Wolverines football team rallies for upset against Damonte Ranch
RENO, Nev. — It took two late touchdowns, but the Class 3A Truckee football team rallied back from a 10-point second-half deficit to top Class 5A Damonte Ranch on the road Friday night.
After falling behind 10-0 in the second quarter, Truckee junior quarterback Jace Estabrook dropped in a 37-yard touchdown pass senior Luke Trotter to get the Wolverines on the board. Junior Paxton Lubrano converted extra-point attempt to make the score 10-7 going into halftime.
Damonte Ranch opened the second half with a 48-yard touchdown run by junior Alan Limas. The Wolverines cut into the lead with about nine minutes left in the game when Estabrook took a punt from the Damonte Ranch 42-yard line and burst around the left end on the way to a touchdown. The extra-point attempt was no good leaving the score at 17-13.
After a defensive stop, Truckee’s offense took over at the 14-yard line with six and a half minutes remaining. Junior Joe Birnbaum would put the Wolverines on top late in the game, catching a screen pass from Estabrook and breaking loose for an 87-yard touchdown reception. Lubrano converted the point after touchdown to give the Wolverines a 20-17 lead.
From there, defending Class 3A champions were able to hang on for the win and an upset of a Class 5A team from Reno. Estabrook finished the night with 260 passing yards, a pair of touchdowns, and an interception. He converted 11 of 21 pass attempts. Birnbaum led the team on the ground with 38 yards on seven carries. He also had a team-high four receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown. Senior Miles Kelly-Caruthers had 30 rushing yards on six carries. Trotter caught three passes for 61 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, senior Maxx Ellermeyer led Truckee with 16 tackles, including five tackles for a loss. Senior Tanner Kuch had 14 tackles and recovered a fumble. Junior Ryder Crezee had 10 tackles and blocked a punt. Junior Luke Lauter finished the game with a sack and caused a fumble. Junior Jackson Wicks intercepted a pass and forced a fumble. Junior Calvin Curtis also intercepted a pass. Junior Paul Ronzone caused a fumble as well.
Truckee (3-0, 0-0 Northern League) will open league play on Friday at Spring Creek (0-2, 0-0 Northern League). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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