Reid Clyburn, left, races down the field as Nick Delgado holds off Fernley's defense.
After plowing more than 400 rushing yards in a romp over Dayton, the Greenwave football team will face one of the better defenses in the league tonight.
Fallon (5-1), which defeated Dayton, 56-0, last week, kicks off against Elko (2-3) tonight at 7 p.m. with Larry Barker (play-by-play) and Randy Beeghly (color) calling the game on KKTU 99.5. The Greenwave Hall of Fame’s first class will be introduced before the game while the homecoming ceremony will be at halftime.
Starting in their new roles for the first time this year, Sean McCormick and Brock Richardson lit up the Dayton defense, initiating the running clock in the second quarter after Fallon’s fifth touchdown. Richardson, starting at running back with Reid Clyburn on the sideline, ran for 241 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns. McCormick, at quarterback, ran for 166 yards on nine carries and three touchdowns. He also connected with brother Tommy McCormick for a 24-yard touchdown pass.
“The kids executed the game plan. It was a good start for Sean being our quarterback now,” said Fallon coach Brooke Hill. “It was good for Richardson in the backfield with Clyburn out. You’re going to see Brock in the backfield now.”
Clyburn, Trent Thorn (linebacker/offensive line) and Russell Vershum (linebacker) will be back on the field tonight after nursing injuries from the previous week. Hill said Richardson will switch back to receiver but still share reps with Clyburn in the backfield.
“He’s a really good athlete. He played that position as a freshman,” Hill said of Richardson. “To do that at the varsity level and the success he had, it was nice to see. He did a really good job there and has good vision.”
And, of course, he had help from the offensive line, which destroyed Dayton’s front all night. It comes as a good sign with Nick Delgado and Jacob Bake out for the season, creating an opportunity for others to step up. Ben Dooley, Tyler Word, William Shoshone and Manuel Fernandez were exceptional against Dayton.
“Guys have taken up the role and stepped up to be the best team we can be,” Hill said. “It’s carried over into Friday night and the execution has been really good.”
Fallon turns its attention to Elko tonight. The Indians haven’t been as strong as previous teams and are on a three-game losing streak after being upset by Sparks last month.
Nevertheless, Hill’s expecting this rivalry to live up to its potential on the defensive side.
“They play good defensive football. That’s been a trademark of theirs,” he said. “They seem to be a physical team this year. They’re not explosive and not putting up a lot of points this year.”
And while Elko is trying to even its league record, Hill said Fallon needs to eliminate distractions, like homecoming and injuries, and continue to play solid football on both ends.
With homecoming this week, it’s not been a problem for Hill and his staff to prepare the team to enjoy the weeklong festivities, but at the same time, focus on the game and get Fallon one win closer to a league title.
“We just need to play solid. It’s still Elko. It’s kind of a rivalry for us,” Hill added. “You don’t worry about records. You worry about the job at hand. We still have to play our best football.”