CAPTION – Janine Woodworth
Lincoln senior Matthew Finlinson blocking a Lake Mead player during first-round playoff action.

By Marinda Lamb

Lincoln County played their 2A first-round game against Lake Mead last Friday, defeating the Eagles 34-20.

The Lynx (8-3) advance to the state semifinals for a matchup with Pershing County (9-1) in Lovelock. That game is tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.

It started off slow for the Lynx against Lake Mead, who scored within the first 20 seconds of the first quarter. On offense, the Lynx slowly made it down the field. After a few more series of plays, Landen Smith ran 12 yards for the Lynx first touchdown. Dean Ottley landed the 2-point conversion.

Because Lake Mead kicked for their extra point, the Lynx were up 8-7. The defense started picking it up a little bit, but not enough. Lake Mead scored again. At the end of the first, the score was 14-8, Lake Mead.

The second quarter began, and Lake Mead had the ball. They made it just yards from the end zone, but Elijah Harr prevented a touchdown by swatting away a pass. Lake Mead ended up kicking for three points, and the Lynx were back on offense.

Alex Vincent returned the kick. On the first play, the Lynx fumbled the ball. Lake Mead recovered it. After a few plays, Lake Mead kicked a 48-yard field goal for another three points. The Lynx were back on offense, and Ottley ran 16 yards for the last touchdown of the first half. Lake Mead was still beating the Lynx, 20-14, at this point.

Lynx coach Raymond Wadsworth said the team wasn’t executing the game plan of taking care of the football in the first half.

“It seemed like everything was going wrong. At halftime, we made our adjustment, which was to stick to the game plan already made because we knew it would work as a coaching staff.”

The Lynx started out the second half on the kick return. Kamdon Lewis returned the ball. Noah Smith helped move the Lynx down the field. Mason Thornock threw a 49-yard pass to Lewis, resulting in a touchdown. The 2-point conversion failed.

Lake Mead tried to get something going, but Lynx defense kicked in and the Eagles don’t get far. Lake Mead punted on the fourth down. Landen Smith returned it for an 80-yard touchdown, putting the Lynx ahead 28-20.

Lincoln’s defense ruled the second half, holding Lake Mead scoreless the entire second half. Ottley ran 9 yards for the last touchdown, sealing the 34-20 win.

Wadsworth said, “Once the kids did what they were supposed to, Lake Mead couldn’t stop us. However, it was good to see the kids fight through some adversity, but we’ve got to play a whole game from here on out. We can’t make silly mistakes. We can’t just show up in the second half. We need to be there for all four quarters.”