MVHS	6
Truckee	21

By Dave Belcher

Moapa Valley Progress

Battered and bruised, the Pirates came up short in the state championship game against their rival Truckee.

The venue of the game was changed at the last minute from Damonte Ranch High School in Reno to Fernley High school. This was due to a wildfire which had engulfed homes on the southwest side of Reno. Damonte Ranch was being used as an evacuation center forcing the change.

It was a cold evening in Fernley, the heaters were on full blast on the Pirate bench doing their best to keep hands and bodies from freezing.

From the beginning of this game, Moapa Valley’s offense struggled to move the ball against a Truckee defense which was primed and loaded to stop them in their tracks. The absence of starting quarterback Dakota Watters due to an earlier injury was deeply felt as the Pirates tried to use the two quarterback rotation of Repp and Hilton to throw off the Truckee defense. But neither was effective.

The game had a promising start. Dillon Mortensen opened the game with the kick off and Truckee immediately fumbled the ball. Kasen Hughes fell on it and Moapa recovered the first turnover of the game.

From the Truckee 30, the Pirates started with Conner Mortensen running for nine yards followed by a first down on a two yard run. Mortensen then ran for 4 more yards on a sweep as the Pirates were moving the ball and were at the Truckee 15.

Then the Pirates went to the air. Repp who started the game missed on third and six. Then threw behind Shane Terrill on fourth and six from the 15 turning the ball over on downs.

Truckee’s first play was fumbled again and recovered by Truckee for a seven yard loss. Truckee completed a 13 yard pass then on third and four Pat Shaffer threw behind his receiver and Truckee punted on the next play.

The Pirates started this series from their own thirty nine. Mortensen ran twice for a total of 4 yards and Repp threw a screen to McConell for 9 yards and a first down at the Truckee 47.

Mortensen then ran for ten yards and a first down followed by 5 more from McConnell.

On third and 5 from the Truckee 29 Repp made a bad pitch and McConell recovered the loose ball at the 38. On fourth and fourteen the Pirate punt was blocked and traveled a total of eight yards to the Truckee 30.

The Pirate defense kept Truckee close for the first half with great stop after stop. A sweep by Pettit went for one yard. Then an incomplete pass made it third and nine. Truckee completed their next pass for fifteen yards and a first down. Curtis ran for three yards then on a counter he ran for eight more. Jake Rebman nearly picked off a screen pass he had played perfectly in the Truckee flat.

Truckee then punted which finished in the end zone for a touch back and Moapa had the ball on their twenty. A procedure penalty on Rebman sent the Pirates back five yards to the fifteen and on the final play of the first quarter Mortensen ran a draw for three yards. The score was zeros.

The second quarter started with Shawn Hilton at quarterback. Mortensen took the handoff on second and twelve for six yards to the 24. A pitch to McConell who was tackled behind the line set Moapa back five yards. Dillon Mortensen’s next punt traveled eighteen yards and Truckee got the ball at the Moapa 37.

Curtis ran for nine yards then was held to nothing and followed with six more and a first down. A Pitch to Pettit took the ball to the three yard line. But Moapa got a break when holding was called on the play sending Truckee back to the nineteen with a first and six. Truckee made it to the twelve and was forced to attempt a field goal from thirty yards which went wide left with 7:12 in the half.

The Pirates next four possessions would be the ones they wished they had back. On first and ten from their own twenty McConell fumbled the ball at the twenty seven yard line and Truckee recovered it.

Still, the Pirate defense remained stellar as they held the Wolverines for four plays including a fourth and two from the nineteen.

With the ball at the Pirate eighteen Repp was sacked and fumbled. Truckee recovered the ball for Moapa’s second turnover in two plays.

Again the Pirate defense stopped Truckee on four plays as they gained only one yard. The ball came back to the Pirates with 4:29 in the half.

Moapa’s next three plays yielded only one yard after a sack took one yard away from the Pirates.

The next play Truckee came up the middle and blocked the punt. Pettit then picked up the ball and stepped into the end zone for the first score of the game and a 7-0 lead.

Mortensen took Truckee’s kickoff back to the thirty. But Repp threw an interception on the first play with 2:25 in the half. Four possessions four turn overs.

Moapa’s defense was called again to stop Truckee and stop them they did. Three plays and a field goal attempt which missed again with 1:57 to go in the half.

Moapa moved the ball eighteen yards and with three seconds remaining in the half, just missed on a bomb to Brandon Johnson.

In the second half, Truckee scored a second touchdown when Pettit took a handoff and ran up the middle 24 yards for the score with 3:55 in the third quarter. It was the first big play on offense of the game.

On the first play after the kickoff, Truckee picked off a middle screen.

With first and ten from the 18 Pettit caught an eight yard pass to the ten. Then with second and two Truckee had a run to the seven and it was first and goal. A one yard run then a fade to Holmer in the left corner of the end zone. In a matter of two minutes and thirty three seconds Truckee had two touchdowns and the title in sight.

After the kick off Moapa started a thirteen play drive that ended in a punt at the Truckee 44 yard line.

Truckee began with the ball at the 22. Moapa’s defense held them to three and out. After a personal foul called against Truckee the Pirates had the ball at the Truckee thirty.

The following drive ended with the Pirates giving the ball back to Truckee at the eighteen.

But Moapa got the ball back five plays later after a Truckee punt.

Johnson caught a 52 yard pass and McConnell caught a fourteen yarder to the one yard line. Then Mortensen finally got Moapa onto the board as he took it in.

Moapa went for two but couldn’t convert it. The score was 21-6 Truckee with 1:48 left to play.

Moapa recovered the onside kick when Terrill wrapped up the ball after it hit a Truckee player and bounced off. The first play was a pass and was picked off with 1:40 to play.

Truckee went three and out with Moapa using all of its timeouts in the process to stop the clock.

With 1:10 left, Moapa blocked a Truckee punt and took possession at the Truckee thirty five.

Then the Pirate offense unraveled. A short pass to McConell. Then twelve seconds ticked off the clock before the ball was spiked killing the clock.

A delay of game call set the Pirates back five more yards to the 38; third and 13. The next pass fell incomplete. On the fourth down the pass was intercepted, then given back to Moapa on a personal foul call on Truckee. Pirates ball first and ten from the Truckee twenty four.

Moapa’s final play of the season ended with Cole Roberts picking off the pass and running down the Moapa sideline. He slid to the ground holding the ball in the air. Truckee ran out the final seconds to end the game.

This was Truckee’s third state championship in a row.

Moapa’s turnovers cost them their chance to win it. Still the Pirate defense kept them in the game and prevented a blowout.

The Pirates had forty six yards total rushing. Mortensen had seventy one yards while Repp had minus twenty eight.

Passing Moapa was eight of twenty eight for 113 yards and four interceptions. Repp threw all four picks.

For Truckee Curtis had ninety six yards on eighteen carries to lead all rushers. Pettit had twenty two yards on eleven carries. Truckee had one hundred and thirty three yards total rushing. Passing Truckee had sixty three yards on eight for twenty one attempts.