LAST FRIDAY NIGHT
Friday night did not go according to plan for the Damonte Ranch Mustangs. Two fumbles in the first quarter led to six points (two field goals) for the Bishop Manogue Miners. The Mustangs responded with a couple touchdowns and took a 14-13 lead into halftime. The second half belonged to the Miners who put 19 more on the board, taking a 32-14 victory.
The Miners run game looked good, led by junior running back Joe Hill who rushed for 206 on 36 carries, good for 5.7 yards per carry. But a lot of the credit for Joe Hill’s fantastic night has to go to the Miners offensive line, one of the largest the Mustangs have faced this year, they were able to assert themselves as the game wore on. Damonte piled up 229 yards on the ground, led by senior running back Mason Reasoner who posted 85 yards and junior running back Cameron Rodriguez' 72 yards. If both teams win their first round 5A playoff games, they will matchup in the second round, but let’s not look too far ahead because Damonte has an intriguing matchup this Thursday night, at Damonte, with the Reno Huskies.
NIAA 5A NORTHERN PLAYOFFS
Damonte made the trip to Reno High earlier this season, leaving with a hard fought 20-13 victory. Damonte had a 7-0 lead at the half, both teams put 13 on the board in the second half with Damonte’s final touchdown coming late in the fourth quarter, after the Huskies had tied the game. To secure a second round date with the Miners, the Mustangs will have to deal with the Huskies run game. In that first game the Huskies amassed 305 yards on the ground. Junior quarterback Hayden Parga rushed for 111 yards and junior running back Niko Amari put up 107.
On defense, the Huskies held Damonte to 144 yards rushing, one of their lower outputs of the season. The Mustangs were able to move the ball through the air better than the Huskies with junior quarterback Cooper Anderson going 6-7 for 118 yards and one touchdown. The Huskies struggled to get their passing game going, passing for only 51 yards with one interception.
On the defensive side, the Mustangs had the one interception, senior Landon Baker, along with two sacks, one by junior linebacker Nate Meredith and the other by sophomore linebacker Braelen Toles. Michael Venezia led the team with six solo tackles and 10 assisted tackles.
It will be interesting to see how these two teams matchup this second time. Will the Mustangs be able to limit the impact of the Huskies run game? Will the Huskies manage to get their passing game going? What will Reno High do to make the Mustangs offense uncomfortable? Some great questions which we will see answered at Damonte, Thursday night (Friday is Nevada Day, all games are moved up one day as a result), 6:00 PM. Yes, it is a 6:00 PM start, not 7:00 PM, and there is also another change, tickets will not be available on-site. The NIAA is requiring fans to purchase tickets, in advance, online. Adults will pay $12 and students $5, please make sure and spread the word so no one shows up thinking they can buy a ticket and walk in.
PLAYOFF MATCHUPS
All games 6:00 PM, tickets must be purchased in advance. Thursday’s forecast high is 64 degrees, should be good football weather Thursday night with no rain, snow, or wind in the forecast.
About Your Author
Lynn Ault covers DRHS athletics for Battle Born Preps. His wife is the head of the math department at Damonte, both his kids graduated from Damonte. Lynn is also one of the pastors at Hope Community, a south Reno church.