Douglas falls to McQueen

There's just something about McQueen.

Call it magic, mystique or flat-out mystery.

Whatever it is leaves the Lancers with this innate ability to completely dismantle good football teams in little more than a few quarters.

The case was no different Friday night as the top-ranked team in the state simply ran over Douglas 38-6 in north Reno.

"Outplayed," Douglas head coach Mike Rippee said. "It's that simple. We got outplayed in every aspect of the game from the opening kickoff through the final whistle.

"That's a good football team and we have a long way to go if we want to have a chance at this level."

The Lancers drove straight down the field on their first two drives of the game, scoring on a Ryan Wicks three-yard run and 25-yard pass from Wicks to Sean Pritchard before the close of the quarter.

Douglas' defense managed to clamp down after that, allowing just one more sustained drive, a seven-play set that culminated in a 20-yard touchdown pass to open the second half.

It was the Lancer defense, on the other hand, that grabbed full control of the game early on and simply did not let up.

McQueen started by simply eliminating the passing game, something that Douglas has thrived on through its first two games. The pass coverage was so thick, in fact, that the Tigers didn't have a single completed pass until only six minutes remained in the third quarter of the game, save for a 9-yard completion that was called back on a penalty late in the second quarter.

In the meantime, the Lancers scored on a 66-yard interception return just moments after Douglas got its first glipse of a break in the game when Bryan Barnard grabbed the ball in midair after Ryan Guzman knocked it loose from McQueen quarterback Ryan Wicks' hands.

McQueen's Tim Turner blocked the Tigers punt after forcing a three-and-out on the ensuing drive, and returned it 10 yards for another touchdown.

Douglas got itself on the board midway through third quarter after Tyler Tinstman rumbled for an eight-yard carry and followed that with a 39-yard touchdown run where he cut back across the middle and to the sideline while outrunning the Lancer defense.

Barnard also had a sack to go with his interception, and Tinstman recovered a fumble in the game.

Quarterback Roman Davis, making his first start since going down with a hip pointer in the season-opener two weeks ago, completed five passes on the night for 46 yards. D.J. Brady caught four passes for 28 yards and Brent Koontz caught the only other Tiger completion of the night, an 18-yard gain up the middle.

Reese Kizer carried the ball 13 times for 48 yards and Tinstman finished with 49 yards on five carries.

Douglas dropped to 1-2 on the year and will face rival Carson on the road Friday at 7:30 p.m.