Fernley falls to Truckee

FERNLEY - Fernley coach Dave Hart knew all about Truckee's high-profile offense led by quarterback Paul Tierney and wide receiver Jamie Maehler.

What surprised him was the way the unbeaten Wolverines played defense. Truckee held Fernley to 119 yards, and the offense chalked up 499 yards (195 passing, 304

running) and scored on eight of its first nine possessions en route to an easy 47-0 3A victory Friday night.

"That's a good football team," Hart said. "Defensively, they are much better than I thought. I'd seen them live once and twice on tape. We've been a pretty good running team this year, and we couldn't run the ball (33 carries, 62 yards).

"In the North (they are the best team). Moapa Valley is pretty good. I don't think anybody can pass like them (Truckee), at least in 3A."

In fact, the Vaqueros were so focused on stopping Tierney's passing (10 for 19, 195 yards, 4 TDs), the Wolverines ran through the Fernley defense with ease.

Nick Cabral gained 91 yards on eight attempts, and Maehler scored on a 54-yard run. Ben Tonon added 48 yards on six carries.

"It seemed like they were trying to stop our passing game," Truckee coach Bob Shaffer said. "We made a couple of adjustments and started attacking different areas. It opened up our running game. The kids made some big runs."

So dominant was the Truckee defense, the Vaqueros didn't get a first down until their fifth possession which was early in the second quarter. By that time the damage was done, as Truckee reeled off 24 points in a span of 9 minutes 48 seconds.

Field position was huge key, as two of Truckee's first four scoring drives started inside Fernley territory because of either poor punts or poor punt coverage by the Vaqueros.

The Wolverines, following a 29-yard punt, drove 54 yards on four plays and two penalties to take a quick lead. Tonon capped the drive with a 15-yard run. Benji Islas' PAT made it 7-0 with 9:38 left. Tierney's 24-yard pass on third-and-5 to Gordon Neelands keyed the drive.

Truckee scored again a little over two minutes later, as Tierney tossed a 13-yard scoring pass to Maehler, capping a three-play 47-yard scoring drive following a 24-yard punt. Tierney completed a 20-yard pass to tight end Alfredo Uropeza on first down, and then took a high snap and bolted for 14 yards and another first down. Islas' second PAT made it 14-0 with 7:32 left.

Truckee made it 3-for-3 on its next drive, as Islas boomed a 55-yard field goal to make it 17-0 with 4:18 still left in the opening quarter, capping a seven-play 44-yard drive. Cabral's 40-yard run was the key play.

The Wolverines, who host Dayton next Saturday, only had to drive 20 yards for their next score following a 29-yard punt and an 11-yard return.

On fourth-and-4 from the Fernley 14, Tonin bulled his way down to the 10 and a first down. Two plays later, Tierney delivered a 6-yard scoring pass to Kevin Embertson. Another PAT by Islas made it 24-0 with 11:51 left in the half.

The closest Fernley got to scoring was in the second half when it drove the ball to the Truckee 16, but turned it over on downs.

Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1281.