Never mind that Reed High School stands among the top Class 4A football teams in Northern Nevada, if not the entire state. Carson coach Shane Quilling intends to focus solely on his own Carson Senators tonight when they visit Reed tonight.
There will be nothing at stake in regard to winning or losing the 7:30 p.m. nonconference game in Sparks. What is at stake for the Senators, however, is the need to get back on track after absorbing a 42-8 defeat at home against Hug last Friday night in a game that seemed to fit Murphy's Law perfectly.
"It was a game where anything that could go wrong, did go wrong," the Carson coach said. "We're our own worst enemy, that's the bottom line. They had 24 points on the board in the first six minutes, we still had some chances to get back in it and then we go and self destruct. I mean, you're not going to win many games when you turn the ball over six times, especially when you figure three of those ended good drives."
The loss dropped the Senators to 1-3 overall for the season (0-1 Sierra League), and now they face a Reed team that is 4-0. The Raiders had their closest call of the season to date last Friday in a 13-9 win at Elko last Friday night.
"I think Reed is the top team in the North right now," Quilling said. "They're a solid team in all three phases of the game. They are going to be a challenge. But they are beatable. Look at what Elko did. Elko did some good things offensively and defensively, and that's what we need to do."
Reed had scored 106 points in three previous games - wins over Reno, Douglas and South Tahoe - largely behind the running of Ryan Lammle, who has rushed for 755 yards so far this season. The Raiders are also capable of throwing the ball with quarterback Zack May, whose 83-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Bridgewater in the first quarter proved to be the deciding score against Elko.
The Senators will be looking to tighten up their defense after Hug's explosive Isaac Porter shook loose for touchdown runs of 68 and 58 yards on his first two carries last Friday.
There will be one big hole to fill this week with the loss of John Gradert, a two-way starter at tackle who is sidelined indefinitely with a knee injury.
"We're still not sure how serious it is, but that's a big blow because John has been doing a good job on both sides of the ball," Quilling said.
Looking ahead, Carson returns to its league schedule next Friday with a home game against North Valleys.
"We have five league games left and we've got to get better," Quilling said. "Reed is definitely going to be a challenge. But I'm not worried about Reed; this week is all about us. Winning or losing isn't going to be the important thing, it's going to be about us finding ourselves."
Contact Dave Price at dprice@nevadaappeal.com or call 881-1220.
