After a heart stopping opener, the Damonte Ranch Mustangs travel across the valley to take on the Galena Grizzlies, in the Battle for the Cross Saw. SilverBlue Signs & Media are proud sponsors of the Battle for the Cross Saw game between Galena and Damonte Ranch high schools. According to legend…
...the Battle for the Cross Saw is an old Truckee Meadows legend, going back to the late 1800s and the first landowners here in south Reno. The Brown Ranch, sold to Louis Damonte in 1940, was established by Peleg Brown just along the outskirts of Galena, a small mining and lumber community in 1858. Legend has it that in order to build the Brown Ranch’s outbuildings, a massive 120-pound cross saw was purchased from the Galena Town Mill. When Galena suffered a large town fire, the town founders asked to buy the cross saw back. Being a sporting man, instead of selling the impressive, two-man saw, Brown wagered a challenge to compete for the ownership of the saw for one year. A cross cutting competition was held, and after tremendous effort from both groups, it was the Galena Lumberjacks that prevailed. The competition continued for years before fading into memory, but has been renewed, as a football rivalry featuring the two south Reno schools.
Last season, the Cross Saw game was moved, due to whopping cough, to Saturday afternoon, a game the Mustangs won 51-9. It was a close game at halftime, with the Mustangs holding a 14-9 lead, however, the Mustangs scored 37 second-half points, putting the game away. Looking to make a big impact on this Cross Saw game will be senior running back, and linebacker, Carson Smith. I had a chance to ask Carson a few questions.
Lynn Ault – What does the Cross Saw game mean to you?
Carson Smith – The Cross Saw game means a lot to me because we have had the Saw for as long as I’ve been here and I’d do anything to keep it in our trophy case.
Lynn Ault – Growing up south Reno, playing baseball and football, you know many of the guys on the other side, what is it like playing against guys you have known for so long?
Carson Smith – I think it is special to be able to play against them because they know how far you’ve come and you know how far they have come. While I might be good friends with them off the field, on the field my only friends are the ones in blue and green, and the zebra stripes!
Lynn Ault – You play both running back and linebacker, do you prefer one side of the ball over the other?
Carson Smith – I thoroughly enjoy playing both positions and I like battling the adversity that comes with sometimes playing both within a couple minutes time period.
Lynn Ault – What are you hoping to get out of this shortened senior season?
Carson Smith – The opportunity to play one last time with the young men I have grown up with, which is more than I could have asked for, considering how much of a roller-coaster the past year has been.
Lynn Ault – What are your post high school plans?
Carson Smith – I will be attending East Texas Baptist University, next year, to play baseball and study biology, which will begin to prepare me for a career in dentistry.
Last week, Carson rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown, but he really had an impact on the defensive side of ball where he was credited with 12 tackles, 8 of which were solo, and four tackles for a loss. Carson has the potential to be one of the top two-way players in the North this season. Carson and the Damonte will defense will be tasked with slowing down Coach Aaron Cook’s Grizzlies.
Damonte fans should know Coach Cook, he graduated from Damonte and was a part of Coach Dupris’ staff for years; this is his second season as Galena’s head coach. The Grizzlies dropped their opener 26-0 in Douglas County. Your Battle Born Preps, Damonte Ranch reporter, will be reporting live on Twitter, check @lynnoault and @battlebornpreps for updates. It is my understanding that the game will also be on the NFHS Network. A subscription costs $12.99 a month, and as a subscriber, you get other DRHS sports as well.
About Your Author – this is Lynn Ault’s second year covering DRHS for Battle Born Preps. His wife is the head of the math department for DRHS, and both his kids graduated from the school.