The 1958 all-state players from the Humboldt County High School football team will be inducted into the Buckaroo Hall of Fame on Saturday, along with two other individuals. The team included Harlan Heward, Larry Doughty, John Echave, Dan O’Laughlin, Pete Paris, Butch Backus, Gary Hoxsey, John Dolan and Jim O’Laughlin.
The 1958 all-state players from the Humboldt County High School football team will be inducted into the Buckaroo Hall of Fame on Saturday, along with two other individuals. The team included Harlan Heward, Larry Doughty, John Echave, Dan O’Laughlin, Pete Paris, Butch Backus, Gary Hoxsey, John Dolan and Jim O’Laughlin.
• •
The Humboldt County High School/Lowry High School will induct three new members into its Hall of Fame on Saturday afternoon.

The list includes Earl Cornforth, Dr. Alicia Echeverria Heiser and the 1958 Humboldt County High School football team that went undefeated.



Earl Cornforth

Cornforth was a 1958 graduate of Humboldt County High School and participated in varsity football, junior varsity and varsity basketball and class and student body government.

Cornforth was a varsity football captain and all-state selection and varsity basketball captain and all-state selection. He was the 1958 Raymond Hooft award winner, student body president, honor boy for 1958 and boys state selection.

Cornforth, a longtime Winnemucca resident and business man (banking), member of the Humboldt Foundation/George and Bonnie Weiss Foundation Through Kiwanis Club, was a founding father of Winnemucca Little League Basketball and member of Century Club and Mens golf. 



Dr. Alicia Echeverria Heiser

Heiser is a 2007 graduate of Lowry High School and is the current Winnemucca City Manager and Engineer. She graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Nevada and has PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Connecticut.

Heiser was a member of the Lowry High School girls golf team for four years — lettering all four years, girls basketball for four years with three letters and track and field for four years with four letters.

She was a member of the National Honor Society for four years, Letterman’s Club for four years and 4H for four years.

She earned the Andrea Everett Athletic Award in 2007 and was named to the first-team, all-state girls golf team in 2005 and 06. Heiser was part of the 2005 state champion girls golf team.

She was an all-state, first team selection in girls basketball in 2006 and she was named to the all-state track and field team in 2004, 05, 06 and 07. Heiser was the3A state champion in the pole vault in 2004, 05, 06 and 07 and the 2007 3A state champion in the triple jump.

She earned a full-academic scholarship for 4.5 years at the University of Nevada and was on the women’s track and field team from 2007-11. 

She eared second-team, all-WAC honors in the pole vault in 2009 and first-team honors in 2009. 

Heiser was one of the captains for the Wolf Pack in 2009 and 10. She was academic all-conference (WAC) from 2007-10, was on the Deans List from 2007-11 and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2011.

At the University of Connecticut, she won numerous technology awards and contests, particularly in structural engineering. 

She patented a structural column system and graduated in 2-14 with a PhD in civil engineering.

She is currently the Lowry pole vaulting coach and married to Andrew and they have two daughters; Rosalie and McKinley.    



1958 High School Football Team

The 1958 Humboldt County High School football team went 8-0 and outscored its opponents 361-7 and did not give up a point until its final game against Douglas.

The Humboldt County High School Buckaroos, coached by Gene Moylan and Lyle Espinoza, emerged with one of the best records yet seen in high school football. The opposition was powerless to score upon the Buckaroos, who won all conference as well as non-conference games.

Winnemucca opened its season by pounding the Fallon Greenwave 32-0 in a non-conference AA game. Next, with an identical score, Winnemucca drubbed the Yerington Lions 32-0 in an out-of-town non-conference game.

The Buckaroos made it three in a row against the South Tahoe Vikings by streaking to a 66-0 victory in a conference clash.

Then came the opposing power in the Northern Nevada A conference, the Tahoe-Truckee Wolverines, who met defeat 22-0 in a hard-fought game in Truckee. “Moylan’s Marauders” played another AA power and walloped the Carson City Senators 41-0, which wrapped up five straight wins for Humboldt.

The Lovelock Mustangs were ridden to a 59-0 score in a jarring contest, which put the Bucks a step higher in the conference standings. The AA champs, the Manogue Miners, were mashed 31-0 in an impressive show on Winnemucca’s Arant Field.

The following week the Buckaroos closed out their highly successful season by clouting the Douglas Tigers 78-7 in Gardnerville, for a school scoring record.

Humboldt County finished the season at 8-0 and first in the Northern A Division Conference. The football season will long be remembered in the annals of Humboldt County High School’s football history.

Humboldt County had many outstanding players, although the team effort told the story. 

The Buckaroos shattered many records and dominated the all-conference picks with 13 and one honorable mention All-American.   

The team included Harlan Heward (quarterback), John Dolan (guard), Tom Johnstone (tackle), Dan O-Laughlin (end), Dave Cox (end), Butch Backus (halfback), Delphi McDonald (guard), Pete Paris (center), Jim O’Laughlin (halfback), Dick Fransway (halfback), Gary Tang (guard), Gary Hoxsey (end), John Echave (fullback), Jim Phillips (halfback), Lawrence Penrose (end), LaVern Brinkerhoff (tackle), Larry Doughty (tackle), Bill Berry (end), Bob Echeverria (center), Bill Donaldson (tackle), Eddie Mason (fullback) and Tom Logue (quarterback).