3A thriller: Elko stuns Fallon on last-second field goal

ELKO — In Elko’s second-round playoff game against Fallon, the Greenwave scored first.

But, more importantly, the Elko football team scored last on what could be remembered to the faithful as the Kraintz Kick.

The Indians made an impressive and unlikely final drive — converting a 4th-and-17 with a double-lateral — spanning 40 yards in 42 seconds. With the stage set — seven seconds on the clock and at the 25-yard line — sophomore Ethan Kraintz punched Elko’s ticket to the 3A state semifinal with a mighty boot right down the middle of the uprights.

The 42-yard field goal — which had enough leg to be good from closer to 60 yards — lifted No. 2 Elko to a 31-29 victory over No. 3 Fallon.

Elko improved to 7-3 on the season and 7-1 against 3A North opponents. Fallon ended its year with a 7-4 overall record and a 5-3 mark versus conference foes.

The North No. 2 Indians will travel and play in the Division 3A state semifinal round against South No. 2 SLAM Academy at 1 p.m. Saturday, in Las Vegas.

After forcing Elko to punt late in the fourth quarter, Fallon began its lead-changing drive.

Ethan Tarner made a catch on the left to the 42, and the next-two Bryce Adams passes fell incomplete — Kidwell breaking up the second attempt. But, Rolland Grondin picked up a first down at the Elko 46 with 1:27 on the clock — the Indians getting lucky as a pass was dropped down the left sideline on what would have been a touchdown. However, Tarner made a catch in the right flat for a first down at the Indians’ 36 — Grondin running for 3 yards.

Fallon took its final timeout with 1:04 remaining, threw incomplete and faced a 3rd-and-7 but executed in the clutch with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Adams to Tarner — who ran open down the seam, hauled in the ball at the 11 and used his legs for what appeared to be the game-tying touchdown.

The Greenwave weren’t interested in a tie; they went for the win.

Lining up to go for two, Grondin broke a tackle in the backfield, met another defender around the 2 and pushed through contact — extending the ball over the goal line for the go-ahead conversion.

With 53 seconds remaining, Fallon had overcome a two-score deficit in the fourth quarter and led 29-28.

SETTING UP THE GAME-WINNER

After Quentin Williams picked up a short kick and returned to the 35, a first-down pass fell incomplete, but Eli Finlayson made a leaping catch near midfield. Elko’s chances took a major hit with a sack and an incompletion. On 3rd-and-17, the Indians threw in the left flat to Williams — who was tackled no gain but got out of bounds.

Facing 4th-and-17 with 23 seconds on the clock, Kraintz completed a pass over the middle to Preston Chamberlin — who immediately flipped a lateral to sophomore Scott Sellers.

Stacked up by Tarner and likely being tackled about four yards short, Sellers lateralled to Aguirre — who extended Elko’s season with a run to the Fallon 48. The Indians lined up and got off another play, Kraintz completing a 13-yard pass to Finlayson with an out to the left sideline.

From the 25 and seven seconds on the clock, the Indians lined up for a 42-yard field goal.

With two seconds left in the game and from the 20, Adams completed a pass at the 30 to Alves — who tried tearing a page from Elko’s playbook, flipping back to Tarner. Tarner gained about 10 yards after the lateral but was tackled by Cael Sellers in front of the Greenwave bench, capping a wild 31-29 victory for the Indians.

FIRST-HALF SCORING BATTLE

Fallon went to the front on the first possession of the ballgame, marching 80 yards in eight plays.

Grondin ran three times and picked up two first downs to the 42, moving the chains again on two totes to the Elko 48. After a pass interference call on the Indians, Fallon executed a play-action pass — Adams throwing a 33-yard touchdown to senior Brady Alves over the top of a defender for a catch-and-run. Sophomore Matthew Bird added the extra point, giving the Wave a 7-0 lead with 8:46 remaining in the first quarter.

Elko went three-and-out on its first drive and punted to the Fallon 42, but the Wave also went three-and-out and kicked short to the Elko 40. The Indians turned the ball over with an interception by Alves.

From the Elko 40, Fallon went three-and-out for the second time in a row — the Indians gaining a pass breakup by senior Williams and another by senior Finlayson — but the Indians also went three-and-out and punted to the Fallon 43.

Fallon, facing a 3rd-and-1 at the Elko 48, put the ball on the ground with a bad exchange in the backfield — senior Sellers jumping on the loose ball for the Indians at the Wave 45. A double pass fell incomplete, but Williams took a throw to the left flat 41 yards to the Fallon 6.

After an encroachment penalty, Finlayson capped the drive with a three-yard plunge — turning the takeaway into points. Kraintz made the PAT and tied the ballgame at 7-7 with 1:34 on the clock.

