The Carson-Reed football rivalry has turned into one of the best in Northern Nevada since 2008.
The teams have played six times with each team winning three. They tee it up at 1:05 p.m. Saturday in a regional final/state semifinal game at Bishop Manogue High School in the regional final for the third time in four years. The stakes are huge — a trip to the state finals against most likely Bishop Gorman.
Here’s a look at the past six games, starting from the most recent, since Reed’s Ernie Howren and Carson’s Blair Roman have faced off. Reed does have a 217-146 advantage in points thanks to its three lopsided wins in 2008, 2011 and 2013.
2013
Reed 64, Carson 26: Believe it or not, this was a 21-19 game at the half, and the Raiders scored 36 unanswered points in a seven-minute span of the third quarter to take control. Chris Denn, whose younger brother, Matt, is the Reed starter this year, threw for 357 yards and four scores, and added 102 rushing yards. Garrett Schafer threw for 196 yards and a TD, but also threw two picks. Joey Thurman had 125 total yards from the line of scrimmage.
2012
Carson 32, Reed 30: With one second left, Schafer threw a game-winning TD pass to Matt Nolan, who barely crossed the plane of the goal line before fumbling. After a brief discussion, it was ruled a TD. Schafer threw for 166 yards and two scores, and Thurman caught four passes for 97 yards and a score. Thurman had 218 yards, 111 on kick-off returns. Thurman also had two short scoring runs.
2011
Reed 49, Carson 0: The Raiders held Carson to 245 yards total offense en route to an easy win. Carson turned the ball over twice, once on a Nolan interception and once on a Dylan Sawyers fumble. Sawyers gained 105 yards, but it took 30 carries to do so, as the Raiders concentrated their defensive efforts on him. Anthony Silva passed for 226 yards and five scores.
2010
Carson 20, Reed 0: This was a season where the High Desert and Sierra leagues were merged into one big league. Each team skipped two teams, and Carson didn’t have to play McQueen or Reed until the playoffs. The Senators ripped through their league schedule, and there were a lot of naysayers in the crowd. The Senators used two first quarter scores and a stingy defense which limited Reed to 2.5 per carry. Sawyers ran for 190 yards and two scores, as the Senators ran for 249 yards and won easily.
2009
Carson 54, Reed 27: The Senators rebounded from a 33-point drubbing in 2008 to hammer Reed in Sparks. Carson QB Blake Plattsmier had a monster game, completing 9-for-14 passing for 146 yards and three scores, and running 13 times for 145 yards and a score. Sawyers rushed for a score and caught a TD pass. Junior Valladares had 15 tackles.
2008
Reed 47, Carson 14: This was Roman’s first year, and the Senators posted a 3-7 record. Tyler Pine threw for 372 yards and five scores, and ran for another TD to lead the high-flying Raiders to the easy win. Carson managed just 196 yards total offense led by Mark Sinnott, who rushed for 65 yards and a score. Plattsmier threw a TD to Blake Davidson for Carson’s other score.