Douglas High’s Drake Ulmer (75) sets up to block a Spring Creek defender Friday night in Minden. Ulmer and the rest of the offensive line allowed the Tigers to rush for 150 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-22 win over the Spartans.
Photo by Ron Harpin.
Douglas High School football will run into a North Valleys’ squad that has put up two solid showcases on offense so far this year.
The Panthers are averaging 30 points per game through their first three contests, but all 90 points have come in both of NV’s wins this fall.
“I think they are going to be significantly improved,” said Douglas head coach Kyle Mays. “They have a lot of seniors and a new offensive coordinator that likes to air it out and spread the ball to his playmakers.”
SCOUTING NV
Slowing down Mikole Almond (No. 15) at quarterback will be a top priority for the Tigers. Almond has thrown for 390 yards this season along with five touchdowns and two interceptions.
“He’s an athlete,” said Mays of Almond. “He keeps his eyes up and looks to make plays. … He’s got a powerful arm.”
Tailback Hector Nunez (No. 17) will be another target the Tigers will need to keep their eyes on. Nunez had 374 yards and four touchdowns in his first three games.
“He runs straight downhill. He’s physical and elusive,” said Mays.
Defensively, the Panthers will run a 4-2-5 scheme that anchors several teams in the North.
Chase Busick (No 20) leads the Panthers in tackles with 37 so far this fall and has also scooped up a pair of turnovers.
Mays said the Tigers will see a familiar face at defensive back in senior Payton Alloway.
POWER RUN GAME
Through the first three games of the season, Douglas’ offense has shown why its bread and butter has been the power run game for all these years.
The Tiger backfield has 590 rushing yards through three games and six scores.
Evan Youmans has 174 of those yards on the ground and two touchdowns this fall and his coach has noticed his drive.
“He has been playing pretty well. He played a full game on offense and defense the other night,” said Mays. “He’s a competitor and he works his tail off. He helped us out defensively, especially on that last drive (against Spring Creek).”
Through the air, Jackson Ovard has thrown the pigskin for 462 yards and a pair of scores thus far.
Zack Jackson and Brenton Weston have been his two favorite target, combining for 304 of those receiving yards.
Defensively, Braden Lenz and Ayden Orr are leading the way with 30 and 25 tackles, respectively. Lenz leads the unit with five tackles for loss.
Jackson also has 25 tackles for the Tigers.