Only ranked team without a win last week (McQueen) was on bye High School football can produce last-minute drama when games can go either way depending on a key play or two. It can also produce four-quarter snooze fests when the outcome is decided long before the clock shows triple zeroes in the fourth quarter. The 4A North presented both scenarios in week 3. Damonte … [Read more...]

Damonte Ranch survives thriller in Fresno heat, McQueen on the move The 4A North hierarchy is starting to establish itself heading into the third week of the prep football season. Reno’s stout defensive put a strong effort on tape, blanking Able Carter and the Senators in Carson, 19-0. McQueen showed the week 1 romp over Susanville was no fluke, handling a Bishop Manogue … [Read more...]

All five ranked programs start 1-0 The first week of games provided the 4A North the opportunity to prove its perceived growth. The region’s top programs responded. Of the 10 games involving 4A North squads on Friday and Saturday, eight were against out-of-state opponents. The 4A North went 5-3 in those games, including particularly impressive wins by Reed, McQueen and … [Read more...]

Defending champ Damonte Ranch starts season at No. 1 Reed opens at a spot other than No. 1 for the first time in the three years the Sparks Tribune Power Rankings have existed. That top spot instead goes to Damonte Ranch. The Mustangs came back from down 31-7 at the half of November’s regional title game at McQueen to end the Raiders’ run of regional titles at five. Will … [Read more...]

Well, what do we do now? The prep football season always seems to fly by and 2016 was no different. Yes, there is still technically one game left in the season, the 4A state title game in Las Vegas on Saturday, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s over. We could turn the page to basketball season. Or, we could look back on the season that was in the 4A North. Like … [Read more...]

The first round of the 4A North regional tournament wielded no surprises. All four home teams advanced with varying degrees of ease, or difficulty, so now we have a pair of 1-2 matchups in the semifinals on Friday night. Douglas will travel to Reed to play a team that just hung 69 points on Bishop Manogue. In the other semifinal, the juicier of the two matchups if you … [Read more...]

The prep football regular season tends to pass by quickly. This year was no different. The season kicked off 10 weeks ago, we blinked, and now the 4A North regional tournament starts on Friday. Galena missing the postseason is the biggest surprise thus far. The Grizzlies entered with all kinds of hype and were thought of as a regional title contender before the season … [Read more...]

Last week provided a couple meaningful matchups, but not much drama. Reno took care of Spanish Springs with running clock to move into the No. 2 spot in the High Desert League. And Douglas eliminated Galena with a 37-23 win. The 14-point victory secured at least the No. 3 seed in the Sierra League for the Tigers. They will open the playoffs at home if they can get past … [Read more...]