Most championship-caliber football teams look for momentum. The undefeated Churchill County High School football team simply creates it out of thin air, then rides it like a tidal wave.
The Greenwave scored 33 points in a 15-minute second-half explosion last Friday night, turning a stagnant, penalty-ridden dogfight into a 40-6 blowout over Elko to punch their ticket to the NIAA Class 3A state semifinals.
Fallon will host Pahrump Valley, which beat Virgin Valley 30-29 on a last-minute touchdown, at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Edward Arciniega Athletic Complex for the right to play in the state championship game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas next week.
In a game where the Greenwave (11-0) had the ball just twice in the first 15 minutes of the game, they scored on five consecutive possessions in the first 15 minutes of the second half to roll to the 40-6 win.
“I mean, you look at it, we’ve got playmakers all over the field,” coach Calvin Connors said. “Shout out to our O-line, D-line, being able to come up big on a few 4th downs, so just very proud of all three phases, offense, defense and special teams.”
The Greenwave looked entirely human before the intermission. An opening 12-play, 69-yard march capped by a 3-yard touchdown run from sophomore Alijah Juarez put the Greenwave up 7-0 with 4:14 left in the first quarter.
But a delay of game penalty, an interception by Elko’s Isiah Steward halted another possession and a holding penalty wiped out a goal-line opportunity at the Elko 4-yard line just before time ran out in the second quarter.
But at halftime, head coach Connors and his staff didn’t need to talk X’s and O’s or make adjustments. They simply reminded the players of the regular-season game in Spring Creek where they scored 40 points in the second half.
“We shot ourselves in the foot in penalties and we were behind the sticks, and that's really tough offensively when you're playing behind the sticks,” Connors said. “We kind of got in our own way, but, you know, shout out to Elko for their defensive plan and doing a good job of minimizing our explosive plays in the first half.”
With the self-inflicted wounds out of their system in the second half, the Greenwave wasted no time keeping the scoreboard operator busy.
After the Greenwave forced a quick Elko three-and-out to start the third quarter, Juarez took a second-down handoff, found a seam and turned it into a 63-yard touchdown run that opened the floodgates.
Moments later, Maxton Richardson intercepted a pass and two plays later, quarterback Camden Richardson hit Drake Rowlett for a 19-yard touchdown strike to push the score to 21-0 with 7:37 left in the third quarter.
Elko briefly interrupted the onslaught with a 17-yard touchdown run by Hagen Robinson, but the Greenwave answered quickly, with Camden Richardson capping a drive with a 10-yard touchdown keeper to push the lead back to 27-6.
On the second play of the fourth quarter, Nathaniel Bianchi erupted for an 83-yard touchdown run right through the middle of the field, and moments later, Camden Richardson and Rowlett connected again for a 94-yard touchdown pass.
“We're very capable of scoring at will when we get momentum, and it was all about taking momentum away from Elko and giving it to ourselves.” Connors said. “The kids respond well to the adversity. We’ve proven that every single game this year, and we're battle tested.”
Camen Richardson completed 14-of-19 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns, both to Rowlett, who caught nine passes for 192 yards. Juarez ran for 148 yards on 13 carries.
The only downside for the Greenwave was an arm injury suffered by Bradley Cabral, who was in his first game back from an injury he suffered over the summer.
“Our hearts are broken for Brad,” Connors said. “He suffered a broken collarbone at football camp this summer and has been a great leader for us when he's on the field. Man, it was very, very heartbreaking to see him go out the way he did tonight.”
Rowlett and Caleb Edgmon both returned from injuries suffered earlier this season and made immediate impacts.
Now the Greenwave get to host a state semifinal game. They played on the road in the semifinal round the past two seasons, winning at Virgin Valley last year on their way to winning the state championship.
“Very excited for that opportunity to be able to host the semifinals here on Saturday,” Connors said. “You get to sleep in your own bed, don't have to travel down south. For it to be a home game and being in Fallon on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, we're looking forward to it.”
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