Yerington's 9-6 win over North Tahoe last Friday night at Martin Field was its first win over a Northern 3A in two years. So, what is the Lions' mind set going into tonight's 7:30 game at Spring Creek? Might as well go for two in a row.
"We hadn't had a win over a conference opponent in over two years, so it definitely gives us a little more confidence going into the game," said Yerington coach Cody Neville. "We've been talking about upsets the past two years. We finally got one against North Tahoe and maybe we can do it again."
The Spartans, though, aren't the Lakers. After 56-34 loss to Fruitland, Idaho to start the season, Spring Creek shutout Rite of Passage 35-0 last Saturday. In that game, quarterback Michael Brouse threw for 166 yards and three touchdowns. Needless to say, the Spartans are a high scoring team and the Lions, who have only 20 points in two games, are not.
"We know that's a quality football team and they've got some good athletes," Neville said. "They're capable of putting points on the board, so we don't want to get in any kind of shootout with them. We're going to want the time of possession on our side because they can't score if we got the ball."
That means running back Randy Shumate will need a big game. The Lions' leading rusher has both of the team's offensive touchdowns this season and has rushed for 123 yards in two games this season.
DAYTON AT TRUCKEE
The Dust Devils will need to put last week's heartbreaking loss to Lowry out of their minds if they want to hang with the Wolverines on Saturday in Truckee.
Dayton lost to the Buckaroos 28-21 and had a chance to tie on the game's final play, but an incomplete pass in the end zone ended the game. The Dust Devils' Jake Deen passed for 127 yards and a touchdown and ran for another touchdown and Justin Cross rushed for 151 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. Those two will need to duplicate those offensive outbursts to stay with Truckee, the defending state champs.
The Wolverines (1-0) are coming off a 25-20 win over Fernley last Friday night, a game in which they led 25-0 at halftime before holding on the second half. Truckee quarterback Kevin Schlesinger passed for 152 yards against the Vaqueros and Nick Smith rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns before being shutdown in the second half.
Dayton, which hasn't had a winning season in the school's 19-year history, will take a 1-1 record into Saturday's game. The Dust Devils beat Incline 21-0 in their season opener.
FERNLEY AT QUINCY, CALIF.
For the second-straight year, the Vaqueros nearly came from behind to beat the Wolverines. After spotting the defending state champs a 25-0 halftime lead, Fernley held Truckee to 41 yards of offense in the second half and scored 20 unanswered points. However, the Vaqueros turned the ball over four times, which hurt their cause for a successful comeback.
Fernley (0-1) will hopefully have an easier time tonight at 7:30 p.m. in its non-league game against Quincy. Lonnie Hatcher, who rushed for 193 yards and two touchdowns last week, should get a load of the carries again. Two other players looking for another solid game will be Mike King, who rushed for 70 yards, and first-year quarterback Danny Regalado, who ended with 62 yards rushing
When Fernley beat Truckee 38-36 two years ago it was the first time in 20 years it had beaten the 3A powerhouse.