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Hood River junior offensive lineman Lars Welch (69) steadies the ball and waits for the quarterbacks direction in the second half of Hood River Valley High's 20-14 win over visiting Forest Grove on Oct. 4.
Hood River junior offensive lineman Lars Welch (69) steadies the ball and waits for the quarterbacks direction in the second half of Hood River Valley High's 20-14 win over visiting Forest Grove on Oct. 4.
Noah Noteboom photo
Junior receiver Noah Spurlock-Weaver (12) moves towards the line
to drop a block for halfback Bam Layna, background.
HOOD RIVER — Hood River Valley (HRV) took advantage of two Forest Grove turnovers and used a potent running game with a stingy defense to ground out a 20-14 high school football win Oct. 4 over the visiting Vikings at Henderson Stadium.
The Eagles (5-0 overall, 3-0 Special District 1) scored on a Bam Layna three-yard run with seven minutes remaining to break a 14-14 tie. On Forest Grove’s ensuing possession, the Vikings (4-1, 2-1) lost a fumble after a pass reception into Hood River territory. The host Eagles were able to run the final four minutes off the clock for the win.
“Our guys had to grind it out,” HRV Coach Caleb Sperry said. “We learned a little about ourselves.”
Hood River never trailed in its homecoming game. The Eagles went in front 14-6 in the third quarter on a Davis Parr to Bodie Suben 24-yard pass. Parr finished 9-for-13 passing for 80 yards, a TD, and an interception.
The difference in the first half was HRV’s defense of a two-point conversion attempt by the Vikings. Forest Grove manufactured a 12-play, 73-yard drive to pull within 7-6 midway through the second quarter on a Nolan Hudgins-to-Jacob Burke, 22-yard pass play. The visitors failed to convert on a pass play on the point-after attempt.
Hood River had taken the lead on its opening drive, a 15-play marathon where the Eagles had four first downs and drove 62 yards. A key play was Layna’s 1-yard run on a fourth-and-1 situation at the HRV 48-yard line. Layna later scored on a 1-yard run and Andres Rojas added the conversion kick — one of two for him on the night.
Hood River did most of its damage from scrimmage on the ground before the break, gaining 81 of its 127 offensive yards on 20 carries. On the flip side, Forest Grove’s Hudgins passed to five different receivers for 107 yards, leading the Vikings to a 143-127 first-half advantage in yards from scrimmage. He finished with 219 yards passing; Burke had four catches for 78 yards.
Each team had first half turnovers. Travis Hale picked off a Parr pass in the second quarter to stop an Eagle drive at the Viking 11. Forest Grove drove 79 yards in nine plays before Hood River forced a Viking fumble and recovered the ball at the Eagle 12.
Layna had his fifth 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 122 yards on 21 carries. Senior Isa Luna returned to the lineup and added 66 yards on 12 carries. Both running backs showed toughness with more than 50 yards gained after contact.
“We really felt like Luna was one of the keys to the game,” Sperry said. “Because he was able to come in and be a physical presence … get some tough yards [to] keep the chains moving, keep the clock going. We were really happy to get him back.
“Our depth has helped in several places this year. It’s been nice to have people we can call on when needed.”
Hood River held Forest Grove to a net 19 yards rushing on 24 carries. The Eagle secondary kept the quick Viking receivers in front of them for the most part, giving up some underneath receptions in order to prevent big plays over the top of coverage.
“We did a good job of keeping things in front of us,” Sperry said. “But on the same token, we gave up too much room and weren’t contesting some of those mid-range throws.”
On Forest Grove’s final drive, the Vikings moved into Hood River’s half of the field before a Jack McLaughlin sack — aided by good downfield coverage — led to a nine-yard loss. Hudgins scrambled for a three-yard gain and on the next play he completed a short pass, but the ball was knocked out of the receivers’ hands and Davin Snyder recovered for HRV.
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