Carson High defensive end Zane Peterson (85) makes a tackle on a Galena runner Sept. 10. Peterson is inside the top 30 in Northern Class 5A with 20 tackles in three games.
Jeff Mulvihill, Jr. | InstaImage
With last Friday’s 17-13 win over Reed, the Carson High football team has won two games in a row for the first time since September of 2017.
Those two wins came against McQueen and North Valleys.
Carson has a chance to extend that winning streak against the Lancers Friday night, where it’ll be homecoming for the Senators
However, Carson won’t be facing the 2017 McQueen team as the Lancers this fall are sitting at 4-0.
Arguably, the top team in Northern Nevada so far this season, McQueen won’t be an easy task for Carson.
In four games this season, the Lancers have produced 184 points on offense.
Limiting Lancer opportunities
McQueen’s rushing attack is deadly.
Between quarterback Robby Snelling (No. 4) and Ashton Hayes (No. 26), the two-headed backfield has shown is capabilities of running teams into the ground this season.
Hayes – who is committed to the University of Nebraska – has a Northern Class 5A best 726 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
He’s averaging roughly nine yards per carry and over 180 yards on the ground per game.
While Hayes will be a threat all night, Snelling has proven just as capable when he tucks and runs.
The LSU baseball commit has thrown for 356 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, but on the ground he’s posted 216 yards and five more scores.
Last week against Reed, Carson was able to use long, methodical drives that not only resulted in points, but kept the Raider offense off the field.
The best way to limit the Lancers Friday will be to keep the offensive explosions to a minimum.
It’s not a full proof plan to avoid the Lancers’ playmakers as Snelling is second on the team with 30 tackles.
Fellow seniors Jonathon Lord (No. 54) and Brock Jolley (No. 15) are tied for the team-high in tackles with 31 each.
Senator stat leaders
McQueen won’t be the only team Friday night with top-end talent in Northern Nevada.
Ben Heaton is fourth in Northern Class 5A with 44 tackles. However, Heaton’s 14.8 tackle-per-game average is the best in Northern Nevada Class 5A.
Carson has five more tacklers inside the top 30 with Ioane Tuia (seven tackles per game), Isaac Avina (6.7), Zane Ferguson (6.7), Wes Dunk (6.3) and DeCarlo Quintana (6.3).
Last Friday, Carson held Reed to its fewest points in a game in two seasons.
In the passing game, Vinny Ferretti continues to be smart and efficient with the ball.
The senior quarterback has completed 50 percent of his passes this year for 442 yards and four touchdowns.
While averaging nearly 150 yards through the air per game, Ferretti has only thrown one interception so far this season.
Friday’s contest is set to start at 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on the NFHS Network.
