Snow covered fields, indoor practices, COVID-19 testing, and other obstacles are what face student-athletes at North Tahoe and Truckee High schools.

But after more than a year, fall sports have returned — at the end of winter.

Aside from alpine skiing, snowboarding, and Nordic competitions, students haven’t been able to participate in prep sports, but that all changed earlier this month following a loosening of state restrictions.

---

---

Wolverines football tops Union Mine in opener

A snow covered Surprise Stadium hasn’t stopped the Truckee football team from preparing for a shortened campaign.

The Wolverines, like several other programs in Truckee and North Tahoe, have had to fight for practice time in gyms and at one of the few cleared fields like at North Tahoe Regional Park and Alder Creek Middle School. The Wolverines gridiron remains buried in snow, putting Truckee football on the road for its five-game season. The Wolverines also won’t play their typical league opponents, having scheduled games against a number of in-state schools ahead of COVID-19 restrictions being loosened.

---

---

Though Truckee has been limited in preparing for the season, the Wolverines rolled to victory in their opener last Friday night, cruising to a 24-0 win at Union Mine in El Dorado.

“We didn’t know what to expect, honestly,” said Truckee Coach Josh Ivens. “Our guys came to play. I’m very happy with the way that our guys performed, especially under the preparation issues that we had.

In his second season behind center, junior quarterback Jackson Kahl threw for 128 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, while also picking up 30 yards on the ground. Junior running back Jason Roth led the ground attack, rushing for 100 yards on 10. Senior Cody Flynn had 86 yards on four carries, including a 61-yard touchdown to open the game. The play was the same that resulted in Ivens suffering a broken lateral tibial plateau in last season’s opener when a player collided with him on the sideline

“I made sure I ran it the first play,” joked Ivens. “It was kind of a demon off my back.”

Truckee and senior Tyler Curry finished with 81 yards on 17 carries.

Senior Jameson Hogarth led Truckee with 42 receiving yards and a touchdown. Senior Jackson Ellermeyer also caught a 10-yard touchdown.

Defensively, senior Anders Norman led Truckee with nine tackles. Junior Sawyer Burley posted a pair of sacks, junior player Junior Ibarra intercepted a pass, and senior Micah Ivens caused a fumble.

Truckee will play Saturday in Auburn against Sutter.

“Physical, run the wing-T like us, very well coached,” said Ivens on the matchup. “This is a measuring stick for us. We’re hoping to give them a game.”

Truckee is set to play Sutter at 7 p.m. following the junior varsity matchup.

The area’s other football team, North Tahoe football is set to kick off its season today. The Lakers are scheduled to face Foresthill on the road.

Lady Wolverines volleyball bounces back from loss

The Truckee volleyball team opened its season last week against Incline, suffering a loss in straight sets to the Highlanders.

Truckee had two practices going into the game, said first-year coach John Decrescenzo, and was the first time the team had all of their varsity players on the floor together.

Truckee rebounded Wednesday with a win in straight sets. Callie Rule had 10 kills, Tatum Legare had seven kills, Tiana Sisto had three kills, Josie Banovich had three kills. As a team the Wolverines had 21 aces.

“We have a pretty talented group of kids,” said Decrescenzo, on a team that features three seniors. “We’re experimenting to see how these kids fit in.”

Truckee will play Wooster at home Saturday. Junior varsity starts at 10 a.m. and varsity is scheduled for 11 a.m.

Justin Scacco is a reporter for the Sierra Sun. Contact him at jscacco@sierrasun.com or 530-550-2643.