By Robert Perea
A Swiss Army Knife is an engineering wonder, a miniature toolbox all by itself. The iconic tool is as adaptable as it is enduring and has become a globally recognized symbol of everyday utility.
Alex Juliot is Fernley’s Swiss Army Knife, the kind of player who seems to fit wherever his team needs him. So much so that his coaches call him “Swiss.”
While he’s a utility player who plays several different positions in baseball, in football he’s a cornerback who always seems to be in the vicinity whenever the Vaqueros make a big play defensively.
Juliot made two of those big plays to help the Vaqueros open a 21-0 lead on their way to a 38-14 win over Spring Creek on Homecoming last Friday night.
It was Fernley’s third consecutive win and improved the Vaqueros’ record to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the Northern 3A, with a big matchup at Truckee at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Juliot returned an interception 77 yards for Fernley’s first touchdown and recovered a fumble in Fernley territory that ended another Spring Creek scoring chance, accounting for two of the four turnovers forced by the Vaqueros’ defense. Fernley also held a Spring Creek offense that was averaging more than 320 yards per game to just 240.
Meanwhile, Fernley’s offense did what it does best, running for 351 yards on 46 carries. Keeshawn Love led the Vaqueros with 147 yards on 21 carries, Riley McCullar added 77 yards on eight carries and quarterback Bryce Stephens ran 13 times for 114 yards and completed all three of his passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns.
But before all that, Spring Creek was threatening to take the lead on the game’s opening drive, having marched from its own 20-yard line to the Fernley 27. That’s when, on second down-and-7, Juliot saw Spring Creek receiver Nolan Francis run a curl route in front of him and recognized the pass was coming before it was thrown. He cut in front of Francis, intercepted the pass at the Fernley 23-yard line and took it 77 yards the other way for a touchdown and a 7-0 Fernley lead.
Early in the second quarter, with the Vaqueros up 14-0, Spring Creek quarterback McCoy McArtor again tried to throw a pass to Francis. This time, on third-and-15 from his own 24-yard line, McArtor was forced to scramble away from pressure, and he heaved the ball from his own 20-yard line to Francis at the Fernley 35. Francis caught the ball over the outstretched arms of Brodie Jones, but he dropped it as he was being tackled by Fernley’s Nathan Pritchard.
Juliot, who was covering a different receiver on the opposite side of the field, raced across and arrived just in time to dive on the loose ball at the Fernley 27.
Three plays later, quarterback Bryce Stephens connected with Riley McCullar for a 25-yard touchdown to make it 21-0.
Spring Creek was able to get back within 21-14 with two touchdown passes by McArtor, but after seeing their momentum evaporate, the Vaqueros grabbed it back with an 11-play drive that ate up almost 8 minutes off the clock to start the third quarter. Stephens’ 10-yard touchdown pass to McCullar made it 28-14.
The Vaqueros came up big defensively again to preserve the lead. Spring Creek drove to the Fernley 9-yard line, but on second and goal, McArtor thought he had Francis open on a crossing route at the goal line, but Isaid Solis came from the opposite direction to pick it off.
The Vaqueros then put together another long drive, this time going 71 yards in 13 plays to set up a 46-yard field goal by Noah Spencer.
“I think that was the final gut punch,” Fernley coach Anfernee Sloan said. “That field goal right there was a big old stamp on that thing.”
Now, after trying for five weeks not to think about the looming game against Truckee, the three-time defending league champion, the Vaqueros can turn their full attention to the Wolverines.
“I love playing Truckee,” Sloan said. “I’ve been part of that whole history with those guys, and I’ve been part of some really good football teams here that went and did some pretty incredible things. It’s going to be a dogfight, and you know as well as I do, Truckee always gives you one.”
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