One week after having 76 points scored against them, The Dalles High Riverhawks football team turned things around and scored 76 points of its own to get its first win this season.
The Riverhawks (1-1 Special District 1, 1-2 overall) utilized a highly effective ground game with 439 yards rushing to help propel them to a 76-44 win on Sept. 24 over the La Salle Prep Falcons (0-2 league, 0-4 overall) in Milwaukie.
The Hawks avenged a loss at home to the Falcons during the spring season, when La Salle won 41-6 over The Dalles on March 19.
The Dalles junior running back Manatu Crichton Tunai had 20 carries for 214 yards rushing to help lead the Hawks to the impressive victory.
The Dalles, guided by Coach Lynn Helyer, overcame an early 10-0 first quarter deficit and amassed 720 yards of total offense in the victory. The 76 points scored by the Hawks is tied for the highest score this season out of all 33 OSAA Class 5A teams. The Redmond Panthers (2-1) won 76-12 over The Dalles on Sept. 17.
“We rolled pretty good, and we really had a good game,” said Helyer. “We had a lot of kids who really had a big game for us. It was quite a game and I’m very proud of the kids and our assistant coaches (Andy Codding, Jim Taylor, Jacob Tasse), too. We’ll just keep putting the hammer down and we’ll see what happens. We just finally outlasted our opponent, and we had a good night.”
In a seesaw battle with three early lead changes, The Dalles overcame a 10-6, first-quarter deficit and gained a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in the second quarter. Trailing 17-14, the Hawks capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive with a 53-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Riley Brock (13-for-19 passing, 281 yards, four TDs) to receiver Jaxon Pullen (six receptions, 194 yards) to go up 20-17. The Hawks never trailed again in the high-scoring contest.
The Dalles extended its lead to double digits when Brock threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Pullen as the clock expired, giving the Hawks a 34-24 halftime advantage.
Both teams scored a touchdown in the third quarter as the Hawks remained on top 41-31. After both teams had scored twice in the fourth quarter, The Dalles continued leading 55-44. The Hawks then scored 21 unanswered points to secure the victory. The Dalles sophomore Andre Niko caught a 20-yard TD pass from Brock. Sophomore receiver Anthony Jara (team-leading eight receptions, 137 yards) followed on another offensive possession with a 50-yard TD run. Junior running back Marquies Sagapolutele then scored on a 16-yard TD run. The PAT by sophomore placekicker Alexis Valdez capped the Hawks’ 76-point total.
The Hawks will try to keep their momentum going when they face the No. 4 ranked Pendleton Buckaroos (2-0 league, 3-1 overall) at 7 p.m. Friday in Pendleton. The game will be broadcast by Al Wynn and John Fredrick on radio station KODL 99.1 FM beginning with a 6:30 p.m. pregame show.
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