When
McQueen (Reno) football coach Jim Snelling looks at
Carson (Carson City), he can't help but see his own team.
"I see a lot of similarities between the two teams," Snelling said this week. "Both teams have a big-time running back. I think their defense plays extremely well, they play fast and they play with a lot of emotion, just like our team does. It's two great football teams getting ready to play on a large stage."
Carson coach Blair Roman watches film of McQueen and he notices, you guessed it, his Senators.
"Both teams have a lot of team speed and both teams tackle well," Roman said. "Both teams have outstanding tailbacks. The other thing is the consistency each team played with. We both have our strengths and our weaknesses, but both teams have been able to play very consistent football all year long."
Click here to view MaxPreps' Nevada football playoff brackets.Considering everything they have in common - heck, the teams even have identical 10-1 records - it's probably no coincidence that McQueen and Carson will meet at 7 p.m. Friday at Damonte Ranch in Reno in the 4A Northern Region title game.
In fact, the only difference between the teams might be experience; McQueen won the 2008 4A state title and has six state championships since 1990, while Carson is making its first appearance in the regional final since 1987. The winner advances to the state semifinals where it will meet the winner of the Sunrise Region title game between Liberty (Henderson) and Las Vegas on Nov. 26.
"They haven't been there in quite a while," Snelling said of Carson. "I'm sure they will be excited about the opportunity to be there."
The Senators earned their spot in the final with an impressive 20-0 win over Reed (Sparks) last week. Carson's defense put the clamps on Reed's running game and the offense got another big game from
Dylan Sawyers.
The standout junior rushed for 190 yards and two touchdowns, including a 60-yard bolt in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Sawyers has accounted for six of his team's seven touchdowns in the playoffs and has 1,241 yards on the ground in just seven games this season.
"He's the real deal," Snelling said. "He's very patient, sets up his blocks really well and his yards after contact are second to none. The bottom line is any time he has the ball in his hands you better be alert and ready to go. Obviously, we don't want the ball in his hands a lot."
Sawyers missed the final four games of the regular season with a hip flexor injury. However, Roman said learning how to play without Sawyers was a blessing in disguise for the Senators.
"He's an impact player and every great team has an impact player," Roman said. "He has unbelievable heart and the kids rally around him. They believe he's going to do something good. But not having him for four weeks was a good thing for us as a team. As a coaching staff, we had to find ways to move the ball and other kids had to step up.
"We felt like when we got him back for the playoffs we had to find ways to get him the ball because he's electrifying. At the same time, we know we can be balanced."
Not surprisingly, the Lancers also were without their best running back for a time this season. Senior
Nick Shepard left the Reed game on Sept. 17 in an ambulance after experiencing shortness of breath and chest pains during the third quarter. He missed the following week's game against Douglas (Minden) before returning Oct. 1 against Spanish Springs (Sparks).
Junior
Arnold Carillo stepped up in Shepard's absence and now the Lancers have a potent one-two punch in the backfield. Shepard ran for 148 yards and Carillo added 104 yards and four touchdowns in last week's 40-17 victory over Bishop Manogue (Reno) in the semifinals.
"Nick has a lot of the same traits as Dylan," Snelling said. "He's a leader, a captain. He's a hard-nosed kid and never lets his legs stop driving until he is on the ground. When he went out, our motto was, 'Who is going to pick up the torch next?' For the most part, the kids have done that. I'm happy for them in that way."
While the offenses for both teams have garnered most of the attention this season, this game could be decided by the defensive side of the ball. McQueen is the top-ranked defense in the Northern Region, allowing 11.3 points per game. Carson is giving up 14.5.
The teams didn't meet during the regular season, but Roman admitted last year's matchup still weighs on his mind. The Senators led 34-23 with 7:55 remaining in the fourth quarter before McQueen rallied and won 38-34 on Shepard's 5-yard touchdown run with 22 seconds to play.
"We know to compete with the best teams in our league we have to play four quarters of football," Roman said. "That was a big lesson our whole program learned. McQueen presents some big challenges. We have to play real solid in all three phases of the game."
Prediction: Carson 24, McQueen 21
SUNRISE REGION
Liberty (Henderson) at Las Vegas
When a team from the Big Ten Conference plays a Pacific-10 Conference squad in the Rose Bowl, it is usually billed as a game of power vs. speed. That's pretty much what we have here.
In this case, the power comes in the form of the Patriots (10-1), who feature a massive offensive line and like to wear teams out with their running game. Las Vegas, meanwhile, can overwhelm teams with its playmakers at quarterback, running back and wide receiver.
Liberty earned its first appearance in the region final with a 26-13 victory over Canyon Springs (North Las Vegas).
Niko Kapeli ran for 99 yards and quarterback
Kai Nacua added three short touchdown runs, but it was the defense that was the difference for the Patriots. Defensive end
Sam Tai, who has made a verbal commitment to UCLA, recorded three second-half sacks and
Jared Tuilagi added a key interception.
Tai and the rest of Liberty's defensive line will have to find a way to get pressure on Wildcats quarterback
Hasaan Henderson because Liberty doesn't match up as well on the perimeter. Las Vegas wide receiver
Cameron Rogers is a potential gamebreaker, as are running backs
Farrell Victor and
Lamond Powe.
The Wildcats (11-1) struggled on offense last week in a 13-10 win over Foothill (Henderson) as Las Vegas threw just three passes in the second half. Victor carried the load with 175 yards on 32 carries and helped set up
Jay Mattox's go-ahead field goal with 2:41 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats' defense, which had five sacks and allowed 133 yards of total offense, has been overlooked and could decide the outcome in this one.
Prediction: Las Vegas 21, Liberty 17
SUNRISE REGION
Centennial (Las Vegas) at Palo Verde (Las Vegas)
A little bit of trivia: The Bulldogs (8-3) are the only lower-seeded team in the state to win a 4A playoff game as their defense rose to the occasion in a 16-12 win at Desert Oasis (Las Vegas). Now Centennial gets the ultimate test against the Panthers (11-0), who are fresh off a 56-6 thrashing of Spring Valley (Las Vegas). Palo Verde rested standout running back
Brandon Wright, but the senior is expected to be back for this one. Wright rushed for 185 yards and two scores in Palo Verde's 21-0 win over the Bulldogs back on Sept. 16.
Prediction: Palo Verde 28, Centennial 7
Arbor View (Las Vegas) at Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
The Aggies (10-1) made their first playoff appearance a memorable one as they survived a 48-46 thriller against Durango (Las Vegas). Arbor View racked up 595 yards of total offense and had three players rush for more than 100 yards, including 237 yards by
Donnie Gaskin, but still needed a late interception by
Roderick Eason to escape. Arbor View gave up several big plays, especially in the passing game, which can't happen against the Gaels (10-2) and quarterback
Jarrett Solomon. Gorman rolled to a 56-0 opening-round win over Shadow Ridge (Las Vegas) and has outscored its nine Nevada opponents 506-12. The playoff bracket couldn't have played out better for the Gaels, who will see a double-wing offense this week to prepare for a possible showdown with Palo Verde in the regional final.
Prediction: Bishop Gorman 56, Arbor View 14
