MIDGETS
Governor's Field, Carson City
Sparks Cardinals 19, Carson Wolfpack 13
Offensive highlights:
A fourth-quarter kickoff return was the difference as the Sparks Cardinals captured a 19-13 victory against the Carson Wolfpack Friday night in a battle between Sagebrush Empire League midget division Pop Warner football teams at Governor's Field.
The Wolfpack saw their season record slip to 3-3, but still have playoff aspirations coming into a game against the Douglas Tigers (4-2) this coming Friday in Gardnerville. The game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. kickoff at Stodick Park.
The Cardinals, seconmd in the midget division standings at 5-1, scored two early touchdowns before the Wolfpack stiffened
Aaron Holmes started the Wolfpack scoring with a 5-yard run in the second quarter. Holmes led the Pack with 115 yards on 16 carries.
Brian Welch scored midway through the fourth quarter on a 30-yard TD pass from Kyle Bacon to put the Wolfpack in the lead. But then the Cardinals returned the ensuing kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown to seal their victory.
Welch caught five passes for 85 yards and one TD and ran the ball four times for 31 yards. Jake Rasner caught three passes for 21 yards. Micah Whitome rushed for 26 yards on seven carries and one PAT. Austin Watson had one carry for 30 yards. Bacon completed seven passes for 111 yards and one TD. Corde Armstron, Shane Maddox and Luke Cunningham anchored the Wolfpack's offensive line.
Watson, Welch, Whitome, Smooth Allen, Brian Fontes, Mario Quevedo, Robbie Wimer, Cody Albee, Chris Gould and Jesse Rasner led an inspired defensive charge.
Jake Rasner had a kickoff into the end zone and had two others inside the 10 to supply a special teams highlight.
Junior midgets
CARSON SENATORS 13, RENO RAVENS 12
Mira Loma Field, Reno
The Carson Senators earned their second win of the season in a close contest Friday night. Both teams had trouble moving the ball against effective defenses, but Carson went ahead on a successful extra point attempt late in the third quarter the SWenators rebounded from last week's loss to the Reno Vikings.
After an uneventful first quarter, the Ravens scored on a sustained drive midway through the second quarter on a fourth-and-five screen pass. The Senators then went to the air to counter Reno's effective rush defense and came up big with two long halfback passes, culminating the long drive with a 5-yard TD pass to tie the game.
The Ravens came right back with a 50-yard TD run around the end to finish the half. The Senators once again prevented the extra point which proved key at games end.
Second half action was a seesaw battle of the defenses before Jack Jacquet's 58-yard breakaway run to set-up the go ahead TD and extra point.
The Senators rushed for 88 yards and one TD. Jacquet led the rushers with 78 yards on 14 carries and scored on the second extra point attempt to put the Senators on top. Jacquet also had a 58-yard run in the third quarter to set up the go ahead scores. Shawn Staggs had six yards on six carries and scored the Senators' only rushing TD with a 1-yard run up the middle to tie the game in the third quarter. Jonas Schenzel rushed for five yards on two carries and Tyler Jackson had three yards on one carry.
Quarterback Nick Bacon directed the Senators' offense by completing four of 10 passes for 30 yards. He connected with Jonas Schenzel on a 5-yard pass for Carson's first TD. The Senators used the halfback pass play successfully with Jacquet throwing three times for 48 yards. Travis Trethan lead the receivers with two catches for 39 yards, followed by Daniel Schierholt with one catch for 25 yards, Jacquet two catches for nine yards and Schenzel with one catch for five yards and a TD.
The Senators defense gave up only two scores and effectively shut down the Ravens offense late in the game to secure the win. The defense came up with four turnovers on three interceptions and one fumble recovery and rejected the Ravens two extra point attempts.
Debuting as outside linebacker, Jacquet had five tackles, a fumble recovery and two interceptions, one late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory for the Senators. Kevin Holmes, the other outside linebacker, came up with an interception of his own to end the first half and stuffed the Ravens second extra point attempt on one of his seven tackles. Defensive team leader, Jeremiah Schenzel, once again led the defense with 11 tackles and some key pass defense. Assisting him was William Donnelly with two tackles and a key quarterback sack for minus 11 yards at the end of the second quarter. Robert Frederick, Alvin Smith, Chris Ames, Mitchell Grover and Sean Gibbons contributed one tackle each.
The Senator defense welcomed back cornerback Logan Parsley who started his first game of the season after a wrist injury in training camp put him on the sidelines.
The Senators visit the Sparks Falcons for an 8 p.m. game this Friday at Don Mello Sports Complex in Sparks
JUNIOR PEE WEES
Carson Senators Blue 6, Reno Lions 18
Two well executed pass plays by the Lions put the Senators in a position that they were able to recover from in a hard-fought loss.
The offensive line played tough and Chad Plattsmier was instrumental in achieving first downs in the game. Robbie Bozin scored Carson's only touchdown of the game on a drive up the right side line. The Senators were unable to covert the extra point.
Gabriel Ramirez, lineman, dominated the middle rush and Dominic Cavilia, cornerback, contained the outside sweep to hold back the offensive push. The defensive line had to work at 110-percent to hold back the more experienced Lion team.