Carson High fell just short of ending its 54-year regional championship drought last November in the finals against Reed.
It was a frustrating and heartbreaking day for the Senators; a bitter pill to swallow.
“The Reed game, definitely,” CHS wide receiver Connor Pradere said when asked about games he remembered the most in 2014. “We came so close. I think we should have won it. It left a bad taste in our mouths.”
Carson, a 28-25 loser last year, has a chance to exact some revenge when it meets the Raiders today at 7 p.m. at University of Nevada’s Mackay Stadium in the season opening game for both schools.
The Carson-Reed game has turned into arguably the best high school football rivalry in Northern Nevada. The teams have played for the last two regional crowns.
Since 2006, Reed has won/shared six titles under Ernie Howren, while the Senators have won or shared titles five time in the Blair Roman era. Simply put, these are the two best football programs in the northern part of the state.
“It’s been really fun,” Roman said. “Both teams have been looking forward to this game the whole off-season. The buildup has been fun. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.”
The teams have met eight times since Howren and Roman took over the programs with the Raiders enjoying a 5-3 edge. The teams are 2-2 in regular-season meetings and Reed is 3-1 in playoff games.
This game was originally scheduled for Carson High, but both schools agreed to move the game to the Wolf Pack’s stadium.
“It’s a great opportunity to play one of the best programs in the region and state,” Howren said after the game was moved to Mackay. “Carson plays so fast and physical. We’ve been fortunate to score a lot of points.”
An interesting trend has developed. Except for last year’s regional title game, the Senators have won when they have held the Raiders to 30 points or less, and the Raiders have won every time they have scored more than 35 points.
“Basically, we’ve had success when we have held them to 30 points or less,” Roman said. “That is what we’re looking to do. They execute better than anybody in the north.”
And, Carson’s defense will be trying to stop the Raiders without defensive tackle Sheldon Miller and defensive back Mathias Williams, both of whom are out for violating team/school rules.
Linebacker Justin Tschetter also will not play due to eligibility issues with his transfer from Galena.
The Raiders return quarterback Matt Denn (1,063 yards rushing, 1,854 passing) and running backs Tre Bussey (572 yards rushing) and Jorden Carter (1,491 rushing). Tight end Parker Houston caught 40 passes for more than 500 yards from his tight end position.
“Reno is more diverse in what they do, but Reed executes better than anybody in Northern Nevada,” Roman said. “Without giving away our game plan, trying to stop Reed with just five guys in the box is tough. We’re going to have to be creative defensively to slow them down.”
In the second half of last year’s game, Carson put the clamps on both Carter and Denn. Without a solid running game, Denn struggled throwing the ball.
“They took our running back out of the game,” Howren said.
Carson has two top-notch defenders in Ikela Lewis and Asa Carter, the returning Sierra League Player of the Year.
Howren admits the Raiders took some hits defensively in terms of graduation, but he still has defensive tackle Nick Gregg, who’s arguably the best run stopper in the area. Carson was unable to run the ball effectively last year.
Reed will have to contend with senior QB Joe Nelson, who led Carson to a 5-1 record in its last six games.
He has talented receivers in Connor Pradere and Carter, who’s also one of Carson’s top runners.
Look for Carson to force Reed to account for Carter on every play. The more times Carter touches the ball the better Carson will be.