On Fallon’s next possession — starting at the 20 after another Kraintz touchback — the Wave went backward with a holding penalty.

Elko sophomore Coy Jones made a huge hit on senior Carter Paul in front of the Indians’ sideline, and sophomore Carter Kidwell intercepted a pass in front of the Fallon bench and raced 33 yards down the right side for a pick-six. The extra point by Kraintz gave Elko a 14-7 lead with 55 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

But, the Wave marched 80 yards for the second time on their following possession.

Alves — after a 7-yard run by Grondin — made a catch on the left hash after an Elko defender jumped the route and missed the ball and ran all the way to the Elko 30 on the last play of the first quarter. Grondin ran for 15 yards to the 15 and then gained another 14 to the Indians’ 1, where Adams capped the five-play drive with a one-yard keeper up the middle.

Bird’s PAT deadlocked the score at 14-14 with 11:08 remaining in the half.

ELKO SCORES 14 UNANSWERED

The lead was short-lived.

On the ensuing kickoff, Fallon squibbed the ball down the middle — Williams picking up the rock on a high bounce and rolling 89 yards on the return all the way to the house. On the extra point, Kraintz gave Elko a 21-14 advantage with 10:56 remaining in the half.

Fallon punted to the Indians’ 31, where senior Fernando Acosta gained five yards on two carries — Sellers picking up the first down on a draw play to the 46. Senior Jacob Aguirre broke a tackle for a first down on a catch on the left side, but Acosta was stopped after a four-yard gain and Finlayson was stacked up at the line of scrimmage — setting up 4th-and-3.

With a fake punt, Sellers completed a pass to Aguirre — who was dragged down short of the line to gain for a turnover on downs at the Fallon 41.

Grondin ran for a first down to the Elko 40, but the Indians earned a nice stop from Sellers against Adams and a solid tackle by sophomore Jake Carsrud on Tarner — forcing a 3rd-and-4. One pass fell incomplete with a big hit by Aguirre, and Adams’ fourth-down pass was on target but dropped for a turnover on downs.

Acosta moved the sticks with a run off the left side to midfield, but a pass fell incomplete and one was completed from Sellers to Williams — brought back with a hold. A throwback to Sellers went for no gain, and the Indians took a 21-14 lead into halftime.

From the locker room for the second time, Elko grinded out 88 yards of real estate on the first drive of the third quarter.

Starting from their own 12, Acosta was brought down for a loss of five. Finlayson gained 8 yards on second down, and senior Chamberlin picked up six with a throw in the left flat — setting up a 4th-and-1. On the punt, Sellers hesitated, pulled the ball down and ran for a first down to the 29.

Finlayson made a strong run to the 43 and bullied his way to midfield on consecutive carries, and senior Osbaldo Luna picked up a first down with a play-action catch at the Fallon 40.

Finlayson carried twice and gained a first down at the 25, and Sellers caught a slant at the Wave 11.

After no gain on first down, Kraintz threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Williams — who received a short hitch on the left side and ran for most of the yardage after the catch. The extra point gave the Indians a 28-14 lead with minutes remaining in the third quarter.

LATE FALLON RALLY

Fallon and Elko traded punts on their next possessions, but the Greenwave pulled to within one score on their first drive of the fourth quarter.

From the Elko 46, Grondin carried two times to the Indians’ 27 — Fallon going back to the 37 with a hold. Grondin gained 8 yards and then stiff-armed his way for 10 yards on the next attempt. A personal foul against Elko gave Fallon a 1st-and-goal at the 9, Grondin running for four yards to the 5. After a pass incomplete — setting up 3rd-and-goal — Grondin punched the ball in for a five-yard touchdown. Bird’s PAT pulled the Wave to within seven at 28-21 with 10:16 on the clock.

After a first-down run by Finlayson to the Elko 33, the Indians were forced to punt — Sellers getting off a 49-yard boot that rolled to the Fallon 11.

Grondin gained 11 yards for a first down, carried twice for five yards and Tarner picked up a first down with a catch on an out to the left side at the 39. Grondin swapped the field position with a 32-yard burst to the Elko 39, then gashed the middle for another first down at the 20. A reception on the left wide by senior Baylor Sandberg set up shop at the Elko 6, but the Wave put the ball on the deck — Carsrud making a fumble recovery for the Indians at their own 1.

Elko escaped the shadows of their own end zone with a throw from senior Naul Rubio across the middle to Chamberlin — who made a great grab over a defender to the 20.

After stuffing Acosta for no gain, Fallon took a timeout with 2:12 on the clock — declining an Elko hold on the next play after a short gain by Kraintz — taking another timeout on 3rd-and-10 with 2:06 remaining. Sellers ran free down the left sideline but was overthrown — stopping the clock at 2:01 — and punted to the Fallon 28 with 1:49 remaining in the game.