Jose Mercado (58), Damien Nestlerode (50) and Jace Nelson (88) play hard on the line.
Photo by Steve Ranson.
A formidable wall has been controlling the line of scrimmage for the last half of the football season.
After a loss at Elko more than three weeks ago, the Greenwave tide has engulfed three consecutive opponents before going into this weekend’s Northern 3A playoff game at undefeated North Valleys, this year’s surprise team. The winner of the North Valleys and the Fernley-Elko games will then play each other for the Northern 3A title.
Steve Ranson / LVN
Fallon’s Brent Hughes (64) tackles Sparks’ Marquis Edwards.
The latest opponent to fall to the Wave was Sparks as Fallon posted a 41-7 Northern 3A-East win over the Railroaders Thursday night at the Edward Arciniega Athletic Complex. Fallon improves to 6-3 overall, while Sparks drops to 3-5.
In the span of three games, Fallon has outscored Fernley, Lowry and Sparks 135 points to 38. The toughest test of the season occurs at North Valleys on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Panthers are undefeated 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the Northern 3A-West. North Valleys’ last game in the regular season occurred against Sparks in a 21-7 win on Oct. 22.
“They’ve been carrying on the last two to three weeks, and they executed very well today,” said head coach Brooke Hill. “They really came out and performed like they were expected to.”
Hill said the coaching staff is approaching the games differently with play calling and the schemes.
Steve Ranson / LVN
Victor Sepulveda (34) of Fallon tries to break loose against the Railroaders.
“We found our identity, our niche with this football team, and we have a pretty good mix of run and pass,” Hill said. “We have skilled guys outside who can make the plays. The offensive line is getting more and more confident.”
With the win comes some swagger from the offensive line, which keeps improving from game to game. Damien Towne, an offensive lineman, said the line has figured out their assignments from the beginning of the year, especially with the running game.
Damien Nestlerode agrees.
Steve Ranson / LVN
Colton Tousignant (77) and Damion Anderson block on the line for Fallon.
“We came out and did what we’re supposed to,” he said. “We ran the ball like we have always done. Running the ball is what our offense is based on. If the line doesn’t do their job, our running backs can’t do their jobs. It all starts with us.”
Both Jose Mercado and Garrett Jarschke, part of Fallon’s senior leadership, said the hard work is paying dividends.
“We’ve been working hard in practice and playing hard,” Mercado said.
Jarschke said the line has discovered who they are over the season.
“We’re getting physical, and the running backs do what they have to do,” he said.
He said the game plan is easy: run the ball, push up front and get touchdowns.
That mix of pass and run led to Fallon’s first touchdown against Sparks.
Steve Ranson / LVN
Brady Alves runs downfield after picking off a pass.
Keaton Williams had a solid performance, throwing a touchdown pass for the Greenwave’s first score in the opening quarter. Williams also passed for two more scores and finished the night completing 4 of 6 passes for 90 yards. Williams, though, ran for 8 yards and completed two passes in the first drive that culminated in a 38-yard touchdown to Steve Moon on the Greenwave’s first possession.
Moon kicked the extra point.
The Railroaders put together four substantial drives in the game, the first coming after the Greenwave’s first touchdown.
The defense, though, held the Railroaders from the end zone. Omar Dominguez ran the ensuing kickoff to the Sparks’ 31. Eleven plays and two penalties later, the Sparks drive fizzled on Dominguez’s incomplete pass on a fourth and 15.
The defense, though, gave the Railroaders’ fits during the entire game. Fallon had 64 total tackles with 48 recorded as solo sticks. Colton Tousignant paced the Wave with nine tackles, and three plays — Tristan Hill, Roland Grondin and Caden McKnight — each had seven.
Fallon took over on downs and marched down 76 yards. Williams zeroed in on Tyler Austin near the goal line and completed a 12-yard pass for Fallon’s second touchdown. The Wave led 14-0 after Moon drilled the extra-point kick.
The Wave stuck quickly on their next two possessions.
On a four play drive, Victor Sepulveda, who gained 134 yards in the game on 112 carries, cradled the ball for 35 yards on two carries, and Williams ran for ran for 3. But it was Williams arm that produced the touchdown when he connected with Austin gain, this time for a 30-yard pass play.
The extra point failed.
Sepulveda and company took advantage of the Railroaders mistakes on Sparks’ ensuing series.
Austin’s 22-yard punt return penalty and a penalty placed the ball on the Sparks’ 11. On the seventh play, Sepulveda carried the ball in from the 1-yard line, and Moon kicked his second straight extra point.
Steve Ranson / LVN
Fallon quarterback Keaton Williams goes after a loose ball against Sparks.
Going into intermission, Fallon led 27-0.
The Wave padded their lead early in the third quarter after Brady Alves picked off a pass near midfield. Alves had two interceptions against Sparks and Reese Kincaid intercepted another pass. Alves also had a fumble recovery.
Sepulveda and Williams took turns running the ball to the Railroaders’ 22, and on the third play, Sepulveda out maneuvered the defense for a 22-yard score. Carter Paul’s carry for the 2-point conversion padded Fallon’s lead to 35-0.
Going into the fourth quarter, the Railroaders’ defense stopped the Wave in four plays, resulting in a punt to the Sparks’ 32.
A combination of passing from Dominquez and running from Taylor Shepard moved the ball to the Fallon 13. After a Dominguez to Shepard pass for 6 yards, another running play resulted in the Railroaders stopping at the 3-yard line. On a fourth and 3, Dominguez pushed through the line for a Railroaders’ touchdown. Dominguez also kicked the extra point.
Dominguez’s arm kept the Fallon secondary on their toes. He completed 13 of 21 passes for 170 yards, since the Fallon defense stymied the Railroaders’ running game for 37 yards.
The Wave’s next series resulted in Evermar Garcia carrying the ball on six plays, capped with a 4-yard run with less than 2 minutes left in the game. Garcia picked up a total of 56 yards in the game.
The 2-point pass attempt failed.
Fallon 41, Sparks 7
1 2 3 4 F
Sparks 0 0 0 7 = 7
Fallon 7 20 8 6 = 41
1st Quarter
FAL Williams 38 pass to Moon. Moon kick.
2nd Quarter
FAL Williams 12 pass to Austin. Moon kick.
FAL Williams 20 pass to Austin. Kick failed.
FAL Sepulveda 1 run. Moon Kick.
3rd Quarter
FAL Sepulveda 22 run. Run good.
4th Quarter
SPA Dominguez 3 run. Dominguez kick.
FAL Garcia 4 run. Kick failed.
