Sparks started fast on Friday night at South Tahoe. But teams rarely win games in the first quarter.
The Railroaders went on to fall 63-21, dropping to 3-6, 2-6 on the season while the Vikings improved to 4-5, 4-4.
Hunter O’Meara gave Sparks a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the contest with a 23-yard touchdown just two plays after South Tahoe muffed a punt on its side of the field. It was Sparks’ only lead of the night.
South Tahoe responded with a quick touchdown drive and converted on the two-point try to take an 8-7 lead. The lead ballooned to 14-7 on South Tahoe’s next possession before O’Meara again made a big play—a 66-yard touchdown run—that tied the game at 14 midway through the second quarter.
Then the floodgates opened. Led by quarterback Tommy Cefalu who threw for six touchdowns in the win, the Vikings closed the first half on a 21-0 burst to take a commanding 35-14 lead into the second half.
Turnovers out of the break helped the Vikings swell the lead to 49-14 before O’Meara again put the Railroaders on the board—this time it was defensively. He scooped a fumble and scored from 42 yards out but it wasn’t nearly enough against a pass-happy South Tahoe offense.
Eliminated from postseason contention, Sparks will conclude its season on Thursday at home against Wooster (3-6, 2-6) in what has become a rivalry game. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Last year, the Railroaders edged the Colts 27-20 on the road, ending a three-year losing streak.
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