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Truckee falls against Colfax

Sylas Wright
Sierra Sun

Colfax High football coach Tony Martello described his team as “quick and very, very precise in what (they) do.”

The Falcons (1-0) backed their coach’s endorsement at the expense of visiting Truckee (0-2) on Friday night, winning convincingly, 38-21, in an anticipated rematch of last year’s evenly matched battle at Surprise Stadium.

While a competitive 2005 Colfax team barely squeaked out a 20-14 overtime win over the eventual Nevada 3A champs, there was nothing close about Friday’s contest.



The Wolverines found themselves trailing 21-0 when Falcons senior running back Mike Fucci broke away for a 14-yard touchdown run as time expired in the first quarter.

Colfax ” which scored its first touchdown on a blocked punt ” added to its lead with a 38-yard field goal midway through the second quarter. The score came four plays after DJ Balmain recovered a fumble by quarterback B.J. Carter at the Truckee 35-yard line.



Then, for the first time in the game, Truckee’s young offensive unit began moving the ball with efficiency.

Starting from its own 35-yard line after the Colfax kickoff sailed out of bounds, senior wingback Andrew Mazzini opened the drive with a 10-yard run for a first down. Four plays later, on fourth-and-3 at the Colfax 47, Carter handed the ball off to senior fullback Drew Stewart, who banged his way up the middle for three yards and the first down.

Senior Izzy Serna snatched Carter’s next pass and ran for what appeared to be Truckee’s first touchdown of the season. But the excitement was short-lived, as offensive pass interference brought back the 45-yard touchdown pass.

In spite of a 15-yard penalty the following play for a block below the knees ” at this time the referees were not popular among the large group of Truckee supporters ” the Wolverines continued to drive down the field. After a 20-yard pass completion to junior split end Nick Myers, a 7-yard run by Mazzini and another three yards by junior halfback Keven Sahlberg, Truckee faced second-and-goal inside the 1-yard line.

Stewart got the call. Less than a half yard later, Truckee had six points on the board, with Cruz Esquivel booting through the extra point to bring the score to 24-7 with 3:03 remaining in the half.

Again, the joy was short-lived, because Colfax answered right back.

Needing only five plays, the Falcons marched 53 yards for their fourth touchdown of the game, which came on a 30-yard screen pass from quarterback Alex Rump to Fucci with 44 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

With one last chance to score before the half, Sahlberg broke off a nice return up the sideline to the Colfax 47. Sahlberg then picked up another eight yards, followed by a 10-yard run by Stewart as the clock ticked down to six seconds. On first-and-10 at the Colfax 29, Carter lofted a pass for the end zone that was intercepted at the goal line.

The half ended with Colfax in charge, 31-7.

Receiving the ball to start the second half, the Falcons drove from their own 27 to the Truckee 24 before the Wolverines stuffed Fucci on fourth-and-six for a turnover on downs.

Two plays later, the ball squirted out of Stewart’s hands upon receiving the handoff. Colfax recovered and scored easily once again, adjusting the score to 38-7.

With Colfax removing its first-string from the game, play became ugly, as Truckee committed three turnovers in the half compared with Colfax’s four.

The Wolverines were able to tack on some points in the fourth quarter, on a 4-yard touchdown run by Mazzini and a 23-yard scamper from second-string quarterback Tucker Ballister.

Truckee will host Piedmont High this Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Dayton 16, Damonte Ranch 7

Lowry 55, White Pine 6

Fernley 21, Faith Lutheran 14

Spring Creek bye


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