It was standing room only in the packed bleachers during Friday night’s region semifinal game between two staunch rivals. Fans in green, white, orange, and black braved the chilly weather with coffee and hot dogs as smoke from the grill drifted between the goalposts and stadium lights. The CCHS team took to the field under a bright moonrise – well-rested after earning a second seed bye and a week off – for their first game of the postseason. Squaring off against them was Fernley, who brought palpable enthusiasm and an appetite for victory after their win over the Lowry Buckaroos last weekend.
Despite their 42 -15 loss to CCHS earlier this season, Fernley immediately proved that this game would be different and claimed the first touchdown of the night less than two minutes in with Keeshawn Love rushing 82 yards into the endzone. A second touchdown four minutes later would give the Vaqueros a 14-point lead, as the energy and excitement from the visitors’ stands began to dominate the field. The Greenwave refused to be shut out in the first quarter, however, pushing back when Calin Anderson completed a 20-yard pass from Camden Richardson, and managed to put points on the board for CCHS with four minutes to go. The Vaqueros blocked the extra point, which sent the rival teams into the second quarter 14-6.
Early in the next quarter, CCHS tied the score with a touchdown and a daring two-point conversion. The battle raged as both teams fought hard to gain the upper hand in a neck-and-neck game. The score remained unchanged until the last minute of the second, when Fernley took the lead. The Greenwave pushed the ball into the endzone halfway through the third quarter – tying up the game again – and then pulled ahead just before the fourth after Calin Anderson completed a game-changing 79-yard pass from Matthew Bird.
The final quarter of the game saw the Vaqueros even the score once again with roughly 10 minutes to go, ushering in a fierce defensive back-and-forth that charged both players and spectators. The clock ran down with several encouraging moments – including a 50-yard rush by Camden Richardson – but no winning plays were in sight. Several penalties cost the Greenwave two touchdown attempts, and with less than a minute on the clock, it seemed overtime was inevitable. To the sound of rumbling stands and cheers from fans in green, CCHS put their offensive advantage to work – giving Camden Richardson an opening to rush the ball 15 yards for the game-winning touchdown with only 46 seconds left on the clock. The final score is 35-28 CCHS.
With a well-fought regional semifinal win under their belts, the Greenwave are moving on to the state semifinals. Next week, they head to Mesquite, NV, to face the top team from the southern division, the Virginia Valley Bulldogs. The two remaining teams in the Nevada 3A playoffs are the Elko Indians and the Moapa Valley Pirates, who will also meet next week. Both games are scheduled for Nov. 15 at 1 pm and will be streamed online on the NFHS Network website.
Comment
Comments