Junior fullback Ricky Menesini rushed for 169 yards and one touchdown to help Yerington High School post a 41-12 Northern 2A football victory at home against Independence on Friday night.
The Lions rushed for 416 yards on 42 carries as a team, a 9.9-yard average, en route to a win that evened their season record at 1-1.
The good news was that they had no turnovers, a vast improvement from the week before when they turned the ball over six times, two of which were returned for touchdowns, in a 40-12 loss against Fernley.
"That's a 600 percent improvement," Yerington coach Cody Neville said with a laugh. "We have good athletes, they're just inexperienced at the varsity level. It showed last week, but we got rid of some of the nerves, cleaned it up and eliminated the mistakes. I was really pleased with the way they played tonight."
Andrew Rempp also rushed for 83 yards and one touchdown for Yerington and Josh Insarra gained 42 yards on seven carries. Senior Mike Burt scored on a 12-yard run in the second quarter - on his first carry in his first varsity football game - as the Lions jumped out to a 20-0 halftime lead.
Menesini had a breakout game, as the junior gained his 169 yards on just 13 carries. He also had 113 yards in Yerington's season opener against Fernley.
"He's really been a standout," Neville said. "He's probably been our biggest surprise so far."
