Sunday, December 07, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Las Vegas comes up short

Reno rallies with 19 straight points to capture crown

By DAMON SEITERS
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Reno High defenders gang up to pull down Las Vegas High's Jamal Lomax (20) during Saturday's Class 4A state championship game at Mackay Stadium at UNR. Lomax scored a touchdown in the third quarter, but the Wildcats suffered a 26-23 defeat. Photo by John Locher. Las Vegas High School football player Christian Vidal, left, comforts teammate Dante Fielder after the Wildcats lost the Class 4A state championship in Reno. Photo by John Locher.

RENO -- Reno High's football team found itself in a familiar position on Saturday at Mackay Stadium -- with its back against the wall.

But as they had before, the Huskies responded, rallying from a 15-7 deficit to defeat Las Vegas 26-23 in the Class 4A state championship game.

"We have character and we never give up, obviously," Reno senior Tom Barcia said. "We stuck through the tough times and came out victorious in the end."

Reno (9-5) began the year 2-5 and had to win its final two regular-season games just to get into the playoffs as the Sierra League's No. 4 seed. Those two victories started a seven-game win streak that ended in an unlikely victory over Las Vegas (13-1).

Las Vegas held a 15-7 lead after Jamal Lomax's 2-yard touchdown run with 4:57 to play in the third quarter, and the Wildcats appeared to have the momentum. Strong winds were blowing out of the north, and Reno would have to go into the wind in the fourth quarter, making a comeback unlikely.

But the Huskies scored 19 consecutive points to take control, working mostly on the ground. Even more impressive, the Huskies completed the comeback without leading rusher Conor Martin, who went down with an injury on his second carry of the fourth quarter. He finished with 110 yards and two scores on 29 carries, but Reno had no trouble moving the ball without him.

"Their guy went down, and they turned it up a notch," Las Vegas coach Kris Cinkovich said. "That's what you do. That's why they're the state champions."

The comeback started with the help of a 4-yard punt into the wind by Las Vegas' Stanley Copeland, giving Reno the ball at the Wildcat 29. Two plays later, Martin scored on a 29-yard run, juking two defenders and slipping a tackle at the 15 to score, making it 15-13 with 1:05 to go in the third quarter.

Reno coach Dan Avansino said he knew his team would have to run the ball in the fourth quarter, but the plan was to take the lead in the third while going with the wind, and hang on with the Huskies' ground game in the fourth. Instead the Huskies trailed, but the offensive line responded as Reno gained 116 yards on 21 carries in the fourth quarter.

"At halftime we challenged them, saying we believe in the fourth quarter at some point we're going to have to run the ball against the wind," Avansino said. "We found ourselves behind in the fourth quarter, but we had to pound the ball by necessity anyway because of the wind. And thankfully our offensive line and running backs were able to do that."

Barcia, Martin's replacement at tailback, scored on a 12-yard run through the right side of the line to make it 19-15 with 8:11 to go.

After an interception, fullback Ryan Quinlan scored on a 22-yard run. Quinlan broke through the line, and stumbled the final 15 yards before falling over the goal line to make it 25-15. Tom Vikre's extra point made it 26-15 with 7:19 to play.

"I was going `Get in baby,' " Avansino said. " `Get in, and hold onto that football, but get in.' And he did."

Las Vegas was unable to score on the ensuing possession, instead choosing to punt on fourth-and-two from the Reno 44-yard line.

The gamble paid off, as the Wildcats' Michael Williams blocked a Barcia punt and returned it 25 yards for a score. Jacob Robertson's two-point conversion run cut the lead to 26-23 with 2:40 to go.

Williams' block was the team's second of the game. Keoni Viernes blocked a punt in the first quarter, setting up Las Vegas' first TD, a 1-yard run by Robertson.

"We made some plays to have a chance to win," Cinkovich said. "We blocked two punts to set up two touchdowns. But we just didn't get it done."

Las Vegas chose to kick the ball deep after its final score, and the ball went into the end zone for a touchback. Barcia fumbled on first down, but teammate Josh Galloway recovered, making it second-and-17.

"If we would have fallen on it, maybe something would have happened," Cinkovich said. "But we didn't make the plays. We just weren't quite mentally there."

Quinlan got a 15-yard run on the next play, and when Barcia picked up the first down by inches on the next carry, the game was essentially over because the Wildcats were out of timeouts.