Shannon Litz/Nevada Appeal News ServiceFans in the Carson student section cheer for their team on Thursday against Douglas. Carson won 34-6.
It was only fitting that the biggest game of the year drew the biggest crowd of the season.
An overflow crowd of more than 7,000 went home happy as the Carson High School varsity football team knocked off Douglas 34-6 Thursday night to end a seven-year losing streak against its archrival and win the Sierra League regular season championship for the first time. It was Carson's first title since 1998.
It was a passionate crowd to be sure - they booed the Tigers when they entered the field and wildly cheered when the Senators won the coin flip and deferred to the second half.
And, they kept cheering throughout the entire first half as Carson left the field with a 20-0 lead.
"I don't know that I've seen a crowd this big before," said Paul Carter, a Carson graduate. "I don't know what to think about Douglas. I think if we play our game it's going to be hard to beat us. We have so many weapons."
Carson's game was a punishing running attack that resulted in a 277-55 yardage advantage after the first 24 minutes. The fans cheered with gusto every first down that senior quarterback Blake Plattsmier & Co. made.
"I was a little disappointed in Douglas," said Cassie Bowman-Carter, a Carson graduate. "I thought it was going to be a better game."
Much to the crowd's delight, the Senators kept up the pressure in the third quarter, scoring twice for a 34-0 lead.
"It's about time we beat these guys," said Alan Vondrak midway through the third quarter. "I thought it would be a lot tougher than it was, but it's not over yet."
One of the biggest cheers came in the fourth quarter when Carson linebacker Junior Valladares stopped Douglas running back Johnny Pollack at the goalline on fourth down with 4:11 left to keep the shutout intact for at least a few minutes.
The last cheer of the night came when the announcer reminded people there was a home playoff game next Friday.