RENO—McQueen’s offense hasn’t exactly impressed this year. The Lancers entered Friday’s homecoming contest against Spanish Springs averaging 28 points a night. That number can now be ignored. Led by quarterback Joey Cox, McQueen (4-2, 2-0) scored touchdowns of eight of 11 possessions Friday night on its way to a commanding 55-31 home win over the Cougs (2-4, 1-1). “I … [Read more...]
Shoup Shots: Different year, same story
The fun part about the start of each season is the eternal geyser of optimism that flows from each team’s camp—regardless of sport. After six weeks of prep football in Northern Nevada, that gushing hope has slowed to a trickle for the vast majority of DI North teams. Once again, Reed and Carson are the teams to beat in the High Desert and Sierra Leagues … [Read more...]
Cougars throttle Panthers in league opener
By Kaleb Roedel Back-to-back losses in their rearview. First league game. Homecoming. The Spanish Springs football team was not short on motivation heading into Friday night’s home clash with North Valleys — and it showed. Propelled by a three-touchdown first quarter, the Cougars sped out in front of the Panthers and never looked back in a 47-20 High Desert League … [Read more...]
Shoup Shots: DI North football league titles likely up for grabs Friday night
Prep football teams in Northern Nevada finally begin league play Friday night after dabbling in non-league action the last five weeks. High Desert and Sierra League teams will go at it for the next month. But as far as determining who will take the two No. 1 seeds into the postseason, Friday night is it. On the HDL side, Reed hosts Reno. The Raiders and Huskies have … [Read more...]
Cougs drop final nonleague tuneup in heartbreaking fashion
Leading 21-16 with the ball and two minutes left Friday night at West Valley (Calif.), Spanish Springs coach Eric Borja went for the throat. He missed. The Cougars (1-3, 0-0) fell 24-16 in their final nonleague game of the season. Holding the five-point lead, the Cougars faced third and six from their own 36 with 120 seconds left. The Trojans (4-1, 0-0) were out of … [Read more...]
Carson too much for Cougs
By Kiley Diesner, reporting intern Coming off of a bye week, the Cougars fell 28-6 to defending Sierra League champ Carson, Friday night. Carson first scored in the first three minutes, setting the tone for the entire game. The Senators scored twice more before the half and a final time in the fourth quarter. The Cougars' lone touchdown came in the second quarter. The … [Read more...]
Cougs hope to get back into postseason
Consistency was an issue for Spanish Springs last fall, coach Eric Borja's first in Purple. The Cougars alternated wins and losses in their first six games of the season which included both impressive wins and head-scratching losses. In their third game of the season, they went to Carson and knocked the eventual Sierra League champ, 28-27. Three weeks later, they went to … [Read more...]
Three premature prep football predictions–Again
It’s not quite football season yet, but it’s almost starting to feel like it. The calendar flips to August on Saturday, and the first prep football Friday of the fall comes just 27 days later. Coaches gain access to players next Wednesday for the first day of the NIAA allotted heat-acclimation period. Like the smoke we have been fortunate enough to dodge so far this … [Read more...]