the late in the second quarter with 38 seconds to play when Williams completed a fourth-down pass to Lucas MacDonald for a touchdown to tie the game at 6-6.
"Defensively, we had a tall task as Incline’s quarterback has proved throughout the season to be almost impossible to even slow down. Credit to the kids, they executed the game plan almost flawlessly and were able to hold Incline to just six points," Brooks said.
Pershing County's Denzel Zaldivar heads to the end zone after intercepting a pass.
Meanwhile, Pershing County's offensive line paved the way for Donaldson's continued trips to the end zone.
"We leaned heavily on Travis (Donaldson) running the ball off tackle, especially with Tyrn (Sam) banged up and unable to handle as many carries as usual. Travis had an unbelievable game, finishing with almost 250 rushing and three touchdowns," Brooks said.
Sam took a hard hit in the first half, limiting his ability to play.
The senior came back the final minute in attempt to add to the score.
Donaldson, scored two more rushing touchdowns in the third quarter. Incline opened the third quarter with a drive inside the Pershing County 30-yard line but fumbled and Ayden Montes pounced on the ball.
Two plays later, Donaldson took it himself through the middle of the line for a 12-6 lead with just eight minutes left in the third quarter.
With five minutes left in the third quarter, Trenton Rhodes knocked down a fourth-down pass from Williams.
With 43 seconds left in the third quarter, Donaldson scored from a yard out, increasing the lead to 20-6 after the 2-point conversion.
The dagger in the heart of the Highlanders came from Denzel Zaldivar, as he returned an interception back to the end zone for 47 yards on Incline's next play, as time expired in the third quarter.
"Brian (Flores) played really well offensively and Jake (Trowbridge) filled in great at the defensive line but both sides were total team efforts," Brooks said. We would also like to thank the fans for the support. We were amazed at how large the crowd was behind us. It was incredible."
Incline had the aid of the wind in the fourth quarter but its only drive of the final 12 minutes ended quickly.
Pershing County did not give the ball back, holding it for the final 10:19 of the contest.
Interestingly, the drive continued with just the second pass of the game for the Mustangs. The first was a trick play gone wrong.
“I went against my better judgement,” Brooks jokingly said. “I didn’t realize we had the ball for that long until my brother told me. I thought it was closer to seven minutes but I’m a mess during the game. I wish we would have punched it in at the end.”
The boys got back to Lovelock in the late afternoon and firetrucks met them at the exit and escorted them through town, to a hero's welcome.
"Also, the coaches would like to thank the kids and the parents. They made the season so much fun and stress free (mostly) with their commitment and attitudes. We couldn’t be prouder of the kids."
Great Basin Assistant Editor/Sports Editor contributed to this story.