McQueen’s upset of Wooster jolts Northern fans

Bob Cloud

Tuesday, Nov. 19, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

All season long it was assumed Wooster would be the team to beat for the state Class AAAA football title. It hasn't turned out that way.

The eight-time state champion -- and two-time defending titleist -- was stopped one game shy of another final appearance when McQueen staged a 15-10 upset in the Northern AAAA zone final Saturday at Wooster. The loss snapped a 20-game winning streak for the Colts, and avenged a 20-17 Wooster victory over the Lancers in the season opener.

Two days later, the locals were still stunned by the realization that yet one more championship was not in the cards.

"They always expect to be in the state championship," said Mike Carroll of the Sparks Tribune. "It was an upset, but it wasn't a huge upset. Wooster is where all the tradition lies. They've run up a ton of championships. They're the royalty of Northern football -- but not this year."

McQueen scored the upset on a 20-yard touchdown run by Bubba Henderson midway through the fourth quarter. The Lancers meet Southern AAAA champ Western Saturday at 8 p.m. in the 4A final at Sam Boyd Stadium.

"We did not play a very solid football game," said Wooster coach Joe Sellers, whose team beat Cheyenne 14-0 in last year's final. "We had our opportunities, but were unable to cash in on them. It's disappointing. We don't settle for anything less that a shot at the state championship."

Western coach Rich Stevens scouted the Northern final in preparation for Saturday's championship game. As a first-year head varsity coach, he said the Wooster program is one he looks to as a model.

"They have a great tradition and a great coach," Stevens said. "Their program really impresses me. Everyone in the state really respects him (Sellers). They've got a top-notch program which generates a lot of excitement up there."

Stevens said a Wooster victory might, in the long run, have served his Warriors better, but the Colts made a pair of crucial mistakes which cost them the opportunity to play in Las Vegas this weekend.

"Once I saw the size McQueen had I knew it would be a close game," he said. "Those two teams played a great football game. I think we would have matched up better with Wooster sizewise. McQueen had them overmatched physically.

"Wooster made two mistakes which killed them. They threw an interception for a touchdown, and then allowed McQueen to run a punt back 50 yards to set up the winning score. Those two plays were the difference."

Wooster had advanced to the zone final by beating South Tahoe 13-0, while McQueen had humbled Douglas 45-3.

Defeating their hated archrivals has sent the Lancers floating into championship week. McQueen quarterback Matt Dalton, who engineered the victory despite playing with a broken hand, likened the win to an exorcism of demons.

"That was the biggest game I've ever played in my life," Dalton said. "We wanted to show everyone how good we are, and we did that. It feels great to beat them, especially on their own field."