Lincoln answers early deficit, runs past Nevada Union

The Lincoln High School football team found itself in an immediate hole Friday night against Nevada Union in Grass Valley. The Miners returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and took an 8-0 lead before the Zebras' offense ever took the field. Lincoln responded with 27 unanswered points, however, and opened the season with a 33-16 victory. The Zebras leaned heavily on their running game, rushing for 277 yards on 42 carries while averaging 6.6 yards per attempt. Quarterback Mason Volzer also threw for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Lincoln answered Nevada Union's opening score on its first offensive possession. Volzer broke loose for a 25-yard run to set up Christian Rohner's 3-yard touchdown run, cutting the deficit to 8-6. The Zebras took their first lead later in the first quarter after another lengthy drive ended with Joseph Pomales scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run. Pomales added the 2-point conversion to give Lincoln a 14-8 advantage. Nevada Union had chances to answer, but Lincoln's defense came up with key stops. The Miners turned the ball over on downs at Lincoln's 17-yard line in the second quarter and again failed on fourth down near the end of the first half. Lincoln carried its 14-8 lead into halftime before taking control in the second half. Volzer connected with Travis Gracey for a 25-yard touchdown early in the third quarter, extending the lead to 20-8. Volzer then found Jaxon Bowlin for a 22-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and Rohner's extra point pushed Lincoln's advantage to 27-8. Nevada Union scored on a 2-yard touchdown run and converted the ensuing 2-point attempt midway through the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 27-16. Lincoln answered with another scoring drive to put the game away. Zach Mosby-Rossi broke loose for a 19-yard run to move the Zebras deep into Nevada Union territory, then scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with about two minutes remaining. Rohner led Lincoln's rushing attack with 93 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Pomales added 55 yards and a score on 11 carries, while Volzer rushed for 55 yards on six attempts. Mosby-Rossi finished with 40 yards and a touchdown on five carries, and Ryan Bouches added 28 yards on two carries. Volzer completed 8-of-15 passes for 112 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Bowlin caught three passes for 60 yards and a touchdown, while Gracey had a 25-yard touchdown reception. Defensively, Liam Gonzalez led Lincoln with 10 total tackles. Gracey and Bouches each had eight, while Jedd Bakos recorded seven. Cooper Maul finished with six tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Lincoln returns home to face Whitney on Friday in the first meeting of the two schools since 2021.