Power Rankings

Sometimes you will have one of those weeks in the schedule that makes you scratch your head and say, huh? Fallon struggles for a half at Spring Creek as the Spartans show they are a serious contender. Fernley nearly surprises Truckee and Lowry looked to do the same against South Tahoe.

Tony Erquiaga
Today, 05:00 AM

1. Fallon (6-0, 4-0) (LW: 1) You can’t win every game by 40 points, right? This past Friday showed how tough the Northern 3A can be. Following a week off, Fallon hit the road to Spring Creek. As I said at the beginning of the season, I said lookout for the Spartans. Spring Creek led 10-7 at halftime, before order was restored in the final 24 minutes.

This week: at Dayton

2. Elko (4-1, 4-0) (LW: 2) It was Elko’s turn to rest up, receiving the bye in the Northern 3A schedule. It is a good thing to have some time off in the middle of the season to get healthy. The second half of the Indians’ schedule gets tougher.

This week: vs. Truckee

3. Truckee (4-2, 3-1) (LW: 3) I can all but repeat what I said for Fallon. Truckee hit the road to play Fernley last week and a defensive battle erupted. The Vaqueros, who have mightily struggled to find their way this year. All of a sudden, Fernley was the Fernley of the past few years. The Vaqueros led 7-0, only to see the Wolverines fight back for a 14-7 win. Not sure if I am encouraged by Fernley or disappointed by Truckee.

This week @ Elko

4. Spring Creek (4-2, 2-2) (LW: 4) My sleeper in the Northern 3A at the start of the season, gave the reigning 3A state champion everything they could handle and more. Spring Creek’s finale against Elko will determine a lot in the final standings. Besides that, contest, the Spartans should comfortably win their other remaining games.

This week @ Lowry

5. South Tahoe (5-2, 3-2) (LW: 5) South Tahoe is much improved this fall but Lowry almost put a wrench in the Vikings’ season. South Tahoe had to hold on for a 30-20 win, all but securing a playoff berth.

This week: @ Sparks

6. Fernley (2-5, 1-4) (LW: 6) I am probably the last person that thought Fernley would have five losses and be 1-4 in the Northern 3A. The Vaqueros nearly made their season last week giving Truckee a fight to the end. If Fernley can stop the self-inflicted wounds, it’s a top 3-4 team in the league.

This week: Bue

7. Dayton (3-4, 2-3) (LW 7) Dayton needed to do what it needed to do playing Sparks. The Dust Devils cruised to a 56-0 win. Dayton will have to shock a few teams down the road for any playoff berth. The Dust Devils will have to wait a week, hosting Fallon on Friday.

This week: vs. Fallon

8. Lowry (2-4, 1-3) (LW 8) Lowry used its momentum from a win over Sparks into a near victory at South Tahoe. When the Buckaroos don’t turn the ball over or have drives ended by penalties, they can move the ball and score points, they can be very competitive. The last four games are brutal, with Spring Creek, Truckee, Fernley and Fallon.

This week: vs. Spring Creek

9. Sparks (0-7, 0-6) (LW: 9) Oh Sparks. I try not to drag a team down but it is getting worse for the Railroaders. It is time to go independent and try to rebuild the program.