Local Football Update

November 20, 2024

Last Saturday, 11/16, the Truckee Wolverines hosted the Virgin Valley Bulldogs from Mesquite, NV, in the 2024 NIAA Football Playoffs. On a soggy field lined with snow, the Wolverines used a combination of long passes and significant gains on the ground to win, 41-27, by outscoring their opponent 20-14 in the final quarter. As a result, next Tuesday, 11/26, at 12:20 PM, the Wolverines will be playing at the Sports League Management Bulls from Henderson, NV, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Really!

Anyway, since the Bulls only eked out a 28-27 overtime victory last week against the Churchill County Greenwave a week ago to reach the Division 3A Southern playoffs, and the Wolverines beat the Greenwave by a score of 42-0 back in mid-September, if oddsmakers in Vegas could legally do so, we’re guessing their money would be on the Wolverines to win. The fact that the Bulls lost to the Virgin Valley Bulldogs, 16-26, on 10/10, the Wolverine’s victims last week, just helps confirm our suspicion.

If you want to watch the competition between the Wolverines and Bulls, live streams are available from two sources next Tuesday: the National Federation of High Schools - nfhsnetwork.com, and the Tahoe Truckee Media (Local TV Crew) - ttctv.org.

Meanwhile, in the semi-final round of the 2024 NSCIF 8-Man Football Playoffs, also held last Saturday, the #6-seeded Loyalton Grizzlies traveled to play the #2 seed Tulelake Honkers. At home (near the western border of Modoc County and the Oregon State line) and well rested from a bye week, the Vikings took advantage of both the bruising victory the Grizzlies needed to advance last week and their long (almost 4-hour) road trip to Modoc while clobbering Loyalton’s team 58-0.

Next, Tulelake will travel to Trinity County to play the potent #1 seed Hayfork Timberjacks in the division championship game tomorrow, 11/22, at 6 PM.

In the season’s final game for the Feather River Eagles, the team traveled to Sacramento last Saturday to play against the American River Beavers. The Eagles were the victim of their opponent’s strong defense (four quarterback sacks and an interception) and potent offense. As a result, the Eagles lost 48-21 to finish their season with a 1-9 record.