TRUCKEE - Coach Bob Shaffer had never witnessed a Truckee team score 41 points in a single quarter - until Saturday.
The top-seeded Wolverines (10-0 overall, 7-0 3A) annihilated fourth-seeded Dayton (6-4 overall) in their 3A playoff opener, exploding for 41 first-quarter points en route to a 67-0 shutout.
Truckee built a 60-0 lead by the half, prompting official to go with a running clock with about 7 minutes remaining in the second quarter.
"I think our kids just came out with focus," Shaffer said. "We wanted to make sure we got this one ...
"Now we're 0-0 again, because all it takes is one loss and you're out. So hopefully we have another good week of practice and get even better."
Truckee junior quarterback Ben Bolton was razor sharp in the rout, completing 9 of 10 passes for 108 yards and three touchdowns - all in the first half. His one incompletion was on a dropped ball.
The Wolverines racked up 202 yards rushing on 22 carries in the contest, with senior Jordan Deiro leading the charge with 55 yards.
The Dust Devils didn't put up much of a fight, as they gained just 20 yards on the ground on 27 rushes, while quarterbacks Kage Walker and Connor Conroy combined to finish 3 of 17 for 31 yards and four interceptions - two picks apiece. Kyle Onstott led Dayton rushers with 26 yards.
Deiro returned one of the interceptions 35 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter, while the senior also scored on a 15-yard pass from Bolton in the opening minutes, and on a 46-yard run to end the first half.
Asked if the lopsided win was a result of the Wolverines playing well or the Dust Devils playing poorly, Bolton settled on both.
"I think it was kind of a combination of both," he said. "We came out fired up. We didn't take Dayton lightly, and as you can see, 67-0, it paid off."