Nevada Union Miners starting quarterback Gabe Baker looks for his intended receiver while trying to battle back from an early 13-0 deficit. The Miners would lose 51-0.
Nevada Union wide receiver Clay Renner drags a Zebra defender down the field during Thursday’s loss to Lincoln High School.
Nevada Union’s football team came into Thursday night’s bout with Lincoln still in the hunt for a share of the Foothill Valley League championship.
The Fighting Zebras from Lincoln were not in a sharing mood.
Lincoln jumped out to a 13-0 first quarter lead and never looked back, taking a 30-0 edge into halftime before closing the game out, 51-0, and keeping the FVL championship all to themselves.
Miners wide receiver Dylan Lampe catches a pass near the Zebras sideline during Thursday evening’s league matchup.
Despite the loss, Nevada Union head coach Brad Sparks said he was proud of his players and that he expects the program to continue competing for titles in the future.
“Tonight was a learning experience,” said Sparks. “Like I told the seniors, legacy is about what you leave behind. It’s not about the wins in that moment or that year, that’s not a legacy, a legacy is what you leave behind. And, these seniors we have, I think about how far they’ve come and how hard they’ve fought over these last four years and it blows me away.”
With the loss, the Miners wrap the regular season at 6-4 overall and with a 3-2 mark in FVL play. Lincoln improved to 7-2 overall and 5-0 against the FVL. It’s the first time since 2009 the Zebras have been outright league champs.
Nevada Union wide receiver Drew Menet makes a catch and takes the ball up the sideline for the Miners Thursday in Lincoln.
“These kids never give up. They fight,” Sparks said of his players. “They have that old school Miner Magic mentality and you can win six games with kids like that. I’ll tell you what. I’m awful proud of where we’ve come from.”
When Sparks took over the NU program in 2018, the Miners had won just eight games in the previous five seasons and were 0-29 against league opponents during that time. With Sparks at the helm, the Miners have gone 15-17 overall with four league victories and two playoff berths.
Nevada Union Miners starting quarterback Gabe Baker looks for his intended receiver while trying to battle back from an early 13-0 deficit. The Miners would lose 51-0.
Coming into the game with Lincoln, the Miners had been averaging 33.2 points per game, but the Zebras boast the best defense in the league and it showed Thursday night at Edward Alexander Grey Sports Complex. The shutout was Lincoln’s fourth against FVL opponents, and across five league games the Zebras allowed just 15 points.
Nevada Union running back James Kinney moves the ball under pressure from the Fighting Zebras defense Thursday evening in Lincoln.
Standouts for the Miners were senior middle linebacker Jedi Vculek (16 tackles, two tackles for loss, forced fumble), sophomore defensive end Bodey Eelkema (15 tackles, three tackles for a loss, fumble recovery) and Andrew Webster (12 tackles, forced fumble).
Offensively, the Zebras held NU’s senior quarterback Gabe Baker to just 63 yards passing and 20 yards rushing. Junior receiver Clay Renner led all NU pass catchers with three receptions for 36 yards.
The Miners defense had a tough time stopping the Lincoln Fighting Zebras Thursday night. The Zebras blanked the Miners 51-0.
“That’s going to be us in a couple years,” said Sparks as he gestured in the direction of a group of celebrating Zebras. “I’m sure of it. I know that will be us in a couple years. It’s a shame it’s not us tonight, but I’m sure looking forward to another week of football.”
Nevada Union receiver Jaxon Beery goes horizontal as he makes a play for the Miners.
The Miners, who are guaranteed a winning season for the first time since 2011, will now await their Sac-Joaquin Section playoff path. Brackets are set to be released Sunday.
Nevada Union quarterback Maddox Graves tosses the ball during 4th quarter game play against the Lincoln Zebras.
JV: NEVADA UNION 40, LINCOLN 35
The junior varsity Miners won a hard-fought bout over their Lincoln counterparts on Thursday to finish the season 5-4 overall and 2-2 in FVL play.
“I couldn’t be prouder of these guys,” said JV head coach Buck Davis. “This is something NU has been building to with coach (Brad) Sparks for a long time. Developing that never give up, never quit attitude and these kids battle. They could have easily quit when (Lincoln) was beating us, and that happened several games this season — at Oakmont, against Colfax — and we came back and won each of those games. They never want to quit, they never give up and they never stop.”
Leading the Miners was sophomore quarterback Nolan Chappell, who threw for 330 yards and five touchdowns in the win.
“He’s a great young man,” said Davis. “He’s a team leader on the field. He’s always trying to get better at his craft, coming to talk to us and also studying it on his own. He’s a real student of this game.”
Also having big games for NU was Izaya Little (three receiving touchdowns), Trevor Buti (rush touchdown, 10 tackles) and Jake Barefield (10 tackles, two interceptions).
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