The Fallon football team will compete in the 2014 Honor Bowl on Aug. 30 against Cardinal Newman (Calif.) at Del Oro High School in Loomis, Calif.
With the wins racking up any division title aspirations, the Fallon football team is in the home stretch.
The slate, though, starts with a tough road trip to Spring Creek at 7 p.m. today. Despite the Spartans’ 2-3 Northern Division I-A record, Greenwave coach Brooke Hill knows his club cannot afford to overlook any opponent, even if his club is a scoring machine.
“We’re just focused on Spring Creek,” Hill said. “We never use the trip out there as an excuse because we have to do it.”
The scoring onslaught started with a 61-12 season-opening win over Wooster and has continued all season as Fallon has racked up 53, 54, 48 and 47 points in each of its previous four games.
The defense, meanwhile, has only allowed 52 points and provided its own offensive muscle. The unit has tallied five touchdowns all the while suffocating opposing offenses.
“We are still scoring with a lot of big plays, but that’s who we are,” Hill said. “If we stay explosive all the way through the end, that’s a good thing.
Spring Creek, meanwhile, comes into today’s game off the heels of a 26-20 overtime loss at Truckee last week.
The Spartans’ bread and butter is the run game, using a physical style to over power its opponents. Braxton Williams, the league’s second leading rusher with 678 yards and eight TDs, provides a stiff challenge for Fallon’s defense.
“We got to make sure we are strong at the point of attack,” Hill said of his defense. “We tackle well and we’re not making a lot of mental mistakes.”
Spring Creek’s passing attack, though, has yet to be a threat this season. Quarterback Dillon Draper has completed only 10 of 23 passes for 73 yards and the Spartans have 85 total passing yards.
Should the Spartans’ offense stall, though, Fallon sophomore Cameron Matzen awaits. Matzen has returned six punts for touchdowns and is averaging a jaw-dropping 38.9 yards per return.
It is just another area where Fallon can bust open a game.
“It’s a huge luxury because any time in the return game we can take it all the way,” Hill said. “Obviously that has a lot to do with Matzen, but it’s also the 10 other guys on that team. They are blocking a little bit better. It’s added a dimension to us that we haven’t had in the last few years.”
While Spring Creek represents a weak challenge on paper, plus Elko’s upset over Lowry, Hill said his team must take a weekly approach. To date, Hill said his is pleased with how his players have approached this season.
“We got some help last week from Elko,” Hill said, “but we can lose that position real easy if we don’t play well. That should be motivation enough for them.”