And they are out of the gates.
It’s always tough early in the season to compare outcomes with Northern Nevada teams playing schools from California and Arizona, but there is no arguing that Carson and Reno put together impressive efforts on Saturday.
Carson, or more accurately Abel Carter, outlasted Desert Mountain (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 49-42. Carter scored six touchdowns – two came on interceptions he returned – and ran for 295 yards. Reno met Stagg (Stockton, Calif.) halfway at South Tahoe High and rolled 34-7.
Maybe the most surprising outcome, however, was Douglas winning at McQueen in overtime, 20-14.
Last week’s top three teams (Reed, Damonte Ranch and Galena) all went down to out-of-state opponents in their season openers, so week two brings a significant mix up and a new No. 1.
To few last week’s power rankings, click here.
1. Carson Senators (1-0)
Many believe Carson is going to take a step back from last year’s team that only lost twice (both times to Reed). No so fast.
The Senators’ 49-42 home win over Desert Mountain on Saturday may end up being Northern Nevada’s most impressive win this season.
Junior Abel Carter is going to cause problems all year.
Last week: 4
2. Reed Raiders (0-1)
If a few plays go the other way last Friday night at Clayton Valley Charter, the Raiders maybe leave with a win that would’ve trumped Carson’s.
The plays didn’t go Reed’s way, however, and the Raiders’ 12-game regular season winning streak came to a close, 35-21.
Look for Reed to clean it up Friday night at Douglas, which is feeling pretty good about things after stunning McQueen on the road.
Last week: 1
3. Damonte Ranch Mustangs (0-1)
The Mustangs hung around early in San Diego on Friday night at Central Catholic before getting boat raced in the second half and falling 49-12. Damonte lost at home to Cathedral Catholic last year, 49-19.
Coach Shawn Dupris will surely want to see his team with a better emotional response out of the locker room and a cleaner defensive effort. Damonte allowed 510 yards of offense in the loss.
The Mustangs are still as explosive as any team in the 4A North. They may need that explosiveness on Friday against another talented team in Edison (Fresno, Calif.).
Last week: 2
4. Reno Huskies (1-0)
The Huskies were one of only two Northern Nevada teams (Carson) to beat a non-Nevada team in week one. Reno thumped Stagg (Stockton, Calif.), at South Tahoe High.
Coach Dan Avansino is overhauling the Huskies’ look this year and Saturday was certainly a step in the right direction.
We’ll see if Saturday’s showing was legitimate, or an aberration, on Friday night when the Huskies host Carson.
Last week: 5
5. Galena Grizzlies (0-1)
The defense was legit last year. It is the offense that needs to take a step or two for the Grizzlies to be legit regional title contenders.
The defense was solid in Saturday’s loss to Mesa (Mesa, Ariz.), but the offense managed just 15 points. Quarterback Derek Kline and running backs Jake Berger and Mateo Lemus have much better days ahead.
Last week: 3
Outside looking in: Spanish Springs Cougars
Week 2 Schedule
Carson at Reno
McQueen at Bishop Manogue
Reed at Douglas
Hug at Galena
Damonte Ranch vs Edison (Fresno, Calif.)
Spanish Springs at Foothill (Palo Cedro, Calif.)
North Valleys idle
4A North Standings
High Desert League
Reno 1-0, 0-0
Hug 0-0, 0-0
Spanish Springs 0-0, 0-0
McQueen 0-1, 0-0
North Valleys 0-1, 0-0
Reed 0-1, 0-0
Sierra League
Carson 1-0, 0-0
Bishop Manogue 1-0, 0-0
Douglas 1-0, 0-0
Damonte Ranch 0-1, 0-0
Galena 0-1, 0-0
Week 1 Results
Clayton Valley Charter (Concord, Calif.) 35, Reed 21
Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.) 49, Damonte Ranch 14
Douglas 20, McQueen 14 (OT)
Bishop Manogue 28, North Valleys 14
Reno 34, Stagg (Stockton, Calif.) 7
Mesa (Mesa, Ariz.) 20, Galena 15
Carson 49, Desert Mountain (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 42
Bill says
At least based on maxpreps rankings, I think Reno is getting too much credit for beating Stagg last week. Reno may have been impressive, and they’ll certainly be good this year, but Stagg is ranked #8101, more than 4000 spots below Reno. For comparison, Fernley is at #7259.