What we learned from Nevada's shutout victory over Boone to open the high school football season
The Nevada football team opened the season in impressive fashion Friday at Boone.
The Cubs, ranked eighth in Class 3A, steamrolled their way to a 38-0 shutout victory over the Toreadors at Boone. Nevada raced out to a 21-0 lead at the half and never looked back to start off 2022 at 1-0.
"I thought we came out confident for a Week 1 game," Nevada head coach Andrew Kleeman said. "We have quite a few new faces on the field, and it was great to see our kids play fast."
Quarterback Noah Mills had an outstanding debut, Cason Stevenson turned another big game running the ball, Drew Robinson and Kyle Kingsbury formed a lethal duo at receiver and the Cub defense was clicking on all cylinders.
Here is what we learned from Nevada's decisive Week 1 victory over Boone:
Defense looks nasty
The Nevada defense looks like it will be a forced to be reckoned with in 2022.
The Cubs simply dominated the line of scrimmage and took advantage of great tackling and sound fundamentals to keep Boone off the scoreboard. Nevada blanked the Toreadors despite only having one sack and not forcing any turnovers.
"Defensively, we played a fantastic game," Kleeman said. "Our kids did a great job stopping the run."
Dylan Fritz led Nevada with 8.5 tackles and Jackson Burlage finished with 7.5, including a sack. Karter Beving added five, plus one tackle for loss, and Anthony Eaton and Dallas Stanley each made three.
Noah Mills shines in starting quarterback debut
Mills is the fifth starting quarterback Nevada has had since 2018.
But the constant turnover has done nothing to slow down a potent Cub attack as each new signal caller has come in well-prepared and possessing unique skillsets to help the offense move the football. Mills carried on that tradition with a big game Friday.
The Cub quarterback completed 15 of 23 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.
Senior Drew Robinson stepped up big for Mills at receiver with five catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Kyle Kingsbury also had a big game with five grabs for 73 yards and one score.
Will Palmer added two catches for 32 yards and Alec Higgins two for 22.
Ground game keeps piling up yards
The ground game has been Nevada's bread and butter on offense that last couple of years.
Even with Mills' passing skills the Cubs plan on continuing to outmuscle opposing teams at the line and pound the football with their running backs. They ran for 210 yards on 37 carries Friday night.
"We showed good balance offensively," Kleeman said.
After running for 1,138 yards last year as a sophomore running back Cason Stevenson is off to a great start in 2022. Stevenson carried the ball 23 times for 159 yards and one touchdown against Boone.
Anthony Eaton added 23 yards on four carries, Connor King ran for 15 yards on three carries and Robinson tacked on a 9-yard rushing touchdown on the ground.
Big showdown with West Marshall this week
Nevada faces its first big test this Friday when it hosts a West Marshall team that is a traditional power in 2A.
Nevada defeated the Trojans in State Center last year by a score of 35-12. But after West Marshall crushed South Tama in its opener by a 42-6 score, the Cubs could have their work cut out for them.
"We feel good about where we are at," Kleeman said. "But we also have a lot to improve on."
Nevada and West Marshall will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Cub Stadium in Nevada.
Nevada 38, Boone 0
Nevada 7 14 17 0 — 38
Boone 0 0 0 0 — 0
Individual statistical leaders — Nevada
Rushing: Cason Stevenson 23-159.
Passing: Noah Mills 15-23-1-235.
Receiving: Drew Robinson 5-103, Kyle Kingsbury 5-73.
Tackles: Dylan Fritz 8.5, Jackson Burlage 7.5.
Sacks: Burlage 1.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Eighth-ranked Nevada opens 2022 season with dominant win over Boone
