TRUCKEE FOOTBALL: Wolverines to host postseason opener Saturday

TRUCKEE ” Call it a sequel, but with much more at stake for the Wolverines.

Starting with Saturday’s 1 p.m. kickoff at Surprise Stadium, No. 1-seeded Truckee is on a quest for a ninth Nevada State Championship. And it starts with fourth-seeded Sparks.

Last week the Railroaders didn’t fare well in the matchup, as visiting Truckee cruised to a 49-12 win to wrap up a 6-0 league sweep. Sparks, meanwhile, fell to 3-3 in league play.

While Truckee established itself as the class of the Northern 3A during the regular season ” outscoring league opponents 202-51 ” the Wolverines learned the hard way the past two seasons that there’s little margin for error with the single-elimination playoff format.

The 2007 Wolverines bowed out of the postseason with a heartbreaking one-point loss to visiting Fernley, while the 2006 Truckee squad lost in overtime at Dayton in the first round. Truckee last won State consecutively in 2004 and 2005.

At least on paper, this year’s group seems poised for a serious run.

In nine games this season, the Wolverines have rushed for 2,571 yards on just 288 carries. That’s 8.9 yards per touch. Six players have 200 rushing yards or more, and eight Wolverines boast an average of at least 8.2 yards per carry.

Others have proven capable running the ball as well, making it nearly impossible for opposing defenses to key in on any player in particular.

Senior quarterback Justin Vosburgh has guided the ship, rushing for 301 yards himself while throwing for 758 yards on 48 of 102 pass attempts. With Vosburgh at the helm, Truckee is averaging 416 yards of total offense a game.

Then there’s Truckee’s stalwart defense led by senior linebacker Ryan Macken, who has amassed a team-high 115 tackles on the season ” 63 solo, 52 assisted. Those who have avoided Macken’s wrath have been rudely greeted by other Wolverine defenders swarming the ball.

All the impressive stats mean nothing Saturday at 1 p.m.

Like Truckee head coach Bob Shaffer said after last week’s drubbing: “(Sparks will) be playing with nothing to lose. Hopefully we will play with everything to win.”

The No. 1-seeded Wolverines (6-0 league, 7-2 overall) host Sparks (3-3, 4-5) in a Northern 3A playoff game today at 1 p.m.

Second-seeded Fernley (5-1) hosts third-seeded Spring Creek (3-3) in the other Northern 3A contest today, while in the South, first-seeded Moapa Valley (3-0) hosts fourth-seeded Faith Lutheran (0-3), and second-seeded Virgin Valley (2-1) hosts Boulder City (1-2).

Teams are re-seeded for the State Semifinals on Nov. 15, with Truckee guaranteed to host with a win over Sparks.-

The State Championship is scheduled for Nov. 22 at 6 p.m. at Arbor View High School in Las Vegas.