Carson falls against McQueen

It simply came down to some red zone mathematics. The McQueen Lancers moved inside the 20 three times and cashed in with a touchdown each time. The Carson Senators were inside the 20 twice and drove to the 31 on their opening possession and never did capitalize as they dropped a 26-0 verdict in their nonconference football game home.

Jamal Dalton rushed for 116 yards and scored two touchdowns to help McQueen win their season opener. Dalton ran for , 87 of those yards and both touchdowns in the second half as the Lancers broke open a game that stood 7-0 at the intermission.

"I was very proud of the kids," Carson coach Shane Quilling said after watching the Senators drop to 0-2 on the season. "We executed our game plan and we had our opportunities. We just weren't able to get it done when we were inside the 20."

The Senators drove into McQueen territory on each of their first two possessions and even enjoyed a 135-91 advantage in total offense during the first half. And that's against a program that has played in the state 4A championship game four times in the last five years and won two of those

"McQueen is a very solid team. They're big, they're physical and they've got numbers," Quilling said. "This is not a moral victory, but they knew we got after them."

It was a step forward from the week before when the Senators gave up five turnovers in their season-opening 35-10 to class 3A power Moapa Valley in Overton. This time, the Senators only turned the ball over once, and that came early in the fourth quarter when quarterback Les Riddick's fourth-down pass from the 90 was deflected and intercepted by defensive lineman Mitch Solano.

Carson took the opening kickoff and burst for first downs on their first three plays - Austin Watson running for 12 yards, Derek Shoaf for 12 and Watson for 12 more - to move to McQueen's 39. The drive stalled and three plays later, on fourth-and-2 from the 31, Matt Mitchell lined up for a 47-yard field goal attempt that was just wide left.

Quilling had no second thoughts about the field goal attempt afterward.

"Matt is a great kicker and he's been nailing them in practice," the coach said. "That kick was long enough, it was just four or five feet wide."

The Lancers got their first opportunity late in the first half when they drove 51 yards on 14 plays. Quarterback Nick Nistler capped the drive with a four-yard touchdown scramble on a fourth down play with 5:04 remaining before halftime.

Carson answered right back. Starting from the 24, Shoaf went inside for a 16-yard gain. Three plays later, Shoaf broke a 34-yarder before he was dragged down at the 20. On a third down pass attempt from the 14, Reddick was pressured by Eugene Travis and the passed batted down, then 6-4, 302-pound defensive tackle Mark Clemons blocked a 30-yard field goal attempt by Mitchell.

Shoaf rushed for 71 yards on nine carries in the first half. The senior was hindered by leg cramps and never carried the ball in the second half, although he did continue to play on defense at linebacker.

McQueen scored on its opening two possessions of the second half. Dalton broke a 30-yard run on a second-and-12 play - two plays after a pass interference call on a third-and-eight play - then he scored again later in the third period, this time on a six-yard run.

"There were no adjustments, we just starting clicking," said Dalton, a senior running back.

"That wasn't McQueen football. We knew we were capable of playing better and that seemed to motivate us in the second half," said Nistler, a senior who completed six of seven passes for 61 yards in the second half.

Watson finished the night with 58 yards on 19 carries and Carson finished with 109 yards rushing as a team. Reddick completed five of 10 passes for 59 yards, with Scott Witter catching four balls for 49 yards.

JUNIOR VARSITY

Quarterback Tony Roberts ran for two touchdowns, including a 5-yard run early in the fourth quarter that stood as the margin of victory as Carson's JV squad defeated McQueen 18-13.

Roberts also scored on an 85-yard run in the first half and Kyle Banko later scored on a 27-yard run to help stake the Senators to a 12-7 lead.

Travis Lamborn recovered a fumble at midfield late in the third quarter to set up Carson's final score. Moments later, Roberts went for 12 yards and Lamborn burst for 30 more yards and first down at the McQueen 17. Roberts completed a 13-yard pass to the 4 and then scored on a keeper two plays later.

McQueen scored again with 6:51 remaining in the fourth quarter and got the ball back one more time, but Jason Bagley made a stop on a fourth-down double reverse at McQueen's 42 to end the last-ditch drive.

FRESHMEN

McQueen scored inside the final three minutes to snap a tie and defeat Carson 21-14 on Thursday.

Chris McBroom scored on a 50-yard run and also threw a touchdown pass to Will Holbert to account for Carson's scoring. The score was tied 14-14 in the fourth quarter and the Senators were driving before they turned the ball over on downs. McQueen took the ball back down the field for its go-ahead score.

Contact Dave Price at dprice@nevadaappeal.com