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Big game from Brandt not enough in season opener
Nevada Daily Mail
In season-opening high school football action Friday night at Logan Field, the Nevada Tigers fell to the Willard Tigers 43-26.
A major bright spot for Nevada was the performance of junior running back Chaden Brandt, who exploded for touchdown runs of 43 and 60 yards.
However, Nevada struggled on the defensive side of the ball in the first half, as Willard, displaying a balanced attack, racked up over 250 yards of total offense on their way to a commanding 29-7 halftime lead.
"I felt our kids in the second quarter ---- we kind of lost it a little bit and gave up a lot of ground," Nevada head coach Erik Yoakam said.
Nevada came out strong in the second half, forcing a turnover deep in Willard territory. Nevada took advantage, when on third down, Heathman found running back Taylor Manes for a 16-yard touchdown reception, cutting the lead to 29-14.
After kicking the ball away, Nevada was unable to come up with a defensive stop, as Willard marched 65-yards down the field on seven plays. The drive was finished off by a Smith run from 1-yard out. The extra point put Willard on top by 22 points.
On Nevada's next drive, Brandt blew through the left side of the line, eluding Willard defenders on his way to a 60-yard touchdown scamper, closing the deficit to 36-20.
Willard iced the game with 5:27 left to play, when a deflected Heathman pass was plucked out of the air by Richmond and returned 25-yards for a touchdown. Manes added a late touchdown run for Nevada.
Brandt finished the game with 9 carries for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Heathman was 3 for 7 passing for 47 yards.
"Chaden had a great game," Yoakam said. "He's a special player. We have quite a few of those special players in Taylor Manes and Chance Mays and Andy (Heathman) is coming around. We're a run dominant team.
"I feel like Andy ran a decent game (at quarterback) for his first varsity football game. He only played one JV game last year before breaking his foot."
Nevada travels to Kansas City next Friday to face West Central Conference foe Center High School, at 7 p.m. As the new kids on the block, this will mark Nevada's first game against a WCC opponent.