Even though there will be no playoff appearance this season, the Fernley High School football team did manage to gain a measure of consolation with its 28-14 victory at Dayton last Thursday night to retain possession of the Lyon County championship.
Now, the Vaqueros will try to salvage some more consolation tonight at home when they shoot to finish above .500 in their season-ending Northern 3A contest against Bishop Manogue. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
Possession of fifth-place in the tough Northern 3A standings will be at stake. Fernley is 3-4 in conference and 4-4 overall this season. Manogue, the defending 3A state champion, is 3-4 in conference and 3-5 overall.
Fernley used its strength to get past Dayton last Thursday, a win that enabled the Vaqueros to retain possession of the "Gold Pick" trophy - symbolic of the Lyon County championship.
Among the goals for Fernley's defense will be to contain Manogue's Austin Miller, a senior scatback who has rushed for 869 yards this season. Miller's biggest outburst came two weeks ago when he ran for 312 yards and four touchdowns for the Miners in their 40-20 victory at Dayton.
Fernley junior quarterback Matt Lambeth has thrown for 1,137 yards on the season.
DAYTON AT YERINGTON
The Dayton Dust Devils (1-6 conference, 2-6 overall) and Yerington Lions (0-7, 1-7) may bring up the rear in the Northern 3A race, but any game between the Lyon County rivals is one of those where records can be thrown right out the window.
Dayton-Yerington games have been closely contested in recent years, although Dayton came up with its first-ever win in the series last year by a 33-14 score in Yerington. Don't be surprised if tonight's 7:30 p.m. contest at Martin Field is another close affair.
"Every time we line up against Fernley or Dayton, we're fired up," Yerington coach Cody Neville said. "Straight across, I think we're two very evenly matched teams and we're both starving for a win. The kids and coaches all know each other, that brings a little something extra to the rivalry, so it should be a pretty good game."
Two of the better running backs in the conference will be featured: Dayton's Shane VanZant and Yerington's Josh Allen. VanZant, bidding to surpass 1,000 yards rushing for the second straight season, has 858 yards (6.4 yard average) coming into the finale. Allen, who was sidelined with injured ribs in the Lions' 31-7 loss to Spring Creek two weeks ago, has rushed for 617 yards (5.8 yard average) on the season.
Even though they've lost seven straight games, the Lions have been competitive, according to Neville.
"The first half, we've been with just about everybody," Neville said. "Against Lowry, we were down 14-22 at the half. And Spring Creek scored in the last second before the half, otherwise we would have gone in with the lead."
Offensive guard Brandon Dini, who sustained nerve damage to his shoulder against Tahoe-Truckee, will be sidelined for the final game.
"The biggest problem we've run into has been depth," added Neville, whose Lions suit up 22 players. "We're a little thin on numbers, but the quality is there."
