DAYTON - Maybe South Tahoe should reconsider moving down to the Class 3A.
Backed by effective running and timely passing, the Dayton Dust Devils knocked off the Vikings, 19-10, Friday night in Dayton. With the win, the Northern 3A improved to 9-1 against teams in the Northern 4A in the past two seasons.
"It says a lot," Dayton coach Rick Walker said about the 3A schools' dominance. "It shows some parody with the teams so unwillingly wanting to join the 3A. They would be a good addition to the league."
Dayton opens league play next week at home against Lowry after going 1-1 the last two weeks.
Senior running back Trace Feemster anchored the Dust Devils' offense after running for 134 yards on 28 carries, including a 3-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Fellow senior Brandon Aguilera carried the ball six times for 23 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown on the second drive.
"It was a little tough, but we got it together," Feemster said about the offense.
After South Tahoe ate up the clock for almost seven minutes in the first quarter and scored on a 24-yard field goal, Dayton's defense stepped up on the Vikings' second drive. Two sacks forced South Tahoe to punt, leading to a a 15-play, 8-minute drive to open the second quarter.
Two big penalties helped the Dust Devils march down the field. The Vikings went offsides on 4th down and 1, and defensive holding gave Dayton the ball 29 yards from the end zone.
Four plays later and Aguilera punched in the first touchdown with 4:21 left in the second quarter. Dayton led 7-3.
The Dust Devils' defense forced the Vikings to punt after three plays, and Dayton started its last drive in the half on the South Tahoe 49-yard line with 32 seconds left.
Cory Lindberg connected with Anthony Onsott for a 23-yard completion and found him again for 23 yards. Lindberg completed 5-of-13 for 85 yards.
Feemster scored on the second play in the red zone with no time left, giving Dayton a 13-3 lead into the locker rooms.
"Cory stepped up and did a good job," Walker said. "He was a little rusty, but we're proud of what he did. Cory definitely has the experience."
Tyler Lastiri helped South Tahoe close the gap in the third quarter when he ran 18 yards on a pitch and followed with a 6-yard touchdown run with 1:38 left.
"They got down within one score, and we got nervous," Walker said. "We wanted to see what we were made of, and we did what we had to do."
Lindberg answered a couple drives later in the fourth quarter on a fourth down conversion. The senior quarterback found Onsott open in the end zone for 27 yards on 4th down and 7 with 3:13 left in the game.
Walker noticed that South Tahoe lined up differently, allowing Dayton to throw the ball on fourth down.
"They were sliding one to the twin side at the end," he said.