Prep football capsules

Second-place in the Northern 3A football race - and possibly a lot more than that - will be at stake tonight when Dayton plays host to Spring Creek.

Dayton (1-0 league, 3-1 overall) is off to the best start in the program's history and currently has sole possession of second-place in the Northern 3A, a position that will be good enough to host a first-round game in the playoffs come November. If the Dust Devils want to hold that position, however, they most likely need to get past a Spring Creek team (1-1, 3-2) that is a traditional playoff contender.

"This is a huge game for us," Dayton coach Rick Walker said. "Coach (Joel) Jund does a real good job. They have a great weight program out there, so they're always very strong up front."

Both teams have been solid on the offensive side so far this season.

"We're averaging 35.5 points a game, so it would be lovely if we could keep that up," Walker said.

If for no other reason, the Dust Devils would like to generate a lot of offense to keep Spring Creek running back James Edwards off the field. Edwards is the leading rusher in Northern Nevada at all levels, according to NevPrep.com, with 1,177 yards (7.5 yards per carry) in five games.

"He doesn't do a lot of juking. He's a North and South guy, and he runs hard," Walker said. "He averages about 38 carries a game, so this is going to be a big physical test for us."

Dayton will be looking for some redemption, having lost relatively close games to the Spartans the last two years.

"They beat us in something like the last 25 seconds two years ago (28-21) and then they beat us by 13 out there last year," Walker said. "I think the kids are really excited. We had our best Thursday practice of the year today, so I'm excited. It would just be nice to have those stands packed for a great high school football game."

South Tahoe (0-2, 1-4) at Douglas (1-0, 3-1), 7:30 p.m.

Douglas will put its three-game win streak and possession of second-place in the Sierra League on the line, while South Tahoe will try to snap a four-game losing streak.

In losses to Reno and Wooster the past two weeks South Tahoe has turned the ball over nine times and has allowed more than 400 yards rushing. Meanwhile, the Douglas defense only allowed 58 yards last Friday to win its league opener at home against North Valleys, 35-9. Senior running back Spike Agosta rushed for 216 yards and scored five touchdowns for the Tigers.

For the season, Agosta has rushed for 673 yards and 11 touchdowns.

South Tahoe is led by quarterback Mikey Van Gorden, who has passed for nearly 1,100 yards this season. The speedy senior is also a threat to run the ball for the Vikings.

Fallon (0-2 1-3) at Galena (0-1, 0-5), 7:30 p.m.

Never mind that 50-0 loss against McQueen last week. Fallon coach Ray Holladay is upbeat coming into the Greenwave's High Desert League contest against Galena in Reno.

"We've gotten better in the last two weeks and we continue to get better," Holladay said. "We're at a point where we can salvage a couple of wins. If we win this game, we put ourselves in position for the fourth spot in the playoffs."

Likewise, Galena would be in the same position by posting its first win of the season.

"They've gotten better every week and are hungry to get their first win," Holladay said of the Grizzlies. "There should be two hungry teams Friday night."

Fernley (1-1 2-3) at Lowry (1-1 3-1), 7:30 p.m.

This showdown in Winnemucca could be pivotal in the Northern 3A race because both teams are 1-1 in league and battling for one of four playoff berths.

Fernley will try to build on the momentum of its 39-20 victory against Sparks last week, a game in which Brian Jones ran for 154 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 carries. Dan Henderson completed 10 of 18 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns to Cody McDougal.

Yerington (2-1 2-3) at Whittell (0-3 0-3), 2 p.m.

Yerington travel to Zephyr Cove Saturday in hopes of getting its potent running attack back on track after a 45-6 loss at home to Dayton last week. The Lions, who run the Fly-wing offense, have Ricky Menesini with 461 yards rushing (7.3-yard average) and Josh Inserra.