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INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — About the only thing Patrick Murray didn't do was kick the ball.
Incline High School's sophomore quarterback didn't miss a pass, he ran for 59 yards and a touchdown — and he picked off three passes on defense — leading Incline to a 21-6 home win Friday over Silver Stage.
“This is really good for us,” Murray said after the game. “I feel like we worked harder than any other team this offseason — we deserved it.”
Friday's win was the first for first-year coach Mike Evans, and Incline's first on-the-field win since besting Whittell to finish the 2007 season. The Highlanders went 1-7 last year, its lone win coming via forfeit over Silver Stage, which couldn't field a full team.
Senior Tyler Cramer started the scoring for Incline (1-1, 1-0 Northern 2A) with a 6-yard touchdown rumble, and Irvin Perez-Gomez's extra point made it 7-0. Cramer finished the evening with 132 yards rushing on 18 carries and two touchdowns.
“A lot of credit in this game goes to the underclassmen — they really stepped it up,” Cramer said.
One of those underclassmen is Murray, who scored on Incline's next drive, lowering his shoulder for an 11-yard touchdown run with 7:47 left in the second quarter. Murray juked one defender before bowling over a Silver Stage defender into the end zone.
In the third, Silver Stage quarterback Dalton Staggs scored on a one-yard touchdown run to cut Incline's lead to 14-6. The extra point was blocked.
From there, Incline took over, as Cramer powered through the Nighthawk defense for a 12-yard touchdown run with 10:41 remaining, giving Incline the 21-6 lead.
The Nighthawks (1-1, 1-1 league) had a few drives in the fourth, but two were cut short on Murray interceptions, one of which a spectacular leaping-juggling grab with 10 minutes left in the game.
“(Murray's) poise was tremendous; it was the type of poise we're used to,” Evans said.
Silver Stage's final drive ended after sophomore Enrique Parra sacked Staggs to record a turnover on downs.
On offense, Parra's 58 rushing yards on 13 carries played a crucial role to Incline's ability to run well, thus controlling the clock. The Highlanders finished with 267 rushing yards. Incline outgained Silver Stage 293 to 153 in the game, as Skaggs (0-10 passing) couldn't get a single passing yard for the Nighthawks.
“You could see they (Silver Stage) was getting tired in the fourth quarter and we brought that hammer,” Evans said. “We always talk about that in practice, about being the hammer.”
Incline threw the ball just three times. Murray went 3-of-3 for 26 yards, with two balls going to Cramer and one being hauled in by sophomore Kyle Clouthier.
Next for Incline is a 6 p.m. home game Friday against Northern 2A powerhouse Pershing County (Lovelock) High School. Lovelock (1-2, 0-0) walloped Yerington on Friday, 44-0, to get its first win of the season.
“It's a long season — our goal is still to get into the playoffs,” Evans said.
Incline started the season Sept. 4 with a 27-0 loss at Yerington.
Incline High School's sophomore quarterback didn't miss a pass, he ran for 59 yards and a touchdown — and he picked off three passes on defense — leading Incline to a 21-6 home win Friday over Silver Stage.
“This is really good for us,” Murray said after the game. “I feel like we worked harder than any other team this offseason — we deserved it.”
Friday's win was the first for first-year coach Mike Evans, and Incline's first on-the-field win since besting Whittell to finish the 2007 season. The Highlanders went 1-7 last year, its lone win coming via forfeit over Silver Stage, which couldn't field a full team.
Senior Tyler Cramer started the scoring for Incline (1-1, 1-0 Northern 2A) with a 6-yard touchdown rumble, and Irvin Perez-Gomez's extra point made it 7-0. Cramer finished the evening with 132 yards rushing on 18 carries and two touchdowns.
“A lot of credit in this game goes to the underclassmen — they really stepped it up,” Cramer said.
One of those underclassmen is Murray, who scored on Incline's next drive, lowering his shoulder for an 11-yard touchdown run with 7:47 left in the second quarter. Murray juked one defender before bowling over a Silver Stage defender into the end zone.
In the third, Silver Stage quarterback Dalton Staggs scored on a one-yard touchdown run to cut Incline's lead to 14-6. The extra point was blocked.
From there, Incline took over, as Cramer powered through the Nighthawk defense for a 12-yard touchdown run with 10:41 remaining, giving Incline the 21-6 lead.
The Nighthawks (1-1, 1-1 league) had a few drives in the fourth, but two were cut short on Murray interceptions, one of which a spectacular leaping-juggling grab with 10 minutes left in the game.
“(Murray's) poise was tremendous; it was the type of poise we're used to,” Evans said.
Silver Stage's final drive ended after sophomore Enrique Parra sacked Staggs to record a turnover on downs.
On offense, Parra's 58 rushing yards on 13 carries played a crucial role to Incline's ability to run well, thus controlling the clock. The Highlanders finished with 267 rushing yards. Incline outgained Silver Stage 293 to 153 in the game, as Skaggs (0-10 passing) couldn't get a single passing yard for the Nighthawks.
“You could see they (Silver Stage) was getting tired in the fourth quarter and we brought that hammer,” Evans said. “We always talk about that in practice, about being the hammer.”
Incline threw the ball just three times. Murray went 3-of-3 for 26 yards, with two balls going to Cramer and one being hauled in by sophomore Kyle Clouthier.
Next for Incline is a 6 p.m. home game Friday against Northern 2A powerhouse Pershing County (Lovelock) High School. Lovelock (1-2, 0-0) walloped Yerington on Friday, 44-0, to get its first win of the season.
“It's a long season — our goal is still to get into the playoffs,” Evans said.
Incline started the season Sept. 4 with a 27-0 loss at Yerington.
