Fallon opens 3A season with big win over Vikings

Fallon running back Rolland Grondin rushed for three touchdowns in the first quarter and quarterback Bryce Adams unleashed two more scoring passes to give the Greenwave its first Northern 3A football win of the season, 48-0 against South Tahoe on Friday at the Edward Arciniega Athletic Complex.

After splitting its first two games against Reed and Galena of the Northern 5A, Fallon improves to 2-1 overall and shares its 1-0 league record with Elko, Truckee and Lowry, which defeated Sparks 33-13. Fallon travels to the Rail City for a 6 p.m. game on Friday.

The Greenwave wasted no time putting points on the board against South Tahoe, 1-2 overall and 0-1 in league. The defense shut down South Tahoe on the ground and through the air.

Fallon coach Brooke Hill said he thought the Wave played a good game on defense. He said the first and second teams played a solid game and kept the Vikings out of the end zone.

Taking the ball in the game’s first possession, Adams linked up with Ethan Tarner for a 54-yard pass play at the 9:17 mark.

The Greenwave defense shut down South Tahoe’s first series, and took over. The Wave pushed down the field and scored its second touchdown on another Adams-Tarner pass for 6 yards. Grondin rushed for the 2-point conversion to give Fallon a 14-0 lead.

Grondin took over on the Greenwave’s next two series. He pushed through the Vikings’ defense for 3 yards, and on the next possession, scored on a first and goal from the 2-yard line with 3:19 remaining in the quarter. Fallon began its drive from its 44-yard line and relied on Grondin’s 33-yard run to set up the game’s third Greenwave touchdown.

With a 22-0 lead, the Greenwave defense took over with a touchdown. Linebacker Manuel Karaway read the play perfectly, intercepted a pass and took off for a 40-yard return.

Fallon added two more touchdowns. Grondin rushed for 2 yards and added the 2-point conversion for a 30-0 Fallon lead, and Adams hooked up with Brady Alves for 42-yard strike after South Tahoe fumbled. With a 36-0 lead, the running clock was implemented for the rest of the game. Adams completed 8 of 8 passes for 162 yards and threw two passes each to Tarner (60 yards), Alves (54 yards), Carter Paul (21 yards) and Caden McKnight (14 yards).

Fallon substituted liberally and scored twice more. Grondin grounded out more yards and scored on a 2-yard run. The 2-point pass conversion hit the goal post.

The Greenwave put together a seven-play drive in the third quarter and scored on Victor Sepulveda’s 1-yard run. Sepulveda’s 27-yard run pushed the Greenwave deeper into South Tahoe territory. Backup quarter back Colin Shishido completed two passes in the quarter — one each to Baylor Sandberg and Grondin — for 27 total yards.

“We knew we would be able to score early,” Hill said. “The kids did a good job in the first half, and overall our kids played well. Bryce threw the ball well. The receivers did a good job, and the offense made the plays. We did everything we wanted to accomplish.”

Hill added the defense played well. The defense kept South Tahoe to 126 yards on offense, while the Wave had 322 total yards.

South Tahoe    0  0  0  0 — 0

Fallon            36  6  6  0 — 48

First quarter

F: Ethan Tarner 54 pass from Bryce Adams

F: Ethan Tarner 6 pass from Bryce Adams

F: Roland Grondin 3 rush

F: Roland Grondin 2 rush

F: Manuel Karaway 40 interception return

F: Roland Grondin 3 rush

F: Brady Alves 42 pass from Bryce Adams

Second quarter

F: Roland Grondin 2 rush

Third quarter

F: Victor Sepulveda 1 rush