South Wasco County fell one game shy of reaching the first-ever OSAA Class 1A six-man football state championship game.
The third-ranked Redsides (8-2), guided by Coach Mike Wain, had the momentum of a six-game win streak, including a 46-12 quarterfinal home win Nov. 5 over Elkton heading into their semifinal against Triangle Lake. The second-ranked and unbeaten Lakers (10-0) had momentum of their own and won the Nov. 12 game, 46-20, at Wilsonville High School.
“I’m very proud of these guys, they did an incredible job, and I can’t complain,” said Wain. “We had a good season, but Triangle Lake was just a little too much for us to handle. We spotted them 20 quick points in the first quarter and then we just couldn’t really battle back from that.
“We played them (Lakers) tough in the third quarter, but it was just too much of a point spread to overcome for us. The Wilsonville stadium is fantastic with the artificial turf field. It was a fun game, and it was a clean game with the normal amount of penalties.”
The Lakers advanced to the finals where they’ll meet the No. 4-ranked Spray/Mitchell/Wheeler High Eagles (9-1) Saturday at Caldera High School in Bend. The Eagles won 55-19 over the No. 1-ranked Powers High Cruisers (9-1) in a semifinal game that followed the South Wasco-Triangle Lake game at Wilsonville.
“Everybody just played hard football … we just came up short,” said Wain. “Things just didn’t go our way. My hat’s off to Triangle Lake, which had a good scheme against us, and they did their homework. We could move the ball on them, but it’s hard to continue drives when you have turnovers. We knew going into it that it would be a dogfight. We wish them the best of luck in the championship game, and they’ll be in a battle with Spray, so it should be interesting.”
The Special District 2 North Division Champion Lakers took control of the contest early, building a 20-0 first-quarter lead in Saturday’s noon contest. The Redsides had two costly first quarter fumbles that the Lakers capitalized on by scoring touchdowns after gaining possession. The Special District 1 co-champion Redsides (with Spray/Mitchell/Wheeler) had to play catchup for the entire game and they were never able to get any closer than 15 points after their slow start. The Redsides had four turnovers.
The Redsides got on the scoreboard following a six-play, 62-yard scoring drive, capped by a 25-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Ian Ongers (13-for-23 passing, 170 yards, two TDs) to junior receiver/linebacker Joey Holloway. The Redside touchdown made the score 20-6 with 9:52 left in the second quarter.
The Lakers scored in the final minute of the quarter to take a 28-6 halftime lead.
Holloway returned the Lakers’ second half kickoff 48 yards for a touchdown, trimming the margin to 28-13. However, the Lakers quickly answered on their ensuing possession with a touchdown to go ahead, 34-13. Triangle Lake then capitalized on the Redsides’ fourth turnover when an Ongers’ pass was intercepted by Marshall Mather, who returned it 79 yards for a touchdown. The interception thrown by Ongers was just his second one all season.
The Redsides had a seven-play, 69-yard, fourth-quarter scoring drive, capped by an Ongers nine-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Dominic Marquez (two receptions, 21 yards receiving). Ongers tossed a point-after touchdown pass to Holloway, making it 40-20 with 3:03 remaining in the game.
Sophomore receiver Storm McCoy led the Redside receivers with four catches for 77 yards. Senior running back/linebacker James Best led the Redside ground game with 11 carries for 65 yards. Defensively, Best added 17 tackles and Holloway had 11.
Ongers and Triangle Lake’s Dakota McConnell were selected by an OSAA representative as players of the game. The contest marked the final game of the South Wasco football careers of seniors Ongers, Best and Marquez.
“It was absolutely wonderful to have those guys (seniors) be a part of our program for the last four years,” said Wain. “Those guys were true leaders on the team. Everybody looked up to them and respects them. Ian was a great play caller and decision maker at quarterback. Dominic played guard and defensive end and he absolutely dominated at his position. James probably led the team in tackles and offensively, he scored more touchdowns than anyone on the team. All three of them are huge contributors to our program and they’re great kids.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get a championship game with them. At the end of the game, they were sad, like anybody would be after losing. They play the game for the fun of it, the camaraderie, and the brotherhood. When it’s all said and done, this loss hurts a little bit, but they’re looking forward to basketball season, now.”
Best, Ongers and Marquez concluded their career by earning SDI All-League Awards on a vote of the district coaches. Ongers won a first team quarterback all-league award. Best won second team awards at running back and linebacker. Marquez won first team awards at receiver and defensive end. Holloway won a first team award at defensive back and a second team award at receiver, in addition to an honorable mention Award at running back. Sophomore Marcos Chavez won a first team award at center.
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