No. 13 Sherman football now 2-0 after win Saturday

The Huskies, who were 1-6 last season, are undoubtedly the most improved 1A team in Oregon this year. Coach Kyle Blagg said, “It was a good trip, but it was just a long day for us since it’s a five-hour drive there on the bus. We were just absolutely thrilled to get a game after our game with Wallowa was canceled last Wednesday because they didn’t have enough players available.

“Prospect was the only team in the state at the 1A or 2A level that had an opening on their schedule. We were really thankful to them (Prospect/Butte Falls) for scheduling a game on that short of notice.”

Sherman/Condon’s trio of offensive linemen Henry Poirier, Luke Fritts and senior Logan Barrett helped the Huskies take control of the game with their dominating performance. The Huskies’ offensive line created openings for running back Ed Rubio and senior quarterback Kole Martin to scramble through and gain significant yardage on the ground. The Huskies also controlled the line of scrimmage defensively, as well, to gain momentum and build a lead on the scoreboard.

The Cougars gained the initial momentum by returning the Huskies’ opening kickoff for a touchdown to go up 6-0. The Huskies responded on their ensuing possession by scoring a touchdown to take an 8-6 advantage and they never trailed again. The Huskies extended their advantage to 48-12 at halftime.

The Huskies will be seeking to get a third straight win when they open their six-game Special District 2 West Division schedule on the road Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. versus the No. 1-ranked Powder Valley High Badgers (2-0) in North Powder. “We have a big game coming up on Friday and we saw them (Badgers) play at the Eight-Man Classic in Dufur (Sept. 2),” said Blagg. “They have a good team, and we’ll do our best to get prepared for the game. Our boys are really excited to really see what they’re made of. I think the boys are pretty realistic and they know they’re going to have to play better football really than they’ve played up to this point if they want a chance to even compete well in the game. We’ll need the ball to bounce our way for sure.”

Powder Valley won, 64-20, over the visiting No. 16-ranked Union High Bobcats (1-1) on Sept. 9.

Dufur drops second straight

The defending Special District 2 West Division Champion Dufur High Rangers lost their second straight Class 1A eight-man football nonleague game, 38-8, to the No. 12-ranked Crane High Mustangs (2-0) Sept. 8 at Ridgeview High School in Redmond. The Rangers have struggled offensively, totaling 14 points in their two lopsided defeats, which included a 66-6 loss to the No. 3 St. Paul High Buckaroos in their season opener Sept. 1 in Dufur.

The Rangers will be hoping to start their six-game Special District 2 schedule off on positive note Friday, when they meet the No. 6-ranked Enterprise High Outlaws (2-0) at 6 p.m. at Dufur High School. Enterprise won its second straight game, 28-18, Sept. 9 over the Imbler High Panthers (1-1) at Imbler High School.

Lyle/Wishram/Klickitat loses two straight

Playing in their home opener, the Lyle/Wishram/Klickitat High Cougars lost their second straight Class 1A eight-man football nonleague contest 52-0 to the No. 13-ranked Elgin High Huskies (2-0) at Lyle High School.

The Cougars, guided by Coach Dave Devoe, play Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. on the road versus the Ione/Arlington High Cardinals (1-1) at Ione High School.

“Elgin is a pretty solid and a very quick team that runs the ball a lot and they only throw a little bit,” said Devoe. “They’re a pretty good team; they’re solid top to bottom defensively and they fly to the ball really well. We knew it was a nonleague game, so we tried a couple of different things to try and figure out who we are and what we can do. Some of the things worked and some of them didn’t. We have our next game versus Ione/Arlington and hopefully we’ll be a little sharper in our first league game.”

Redsides back in action Thursday

In Class 1A Special District 1 six-man football, the No. 13-ranked South Wasco County High Redsides (1-0) had a bye week and they’ll play their second game Thursday at 7 p.m. on the road against the No. 5-ranked Prairie City/Burnt River High Panthers (1-1) at Prairie City High School.