It was widely believed the Railroaders were going to cause problems in the 3A North once again this fall. They proved the hype legitimate the first weekend of the season. Sparks played in the Howell Memorial Tournament at the South Valleys Sports Complex in south Reno and left with a title on Saturday. The two-time defending 3A North champions won all five matches they … [Read more...]
Sparks girls finish 2-2 at Howell Memorial
The Railroaders started their 2016 push with a 2-2 weekend at the Howell Memorial Tournament at the South Valleys Sports Complex in south Reno. Sparks (2-2, 0-0) bested 3A North counterpart Elko as well as Damonte Ranch, and fell to strong 4A squads Reno and Bishop Gorman. “I was pretty happy with what the team did the whole weekend,” Sparks coach Art Hurtado said. … [Read more...]
South Tahoe passing attack too much for Sparks in opener
The last thing Sparks coach Rob Kittrell wanted to do in Friday night’s opener at home against South Tahoe was get into a track meet. Led by quarterback Tommy Cefalu, the Vikings boast one of the 3A North’s most explosive offenses. And well, it turned into a track meet. A meet dominated in the second quarter by the guests. After forcing a fumble on the Vikings’ … [Read more...]
Soccer: Sparks boys win first two, girls split
The Sparks boys soccer team started its 2016 season on Friday with a pair of non-league victories over 4A schools in the Howell Memorial Tournament. The Railroaders (2-0, 0-0) bested Galena, 1-0, then Bishop Manogue, 2-0. All games played in the tournament at the South Valleys Sports Complex were played with 25-minute halves. In the first game, Genaro Vazquez scored the … [Read more...]
Volleyball: Cougs roll in first three, Sparks swept
The Spanish Springs volleyball team enters this year with lofty expectations. And after an entire offseason of volleyball, the senior-laden squad was ready to see a different-colored jersey on the other side of the net. So coach Frank Sandomenico signed his team up to play the first day the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association allowed, Friday, in the 13th Annual … [Read more...]
Sparks Preview: Railroaders reaching for first postseason berth since 2008
The postseason has been a mirage for the Railroaders. They haven’t been since 2008. Coach Rob Kittrell believes that streak could snap this season. “Oh yeah, I do (think we’re in playoff contention),” Kittrell said. “You look at last year, the Wooster game was a mess. Truckee, we were up three touchdowns in the third quarter and lost that one… Yeah, we are (right … [Read more...]
Shoup Shots: Three premature prep football predictions 3.0
So, I cheated this year. The two previous years I wrote this column in July. This year, I waited until the week before the season started. Oops. A couple factors dictated why I wrote this piece so early in the past. One, I was confident (well, kind of) in the predictions. And two, I was new to the glamorous life as the Sparks Tribune Sports Editor and occasionally … [Read more...]
Shoup Shots: It’s not just football season
Football is grabbing all the headlines. And justifiably so. Long gone are the days when baseball was America’s game. Football has kicked the feet up and made itself comfortable in that throne. In just 10 days, Reed and Sparks will kick off the 2016 season (Spanish Springs could not find a week one opponent after original opponent backed out) and then all will be right … [Read more...]