Lyle, Dufur win eight-man football games

Lyle (1-0 league, 1-2 overall) got a little revenge in its home 52-28 win against Elgin (0-2), which beat the Cougars, 50-28, last season. Lyle Coach Dave Devoe said his team closed this year’s game much better than in 2023.

“Last year, we were pretty close to them [Huskies] in the first half and then we just fell apart in the second half, so it was kind of an opposite type of outcome this time,” he said. “Both teams played pretty good in the first half, but our team was just a little better than them in the second half.”

The 52 points scored by the Cougars was their highest total score in three years. The Cougars won 56-28 at home over the Pilot Rock High Rockets on Oct. 1, 2021.

“The kids played very organized, and they were very succinct,” said Devoe. “They made lots of good tackles and lots of good plays and we just played really good and hard; I was really proud of them.”

Junior tailback Carson Ramsay had 39 carries for 372 yards rushing and four touchdowns. “Carson played really well. He had lots of carries and our offensive linemen did a great job of blocking for him and he got eight to 10 yards on nearly every carry,” said Devoe.

Cougar junior Jack Thiemann (three carries, 79 yards rushing) scored two touchdowns, including a score on a 46-yard interception return. Senior running back Shae Jackson (two carries, 30 yards rushing, TD) contributed well to the Cougars offense, too. Defensively, the Cougars were led by sophomore defensive lineman Elijah Cooper with five sacks.

Dufur wins second straight

The Rangers got on the scoreboard first when freshman Chase Peterson scored on a 35-yard punt return and sophomore quarterback Gavin Anderson (10 carries, 135 yards rushing; 11-for-17 passing) ran into the end zone on a two-point conversion run.

The game was tied 14-14 before Dufur regained the lead for good. Senior running back Nolan Cates (eight carries, 76 yards rushing; five catches, 83 yards receiving) scored on a 75-yard kickoff return. Anderson’s two-point conversion pass to senior receiver Sonny Wilson (five catches, 35-yards receiving) lifted Dufur in front 22-14. The Rangers extended the margin to 28-14 on Anderson’s touchdown pass to Peterson.

The Rangers’ momentum continued in the third, when they took control of the contest. Anderson scored on touchdown runs of eight and 35-yards and senior running Scott Graham (eight carries, 125-yards rushing) scored on a 53-yard TD run.

For the Rangers, guided by Coach Jack Henderson, it marked their second straight victory following an Aug. 30 season-opening 42-30 loss to the No. 1-ranked Crosspoint Christian High Warriors (2-0). “We played well, and Gavin had a great performance, while he ran the ball well and he threw the ball good, too … he just made great decisions throughout the game,” said Henderson.

“We had a couple of special teams scores, so that’s always good to see. I’m really proud of the progress our team made in the offseason. All of our players are just trying to find a way to win and that’s exciting to see.”

Sherman loses to Union

The Sherman High Huskies (1-2) lost 48-6 to the No. 6-ranked Union High Bobcats (1-0) on Sept. 13 at Union. It was the third consecutive week that the Huskies faced a team that was playing its season opener.

Redsides lose to Harper

The South Wasco County High Redsides (0-1 league, 1-2 overall) lost 45-6 to the No. 1-ranked Harper Charter High Hornets (1-0 league, 2-0 overall) in OSAA Class 1A six-man football Sept. 13 in Maupin.