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.
For the past several seasons, the Fallon football team has not played during the Hall of Fame weekend.
The weekend, which kicks off the high school season in Northern Nevada, typically pits nonconference foes of similar size and skill. But for coach Brooke Hill, finding a suitable partner has been difficult to come by.
Until now.
The Wave will participate in the 2014 Honor Bowl on Aug. 30 at Del Oro High School in Loomis, Calif. In addition to Fallon, Reed, Carson and Damonte Ranch will also take place in the weekend slate of games.
The Honor Bowl was founded by the Honor Group, which dedicates the games to wounded members of the military. Each school, for the most part, is situated in a town or city with a military presence.
“We are trying to get some community support for this game,” Fallon coach Brooke Hill said.
Game-specific apparel, meanwhile, is also being sold although the website will not go live until Sunday. Each purchase will result in a $10 donation to purchase an Action Track Chair to be given to a solider critically wounded in action.
To purchase the shirts and sweatshirts, visit www.bsnsports.com. The apparel comes in three designs on T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts and pullovers. Orders will only be taken until Aug. 4.
“It’s one-of-a-kind,” Hill said.
The Honor Bowl, however, loosely follows the concept of an NCAA bowl game. Fallon has been allotted 250 tickets for $10 apiece, and the school keeps all the money from each sale.
Hill is eager to sell the allotment, which would bring in $2,500. In addition, Hill wants to make a push to gather ticket sales from Naval Air Station Fallon to sailors and other military members who may desire a weekend getaway and watch the Wave play.
Fallon will take on Cardinal Newman, a North Coast Section Division III power from Santa Rosa who has compiled a 103-25-2 record since 2004. The Wave committed to the game in December and was slated to play Del Oro, but a rash of other teams also committed and game were aligned to create the best matchups.
“We are excited to play Cardinal Newman,” Hill added. “It’s nice to have that first game that is not a league game … and to do it for a good cause. We want to do our part.”
Fallon, though, are coming off a runner-up finish in the Division I-A state championship game last year, the schools first appearance in the state final in 35 years.
In addition, it gives Fallon an opportunity to come out of the gate against good opposition.
“We want to get states involved in the event,” said Mark Soto, executive director of The Honor Group. “We thought it would be fun to create a Nevada-California type of game. We thought it would be fun to get some of those good Reno (and area) schools.”
The Honor Group, which organizes the Honor Bowl, announced Monday it will provide LED video screens, replays and a concert-style sound system.
A Southern California Honor Bowl is scheduled for Sept. 5-6 in Oceanside (home of Marine Crops Base Camp Pendleton) and features another 10 teams. In all, four states — Nevada, California, Hawaii and Washington — will be represented at this year’s installment of the Honor Bowl.