The Serpents haven’t played a game since their Aug. 29 season opening blowout. The Sept. 6 game was cancelled after the opposition backed outAfter what will be a little more than three weeks off between games, the Mineral County High football team returns to the field on Saturday when they travel to Excel Christian in Reno.

The Serpents haven’t played a game since their Aug. 29 season opening blowout against Lone Pine due to scheduling issues. The Sept. 6 game against Avalon was cancelled after the opposition backed out the week of the game, and they earned a forfeit win on Saturday after Owyhee didn’t have enough players to compete.

“It was disappointing for our players to have those games cancelled,” said Mineral County coach Curt McElroy. “We jumped through hoops to get the referees for the Owyhee game, and then they backed out two days before.”

If there is one silver lining for the Serpents, it’s that they will be at full strength when they take the field for their first conference game of the season. It also doesn’t hurt that they’ve had plenty of time to prepare for their upcoming opponents.

“Everybody’s healthy going in, so that’s a good thing for us,” McElroy said. “They’re chomping at the bit to hit other people then themselves.”

The Warriors (1-1) enter the game on the heels of their first win of the season. They routed Sierra Lutheran 64-8 at home last Saturday, after falling to Whitell 38-14 in their season opener.

“Excel is decent this year, they will be a good test for us,” said McElroy. “I’ve been able to break down their game film all week with the extra time off, and we feel confident going in.

We’ve had more time to work on fundamentals, and are going in with more depth at each position,” he said. “We’re at the point where we need to be.”

Mineral County will hope to get another great performance from its offensive line like it did against Lone Pine, as well as quarterback Tyshawn Bonner. The senior was on point with his receivers all game, and was instrumental in running the Serpents hybrid pistol offense during his team’s 48-point blowout win.

“Tyshawn is looking good at the quarterback position, he’s getting better every week,” McElroy said. “Our whole team trusts him and believes in him as a leader.”

Saturday’s game is set to kickoff at 1 p.m. at Excel Christian High School.