Ground game will be focus after throwing ball over 30 times a game last year Spanish Springs has methodically scaled the High Desert League standings in its first three seasons under the direction of Eric Borja. The Cougars finished fifth, one spot out of the playoffs, in 2014. They took fourth in 2015. And last year, a goal-line stand in the final minute at McQueen … [Read more...]
Sierra League capsules
A preview of the five Sierra League programs, including defending 4A North champ Damonte Ranch As one Sierra League coach put it, the layout of the league has changed significantly. And he wasn’t talking about the emergence of Damonte Ranch, which ended Reed’s run of regional titles at five in November and fields a quarterback verbally committed to Notre Dame. He was … [Read more...]
Sparks Preview: New-look Railroaders aspire to surprise 3A North
First-year coach Brad Rose installing spread offense There are two new coaches in Sparks this year. And they are in entirely different positions. At Reed, Tony Amantia is taking over a program that has won five of the last six 4A North regional titles. At Sparks, Brad Rose doesn’t have that luxury. He inherits a program that is 16-71 since its last winning season in … [Read more...]
Excel Christian Preview: Private 1A program building in sixth year
Young group beginning to mature coming off first winning season Excel Christian did something odd last year. The 1A private school on Baring Boulevard that plays eight-man football scored exactly as many points as it allowed (271). That doesn’t mean the Warriors won as many games as they lost. The snuck one game above .500, finishing with a 5-4 overall record. It was … [Read more...]
Reno Aces Report (8/14 – 8/20)
Aces push two games ahead of Grizzlies with just 14 regular-season games remaining The Aces did something on Sunday afternoon they haven’t done much of this year: Win after trailing through seven innings. Reno was staring at a 7-5 deficit going to the eighth inning against Fresno at Greater Nevada Field then scored six times to steal an 11-8 victory. Arizona’s Triple-A … [Read more...]
Reno solidifies position in top half of Western Conference
2-1 win at Sacramento give Reno five-point advantage over “Donner Pass Derby” foe The rivalry between Reno 1868 FC and Sacramento Republic FC was freshly dubbed the “Donner Pass Derby” this week. Reno broke in the new name on Saturday night with a 2-1 road win, its third straight, in front of a sold-out crowd of 11,569 at Papa Murphy’s Park. The win sealed the … [Read more...]
Part I: Q&A with Eric Musselman
Nevada to-be third-year coach talks offseason, recruiting The calendar hanging on the wall is flipped to August. March is seven months away. That doesn’t mean Reno has flipped from the basketball channel and is waiting for November. A run to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade has a way of igniting a fan base. That’s what Eric Musselman has done in just … [Read more...]
Reno Aces Report (8/7 – 8/13)
Road woes drop Aces back into second place The Aces are ready to come home. After winning their first three legs of an eight-game road trip in Las Vegas, Reno dropped its fourth straight on Sunday afternoon at Tacoma. The ill-timed four-game skid dropped the Aces into second place in the Pacific Northern Division, one game back of Fresno. They started the week two games … [Read more...]