Bishop Manogue junior wide receiver Nick Shannon has piled up more than 400 combined yards and five touchdowns in his last two games. On Friday, Nov. 13, defending 5A state champion Spanish Springs has to find a way to stop him.

The Cougars travel to Bishop Manogue for the 5A-North Regional Final at 6 p.m. The winner advances to the state championship game Nov. 20 in Las Vegas, according to the Reno Gazette Journal.

KOLO named Shannon its Player of the Week on Monday, Nov. 9. In the Nov. 6 semifinal against Damonte Ranch, Shannon caught four passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns, according to the Reno Gazette Journal. He also recorded an interception on defense.

"It was the gameplan and good calls that helped open up their defense," Shannon told KOLO. "Our offensive line has been working really well."

Shannon wasn't the only Miner who torched Damonte Ranch. Junior quarterback Parker Scholl completed 8-of-10 passes for 321 yards and five touchdowns. Senior running back Evan Escovedo carried 18 times for 80 yards and a score. The final: Manogue 45, Damonte Ranch 7.

That blowout capped a stretch in which the Miners averaged just under 40 points per game during 5A league play, KOLO reported. Nevada Sports Net pegged Manogue's league scoring average at 39.2 points per game heading into the semifinals.

"We've got a bunch of kids who are really kind of figuring things out and we're getting it down right now," Manogue coach Ernie Howren said after the semifinal, according to the Reno Gazette Journal.

The Cougars' challenge

Spanish Springs enters as the No. 4 seed after going 2-3 in league play, according to Nevada Sports Net. The Cougars edged McQueen 26-23 in the Nov. 6 semifinal to keep their title defense alive.

The two teams already met Oct. 23, and Manogue won 38-17. In that game, the Miners rushed for 281 yards and five touchdowns, Nevada Sports Net reported. Spanish Springs managed just 31 yards on 28 carries. Cougars quarterback Kanon Boggs, who has thrown for 2,200 yards this season, was held to 250 yards with two interceptions.

Stopping the run has been a season-long problem for the Cougars. Spanish Springs allowed 978 rushing yards over five league games, an average of 195.6 per contest, according to Nevada Sports Net.

Spanish Springs head coach Rob Hummel acknowledged the uphill path before the semifinal round. In coverage published Nov. 6 by KOLO, Hummel said, "All we can do is look forward. We're glad we got an opportunity to get in the playoffs, and you know, just still feel like everything's very much up for grabs if we show up and play like we're capable of for four quarters and in all three phases of the game."

Shannon said he's looking forward to playing at home. "Being in front of our home crowd again [Friday night] is going to be nice," he told KOLO.

Kickoff is 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at Bishop Manogue.