For the past seven years, Carson and Reed have been the best in northern Nevada football.
The two schools have won or shared five league/conference titles since 2009.
So, it’s no surprise the two powers are squaring off for the third straight year in the regional championship game tonight (7:15 p.m., KAME) at Damonte Ranch High School.
Reed has won four straight regional titles, and makes its fifth consecutive regional championship appearance. Carson will be making its fifth regional final appearance and third straight.
Reed has won the three previous regional championship matchups, 49-0 in 2011, 47-39 in 2013 and 28-25 last year.
Last year’s loss was a difficult one to swallow for the Senators. The Senators outgained Reed 389-183 and still lost.
“My biggest concern coming into the year was whether losing to Reed was going to motivate us or hinder us,” Carson coach Blair Roman said. “Everybody wants to win the regional championship that’s a given, and that is our goal. We’ve gotten to the regional championship game now five times. It’s hard to win a regional championship. God willing we are going to get one.”
“That (a rematch) has been in the forefront of our minds since this fall,” said linebacker Ikela Lewis, who leads Carson’s top-ranked defense which has yielded less than 17 points a game.
After losing 44-27 to the Raiders in a nonleague game at Mackay Stadium on Aug. 28, the Senators have ripped off 10 straight wins. Only two of the games have been close — a 17-14 win over Damonte Ranch and 27-17 victory against Reno last week in the semifinals. In its 10-game winning streak, Carson has beaten teams by an average of 28 points.
The Senators’ offense, thanks to the efforts of offensive linemen Logan Menzel, Austin Ackerman, Kevin Rusler, Corey Jasper, Eddie Duarte and Bryceton Schilling, has averaged 324 yards on the ground and 448 per game total.
Abel Carter has 1,032 yards rushing, while Greg Wallace (856) and Asa Carter (647) have carried a big workload, too. The trio has combined for 27 rushing touchdowns.
“I feel like we can move the ball on anyone,” Roman said. “We have to finish. We didn’t finish when we had chances last year and this year as well.”
In the Aug. 28 game, Carson got inside Reed territory four times and had just a 1-yard TD run by Wallace to show for it in the first half. On the other three possessions, there was a missed field goal, a punt and the clock ran out on the Senators with the ball at the 5 at the end of the first half.
On the possession that resulted in a missed field goal, Carson drove to the Reed 14 only to see the drive stall because of a penalty. Roman felt Carson should have had 21 points.
The problem back in August, however, wasn’t the offense, because 27 points is enough to win a lot of games. Simply put, Carson couldn’t stop Reed’s offense, especially quarterback Matt Denn, who passed for 361 yards and four scores, and ran five times for 64 yards and a score. Reed led 41-6 at the half.
“We cant get behind 21-0 and expect to win,” Roman said. “Last year we got behind 14-0 and 21-7, and we were able to fight back. Last year they brought in a pressure package that we didn’t see coming and I don’t think we were well prepared.
“They are as good an offense as we’ll ever see (in the north). They throw it and they have three good receivers if you count Parker Houston (tight end). They are solid. They have a QB who makes big plays. They always have a back (this year it’s Jorden Carter) who they can go to when they need a play to hang their hat on.”
The Raiders’ offense is still the best in northern Nevada. The Raiders are averaging more than 50 points a game.
Denn has been great all year, completing 66 percent of his passes for 1,931 yards and 25 scores, and running for 1,264 yards and 21 scores.
Simply put, Denn is the linchpin of this offense. Reed coach Ernie Howren hasn’t been surprised by Denn’s productivity (over 260 yards rushing and passing per game).
“There was no doubt in my mind that he would do what he’s done this year,” Howren said. “If you saw him and the way he applied himself this past off-season, I knew this was going to happen.
“Nothing against Chris (Denn, Matt’s older brother and former Reed QB), but Matt is better. He is one of the best we’ve ever had.”
Yet other than a scholarship offer from the Coast Guard Academy and some scholarship money from Jamestown, nobody is bating down Denn’s door for the next level.
Containing Denn is the key for Carson. Last year, Denn went 3-for-11 passing for 23 yards and rushed for 23 yards. Stopping Denn enabled Carson to stay in the game and have a chance to win.
“We’re a better defense than we were that first week,” Roman said. “We have to play well and do our assignments. We got caught looking in the backfield a couple of times.We need to be disciplined. Our defense has improved, and the way we defended Reno showed that.”
“Carson looks faster and more physical,” Howren said. “I think we’re better than we were, too. We are blocking and tackling better.”
Sometimes the key to a successful outcome in a second meeting is what side makes the best adjustments.
“It’s a good question,” Howren said when asked if the adjustments are easier the second time around. “I’ve been asked that a couple of times. Both are good teams now, and both were good teams before.”