After playing in the shadow of Fennessey last year, Maguin, another diminutive back, showed Friday night why he shouldn't have any problem being the man for the Fernley Vaqueros this season.
Maguin rushed for 123 yards while quarterback Matt Lambeth ran for 153 yards and three touchdowns, including a 90-yard scamper, as Fernley shut out Lovelock, 45-0, in its season opener at Fernley High.
The Mustangs nearly upended the Vaqueros last season, but Fernley needed 22 fourth-quarter points to pull out the win. This time, it was over from the start.
Maguin busted out on a 67-yard TD run on the Vaqueros' first play from scrimmage. Lambeth then added TD runs of 15 and 37 yards later on in the quarter to give Fernley an 18-0 lead.
Then Lambeth, a three-year starter at quarterback, broke out for a 90-yard touchdown run, immediately after Lovelock fumbled and Travis Bennett recovered. The Mustangs turned the ball over five times on Thursday and the Vaqueros scored three touchdowns on those turnovers.
"He can run but he didn't throw the ball as well as he could tonight," Fernley coach Dave Hart said of Lambeth, who completed 1-for-5 passes for one yard and an interception. "We want to gamble more on defense because we only forced eight turnovers all of last year."
Maguin, also a defensive back, had seven tackles in the first half and finished with eight for the game.
"Defense is all right, but I like offense better," Maguin said. "Last year, they (Lovelock) played us tough but I think my run at the beginning of the game hurt them."
The same could be said of his run at the start of the second half, as well. The Vaqueros' first play from scrimmage of the second half was Maguin's 21-yard touchdown run that put them up 31-0.
"He's a tough kid," Hart said of Maguin, who's listed at 5-foot-7 and 137 pounds.
"Our skill positions are looking real good."
The Fernley defense allowed 112 yards rushing to the Mustangs, who were without their best lineman, David Robles. But most of that was given up in the second half when the game was in hand and Hart decided to go with his second team.
"You lose a kid like Robles and you lose a little of your spunk," Hart said. "It's hard to replace a kid like that."
The second unit, though, impressed. Offensively, quarterback Chris Hudgins led a 96-yard scoring drive that ate most of the fourth quarter, capped off by Pete Borda's 1-yard TD run. Borda finished with 30 yards on four carries, while Lonnie Hatcher had 66 yards rushing, including his 59-yard TD in the third quarter.
Lovelock had only three plays in the fourth quarter.
"We worked the ball well and controlled things in the fourth quarter," Hart said. "I just didn't think it'd be our second team to do it. But that's all right. They work just as hard as everybody else."
The only negative on the night was the Vaqueros' penalties. They had eight penalties for 63 yards.
"It's just human nature, I think, to make mistakes when you're up like that," Hart said.
