Carson's upset win proves 4A is wide open

When Carson High stunned No. 1 Reed by a whopping 27 points Friday night, it raised more than a few eyebrows.

It showed that there are no dominant teams in Northern 4A football this year, and that's a good thing. Everybody gets tired of the same teams dominating year after year, and I'm no exception.

Defensive back Josh Peacock and quarterback Blake Plattsmier said they weren't surprised they beat Reed so handily. I guess it proves that the Senators are playing with a lot more confidence this year. Certainly it's easier to make a statement like that after you have won.

Our Sierra Nevada football poll comes out in the middle of this week, and it wouldn't surprise me to see the Senators no worse than third and possibly even second. McQueen should be No. 1 based on its 38-34 win over the Senators.

The Lancers are playing like Cleveland's Cardiac Kids of the '70s. McQueen pulled out wins in the final minute to beat both Carson and Douglas in the past two weeks. Second in the poll should be a toss-up between Carson and Douglas.

One of the big stories coming out of Carson thus far is the play of sophomore running back/receiver Dylan Sawyers, who has scored five touchdowns and thrown for one in the past two weeks.

"He's definitely an impact player, no doubt about it," Carson coach Blair Roman said after Friday night's win.

"He's a really good player," Plattsmier said. "He's making big plays."

The biggest of Sawyers' plays was a 95-yard kickoff return, which gave Carson a 40-13 lead and stopped the momentum that Reed had built up with a scoring drive to start the second half.

"It was the biggest hole I'd ever seen in my life," Sawyers said. "I just knew I had to get to the second level (of coverage guys)."

Carson's defense, despite giving up plenty of yardage, has managed for the most part to stay away from huge plays. Reed did score on a fourth-and-18 play when Tyler Pine threw a 28-yard TD pass. That should never happen.

Another piece of good news from Friday was the return of John Parker, who played defensively for the first time this season. His presence certainly helps the depth of the defensive unit.

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It was nice to see former Nevada point guard Ramon Sessions get a whopping $16 million, four-year contract from the Timberwolves. Sessions averaged more than 12 points a game a year ago and had the ninth-best assist-turnover ratio in the league.

The Knicks were very interested in Sessions, but decided to save their money for next year's free-agent market.

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The Giants' bid for a wildcard spot appears to be over. The Rockies keep winning, and the Giants' anemic offense will turn out to be their downfall. It certainly didn't help that Tim Lincecum missed a start and may not return until Monday.