Vaqueros show offensive depth in opening win over Coral Academy

Fernley showed a new level of offensive balance in its season opener Friday night, scoring six offensive touchdowns by five different players in a 45-0 win over Coral Academy of Science.

After a season last year in which three players, departed seniors Bryce-Dunagan Stephens, Keeshawn Love and Riley McCullar, accounted for 51 of Fernley’s 55 offensive touchdowns, the Vaqueros showed explosiveness and depth in reaching the end zone six times on offense and once more on special teams.

Junior slotback Jayse Jones led the way for the Vaqueros with touchdown runs of 61 and 90 yards for his first two varsity scores and more than triple his total rushing yardage last season. Junior running back Jayden Esparza added 10 carries for 146 yards and a 50-yard touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Elijah Devold ran for a 60-yard touchdown run on a scramble after he avoided a sack on what was supposed to be a pass play, and both Brayden Cruz and Brayden Haas scored their first varsity touchdown runs. 

In addition, Vance Swindlehurst returned a kickoff 85 yards for his first varsity touchdown.

“To go from having the guys that just played four years straight for us to having the ability to run several guys that can touch a football, I think is a pretty cool thing,” coach Anfernee Sloan said. “It kind of just shows how diverse we are as a football program, and the fact that we can have more than one guy be somebody for us is huge. I think that's a big thing, a true component of a true team.”

Esparza’s touchdown came on Fernley’s offensive play from scrimmage when he took an inside handoff headed to the right side but cut to his left into open space.

On Fernley’s next possession, Jones made it 14-0 when he took a toss play to the 61 yards for a touchdown. He later added a 90-yard run on a similar play.

With Fernley leading 20-0 late in the second quarter, Devold dropped back to pass but immediately had to avoid an unblocked pass rusher. When he got outside, nobody could catch him until his teammates reached him in the end zone to celebrate.

As if those four touchdowns totaling 261 yards weren’t enough, Swindlehurst fielded a bouncing kickoff at the 15, found a huge hole and then pulled away from everyone on his 85-yard kickoff return that made it 33-0.

Cruz added a 10-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter and Haas ran in from three yards in the fourth.

Meanwhile, the Vaqueros mostly stymied the Coral Academy attack.

The Falcons did threaten to score once after recovering a fumble at the Fernley 30-yard line. They drove to the Fernley 11, but after a completed pass, the receiver fumbled just before he crossed the goal line and the Vaqueros recovered.

Sloan said he felt much the same way about the defense as he did the offense. On both sides he said there were some alignment errors and minor mistakes, but he thought overall the effort overcame them.

“I think we need to be a little bit cleaner with their alignment and with our adjustments,” he said. “Running and tackling wasn't an issue. We pride ourselves on that, so being able to see them do that effectively was a big win for me, and a big plus.”

The Vaqueros turned the ball over twice on offense, once on a sack and another on a handoff exchange. Especially the fumbled handoff, Sloan said that was just a case of two players who haven’t had many reps together.

“That's young guy stuff, that’s just a guy that hasn't done it,” Sloan said. “And also, when you think about the dude in front of him the last three years, he probably 2,000-plus more reps. So, it'll iron itself out.”

 I think we're heading in the right direction. It's nice to see that we can still run the football and be productive with running. 

This week the Vaqueros head to Bishop (CA). The Vaqueros beat Bishop last season but were blown out last time they went to Bishop in 2024. Last season Bishop went on to reach the state championship game in their division and Sloan said they have built a program where they continue to plug in new players every year and keep winning.

“Next week it's going to step up a little bit, because I know Bishop's got a little bit of a sour taste in their mouth,” Sloan said. “I think it'll be good to see us take another step and get prepared, because we have to and we're playing a better football team next weekend. I mean, it just gets harder and harder, moving forward.”