1A Football: Sherman explodes aginst No. 7 Enterprise; Lyle plays 9 man; Redsides ranked 4; Dufur loses to Powder Valley

The Huskies, guided by Coach Kyle Blagg, will now try to get a second straight win when they meet the No. 14-ranked Lyle/Wishram/Klickitat High Cougars (1-1 SD2 West, 1-3 overall) in a 7 p.m. homecoming game Friday at Sherman County High School in Moro.

“Kole Martin (senior quarterback) kind of took the team and carried them on his back to help lead our offense and he scored eight rushing touchdowns,” said Blagg. “Kole made a lot of big plays; he’s hard to tackle and he makes guys miss him and he was just doing his thing with some strong runs.”

Sherman’s offensive line of Luke Fritts, Henry Poirier, Damian Gearhart, Cade von Borstel, Talon Dark and Josiah Carlson created running lanes for Martin and running backs Eddy Rubio and Antone Avila.

“The guys just flat got after Enterprise and had them on their heels going backwards all night long,” said Blagg. “That really enabled Kole to kind of do his thing. Our special teams stuff was impressive, too, because we recovered three onside kicks and we had opportunities to get a couple of other ones — so we could’ve had five or six. Having the ability to get extra possessions like that was really the difference in the game.

“Usually, the same eight starting guys play offense and defense all the way through with the same personnel on special teams, too. We have a group of guys that don’t get a lot of playing time on offense or defense, but they’ve really taken ownership of special teams. That is so huge, because it allows us to give the starters a break for a minute or two. To be productive and help us have extra possessions is a huge benefit and I can’t say enough about those guys.”

The winner of the Sherman vs. Lyle matchup will probably have a good chance of qualifying for the OSAA state playoffs in November. Sherman is hoping to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017 and Lyle is seeking to qualify for the first time ever in Oregon. This is the third year that the Cougars have been a member of the OSAA. Lyle competed in the WIAA in Washington prior to switching state classifications in 2020.

Lyle plays nine-man football game

The Cougars lost 30-12 to the Class 2A Grant Union High Prospectors (1-4) in a nonleague nine-man football game Sept. 30 at Grant Union High School in John Day. Lyle, guided by Coach Dave Devoe, was close through the first quarter, trailing 8-6. The freshman duo of quarterback Jack Thiemann and receiver Carson Ramsay combined on a scoring play. Thiemann (4-for-7 passing, 48 yards) tossed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Ramsay to put the Cougars on the scoreboard.

“We actually threw the ball a little bit and it was nice to see us throwing some passes,” said Devoe. “On defense, our defensive end Chris McPherson had team high five tackles, which was a very good day for him. Nine-man football is a little different and it was something new for me, so I probably didn’t do as good of a job of coaching as I normally do. We have a league contest next against Sherman and that’s one that we want to make sure that we win. They (Huskies) are a fairly decent team, too, so it should be a good contest.”

Grant Union scored 16 points in the second quarter to build a 24-6 halftime advantage. Following a scoreless third quarter, both teams got a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Cougar junior running back Riley Smith (26 carries, 119 yards rushing) scored on a 12-yard touchdown run to make the final margin, 30-12.

Dufur loses to Powder Valley

The No. 9-ranked Dufur High Rangers faced their fourth top-10 ranked Class 1A eight man football opponent and the result was as expected, another tough loss. Dufur lost a Special District 2 West Division game 43-16 to the No. 3 ranked Powder Valley High Badgers (3-0 SD2 West, 5-0 overall) at Powder Valley High School.

Dufur, guided by Coach Jack Henderson, lost its previous three games to No. 1-ranked St. Paul (5-0), No. 4 Crane (4-1) and No. 7 Enterprise (4-1). The Rangers (1-2 SD2, 1-4 overall) will now face winless Pilot Rock High Rockets (0-2 SD2 West, 0-5 overall) in a 7 p.m. home game Friday.

“We’re still highly ranked and frankly, I’m beginning to question why, because we’re 1-4 and we’re ranked higher than teams that are 4-0,” said Henderson. “I understand it’s all about the strength of schedule and all of that, but it’s interesting and actually kind of weird. We have three league games left and if we’re successful in those games, then we’ll probably make the playoffs. We should be very competitive in our final three games.”

Dufur is ranked higher than undefeated teams Elgin (4-0), which is No. 12, and No. 10-ranked Perrydale (4-0). Dufur fell behind 8-0 at the end of the first quarter and trailed 35-0 at halftime. The Rangers did come back in the third and outscored the Badgers 16-8 to make it a more respectable score at 43-16.

Dufur junior running back/linebacker Cody Phillips (six carries, 93 yards rushing) scored on a 79-yard third quarter touchdown run, making it 35-8. Senior quarterback Landon Ellis (7-for-14 passing, 150 yards) scored on a two-point conversion run. Ellis later threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Nolan Olson and Ellis followed with a two-point conversion run for the final margin. Junior receiver JJ Johnston led Dufur with three catches for 76 yards. “Cody continues to play hard; he’s always there and he works hard on both sides of the ball and that’s something that we can always count on,” said Henderson. “Landon is really throwing the ball well; he completed some passes against Powder Valley, and he’s developed into a good quarterback for us.”

Dufur had some unfortunate injuries versus Powder Valley. Freshman defensive lineman/tight end Landon Haynes suffered a minor injury, but he’ll probably be able to return for the next game, Henderson said. Senior running back/defensive back Marshall McLaughlin is likely out for the remainder of the season after suffering a concussion, Henderson added.

Redsides ranked No. 4 after win

The No. 4-ranked South Wasco County High Redsides  (3-1) bounced back from their first loss a week ago and won 47-20 over the Dayville/Monument High Tigers (1-4) Sept. 30 in Class 1A Special District 1 six-man football at Monument High School. The Redsides play their next game Friday at 7 p.m. on the road versus the No. 10-ranked Echo High Cougars (4-1) at Echo High School.