Fallon needed only 10 minutes to take complete control of its game at South Tahoe last Friday, scoring four touchdowns in less than a quarter on the way to a 38-0 win in its Northern 3A opener.
The Greenwave led 26-0 with two minutes left in the first quarter and added two scores in the second quarter to win its third straight game to start the season.
Coach Calvin Connors said the fast start was a result of his team correcting early-season issues and responding to a challenge to establish the run early.
“Our boys did a great job of being able to handle the travel up to Tahoe and taking the first two games as learning experiences heading into our league schedule,” Connors said. “We challenged our offense to put a full game together and they were able to do that.”
Connors said the Greenwave didn’t necessarily establish the run in the first half of the two previous games, wins at Bishop Manogue and Reed. He said that was the ambition against the Vikings, and establishing the run set up the pass.
Quarterback Camden Richardson completed all seven of his pass attempts for 231 yards and four touchdowns. His first pass was an 81-yard touchdown strike to Maxton Richardson to open the scoring. Moments later, Camden Richardson hit Calin Anderson for a 35-yard touchdown and it was 12-0 four minutes into the game.
Nathaniel Bianchi added two more touchdowns in the quarter, on a 21-yard reception and a 21-yard run to make it 26-0 with two minutes left in the first quarter.
With an early lead, Connors took the opportunity to get his backups plenty of playing time.
“We let those other kids come in and put some drives together for us and put them in situations to see where they were and where we need to be as a coaching staff and get our whole team right as a unit,” he said. “It was good to see where they're at and how we can develop them further.”
Rylan Clark added an 8-yard touchdown run early in the second, then Alijah Juarez took a reception 62 yards for a touchdown that made it 38-0 before the half and ensured the rest of the game was played with a running clock.
The Greenwave defense did the rest, forcing four turnovers, including an interception with about three minutes left in the game to preserve the shutout.
“Kudos to South Tahoe, they drove down the field in the fourth quarter and they're in the red zone, and our defense went ahead and bowed their neck and was able to show that we can hold offenses out from getting in the end zone,” Connors said. “So it was fun to see the energy that our kids had throughout the whole entire game.”
Connors said the Greenwave are looking forward to carrying that energy into this week’s game against Truckee. He said Truckee coach Josh Ivins has held the standard set by legendary Truckee coach Bob Shaffer.
“We always get hyped up for this game, and they're always a program that is going to be on point with all three phases, their offense, defense, and special teams,” Connors said.
Among the challenges Truckee poses is a unique offensive system that the team disguises by lining up quickly out of the huddle and using motions to confuse defenses.
“We’ve got some keys that we key on from the defensive perspective and based on their personnel and formations that they run,” Connors said. “So you know, our guys have to have strong and high football IQ, which they have shown, week in and week out dating back to the first season we were here in ‘24, but really started to come on strong last season.”
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