Miguel Torres is well aware of the history of The Dalles football and just how long and hard the road to prominence has been.
Facing a game Tillamook squad, the Riverhawks battled back from a 30-28 deficit with a 30-21 second-half scoring surge to defeat the No. 15-seeded Cheesemakers, 58-51, in 4A OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union state quarterfinal football action Saturday from Sid White Field.
This win marks the first time since 1993 that TD has advanced to the semifinals.
“Since our freshman year, we have seen the seniors before come and go, and now we are carry on the legacy that they have built,” Torres said. “It feels good to finally do this for them. We are not doing this for ourselves, we are doing this for the community and everyone who came before us too. We are all definitely grateful for this opportunity.”
Saturday’s historic day brought out 1,417 spectators to watch a back-and-forth battle that had a tie and eight lead changes.
There was a tailgate party and fans from across the state reunited to cheer on their home squad.
“This atmosphere was crazy. It is nothing that I have ever experienced before,” TD senior Dalles Seufalemua said. “It is a new look for me and the guys appreciate everyone that came out to support us.”
In a game that had more than 1,000 yards of offense, the Riverhawk defense turned the tide of the game by forcing three second-half turnovers, the first coming on Tillamook’s first possession of the second half.
TD senior Michael Armstrong recovered a fumble, and then the Hawks went on an eight-play, 72-yard drive capped by a 12-yard run by Okean Green, which erased a 30-28 deficit and put TD ahead 36-30 at the 8:36 mark of the third quarter.
Both teams then traded fumbles on back-to-back third-quarter drives, and Tillamook regained the lead at 37-36 following a one-yard scoring run by Chad Werner.
Quarterback Gabe Helseth gave TD a 44-37 lead with 11 minutes left in regulation on a 22-yard pass to Green, but Werner evened the score at 44-all on a 34-yard scamper.
At the 6:44 mark of the fourth, Green found the end zone again from a yard out and the Hawks took the lead back for good, 51-44.
On Tillamook’s next possession, TD linebacker Dusty Dodge recovered a Werner fumble, and the Riverhawks then added an insurance score with 3:39 remaining on an 11-yard run from Green.
Out in front, 58-44 with time running down, the Cheesemakers got a four-yard run out of Werner to make it 58-51 with two seconds remaining.
TD senior Zac Anderson recovered the onside kick and then Helseth then kneeled down as time expired.
“We knew we had the ability from the first time we stepped on the field,” Anderson said. “This is a brand new offense and it took a while to get everything going, but it is awesome to see what game plan Codding puts together for us. It has all come together and we are playing great right now. I don’t think anyone can stop us, except ourselves.”
For the game, TD ran 71 plays for 500 yards, converted 7 of 10 third downs and held the ball for 27:18 to Tillamook’s 20:42.
Green rushed 18 times for 146 yards and four touchdowns, added 86 yards receiving on six grabs with a score, and completed a pass to Helseth for 18 yards.
The Hawks totaled 302 yards rushing on 46 carries, and Green was followed up by Denver Neill, who had 73 yards on 11 rushes with an end zone trip.
Seufalemua hit for 64 yards on 10 rushes, and Helseth completed 14 of 24 passes for 180 yards, a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions.
Anderson notched a receiving touchdown on five grabs that equaled 67 yards, and Mac Abbas went for 26 yards on one catch.
“It took teamwork and grit. That’s all we needed,” Helseth said.
“On offense, everything was working. They couldn’t stop us from driving and it gave us a lot of momentum. The way we played kept our season going and now we want to keep it going into the next round.”
Werner totaled 289 yards passing on 14 of 37 with a touchdown and an interception, and he had 31 carries for 212 yards and six touchdowns, as Tillamook posted 27 first downs and ran 71 plays for 501 yards.
Dodge posted seven tackles, four for loss, recovered a fumble and had a sack.
Seufalemua tacked on seven tackles, Jesse Larson and Kade Wilson finished with six tackles each, and Michael Armstrong recovered a fumble and tallied 3.5 tackles.
Hayden Pashek also recovered a fumble, had a half a sack and put up 3.5 tackles.
Green had an interception and a pair of tackles, and Ben Schanno recorded two tackles.
“It is an unbelievable feeling,” TD senior lineman Will Dunn said. “It is nothing that you can express with words. It means everything, especially after you put four years of your life on the field and give it your heart and soul and come out with a win.”
In the first half, Werner started the scoring on a 42-yard pass play to Quintin Metcalfe, and followed that up with scoring runs of 1, 1 and 68.
At the final first-half buzzer, Werner connected on a 36-yard play that set up a 22-yard field goal by Brauly Mendez, which gave Tillamook its first lead of the game, 30-28.
For TD, Okean Green scored his team’s first touchdown from 53 yards out, Anderson added a 9-yard reception from Helseth, Neill scored on a two-yard plunge, and after a Tillamook touchdown inched them to a 21-20 deficit at the 2:30 mark, Riverhawk sophomore Jaxon Pullen returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards that made it, 28-20 with 2:17 left in the half.
Tillamook then used a 68-yard quarterback keeper by Werner, and capped the opening half with Mendez’s field goal.
“There were plenty of tense moments throughout this game,” Torres said. “I am sure there were nerves for the crowd and for this team. What it took to win this game was the realization that we all had to just do our job and our responsibilities. It took us all coming together. That is what has gotten us to this point in the season.”
TD’s senior linebacker Steven Preston injured his leg on Sept. 13 in a home game versus La Grande, and thought his season was over. It was an emotional return that he did not think was going to be possible.
“I was heartbroken,” Preston said. “I cried when the doctor told me that I wasn’t going to be able to come back, but I did the physical therapy and I started working to get back into shape, so I can get back on the field. I am so proud of my boys. I didn’t think that I was going to be able to play again and they literally made a dream come true. They got me here and I am just so happy to be on this field again.”
Seufalemua has been through the gamut in his four varsity football campaigns, that featured two seasons as an independent, followed by a 2-6 outcome in 2018.
Given the adversity, Seufalemua still believed in the players on the roster.
“Without a doubt, I though that this was possible,” Seufalemua said. “In all of my years in high school, I always thought that we could get this chance. We knew it was possibility because of the talent that we have on the team. We have dogs, we have some players who can get the job done on offense and defense. We knew we had the team here that could win a championship and it feels great to finally show everyone what we can accomplish as a program.”
With its win over Tillamook, The Dalles football team qualifies for the semifinals for the first time since 1993. They take on No. 3-ranked and undefeated La Grande at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in Hermiston.
La Grande (10-0) is making its first semifinals berth since 1976. The last time these two teams played, a 48-14 Tiger victory, Abbas, Preston and Anderson did not finish the game for The Dalles.
In the post-game huddle after the team’s second game, Anderson said that head coach Andy Codding said that the Hawks would be facing La Grande in the semifinals.
“We know we are here and we know what we got to do,” Anderson said. “We need to come out play our hardest. In that first game, we were without some big pieces to our team. I think that we are super-confident going into this next game. There’s nothing to lose now. We just have to put it all on the line to see if we can keep this season going.”
Game stats are courtesy of John Frederick at www.sportsstatservice.com. Fans can also listen or stream Friday’s contest on 99.1/100.5 FM, 1440 AM and online at www.kodl.com.
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