Playing in the first-ever OSAA Class 1A 6-man football state playoffs, the No. 3-ranked South Wasco County High Redsides (8-1) recorded a 46-12 win over the Elkton High Elks (7-3) in the Nov. 5 quarterfinal.
The Special District 1 (SD1) co-champion Redsides (with Spray/Mitchell/Wheeler), are guided by head coach Mike Waine and assistant coach Michael Carter. They’ll play the No. 2-ranked SD2 North Division Champion Triangle Lake Lakers (9-0) at noon on Saturday at Wilsonville High School. The Lakers advanced to the semifinals with a 52-26 win over Prairie City (6-3).
“We had a good game plan offensively and defensively," said Waine. "It was the last home game for seniors Dominic Marquez, James Best, and Ian Ongers. Those guys are top-notch athletes and some of the best in the state for six-man football.”
The Elks, guided by fourth-year head coach Jeremy Lockhart, came into the matchup on a seven-game win streak.
“It was a tough loss for sure, but that’s the way it goes, and they (Redsides) are a very good team,” said Lockhart. “They came out and took it to us. We tried to make a lot of adjustments, but it didn’t quite work out for us.”
South Wasco scored on its first possession on an eight-yard touchdown run by running back Best (four touchdowns) and a point after touchdown run by junior running back Joey Holloway (two touchdowns) for a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
Elkton, which took second place in the SD2 South Division responded quickly on senior wide receiver Christian Halstead’s 62-yard TD kickoff return, making the score 7-6.
The Redsides demonstrated their high-scoring offense (41 points per game average) on their next possession. Senior quarterback Ongers (three TD passes) threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Storm McCoy and Best scored on the PAT run, putting the Redsides up 14-6.
“We started off slow, but we picked things up after halftime," said Ongers. "It feels great to be in the first ever six-man football playoffs. It’s interesting because it’s much different than last year."
Elkton had two drives stall deep in South Wasco territory. The second came after Elkton junior quarterback Anthony Alimenti recovered a fumble at the South Wasco 21-yard line. But the drive stalled at the 10 and South Wasco regained possession.
Later in the period, South Wasco scored on Best’s 44-yard TD run for a 26-6 halftime advantage.
“On any given day, any team can come out and win whether we think we’re better than them or they’re better than us. We prepared very well for it and Coach Carter’s defense was very stingy," said Waine.
In the third period, Holloway scored on an eight-yard TD run and Ongers threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Best. The Redsides extended their lead to 46-6 with 5:17 left in the fourth quarter. Elkton scored a touchdown on the final play of the game — a 46-yard pass from Alimenti to Halstead.
“It’s kind of sad since it’s the final home game of my career, but at least we won," said Best. "It’s a great way to conclude the final home game of our South Wasco High School football career for our seniors.
“This season has been amazing. It’s been so much better than we anticipated."
The Redsides will play Triangle Lake in the semifinals at noon Saturday at Wilsonville High School.
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.