Dufur battles back in game of highly-ranked 1A football teams

LYLE — The No. 2-ranked, Class 1A eight-man football team, the Dufur Rangers, came from behind to beat fourth-ranked Lyle/Wishram/Klickitat/Glenwood, 32-24, on Sept. 26 in Lyle.

It was an electric rematch between two top teams in Oregon eight-man football; the Rangers and Cougars previously met on Aug. 29 in Dufur, where Dufur won, 50-34.

Suspense mounted all week for both programs, and the game didn’t disappoint. The Cougars took control in the first half and led at halftime, but ultimately, the Rangers battled back and made plays when it mattered most.

“It was tough,” said Dufur Coach Jack Henderson. “The Lyle kids played hard, and it was a back-and-forth battle. We thought our kids were a little soft in the first half, and it seems like we came out a little better in the second half and made some plays, brought some more defensive pressure, and that slowed things down for Lyle a little bit. But no, it’s a great high school football game.”

Dufur found pay dirt first as junior quarterback Gavin Anderson hit freshman Choice Richards for a 34-yard touchdown with 10:29 left in the quarter. The Cougars got the ball back and put together a solid drive before junior quarterback Mason Ramsay fumbled the ball, and the Rangers took over at their own 14-yard line.

In an odd sequence, Cougar senior safety Shane Spino picked off Anderson, but on the return, he fumbled, and Dufur recovered at its 24-yard line. On Dufur’s first play of the possession, Lyle senior lineman Lucas Knopf picked off Anderson again, which gave the Cougars the ball at the Dufur 39-yard line.

Lyle took the lead early in the second quarter, as Mason Ramsay found senior tight end Bear Lopez for a touchdown. The Cougars’ two-point attempt was good, giving Lyle an 8-6 lead with 11:31 left in the half. On their next possession, Mason Ramsay connected with senior tight end Jack Thiemann on a 54-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion gave the Cougars a 16-6 lead.

Dufur scored the game’s next 18 points. Anderson found junior tight end Kyle Wilson on an 18-yard touchdown pass. Dufur sophomore Chase Richards picked off Mason Ramsay again with 3:14 left in the third quarter, giving the Rangers possession at Lyle’s 20-yard line.

Dufur moved for 13 methodical yards before Anderson completed the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run. The Rangers took the lead midway through the fourth quarter. Chase Peterson forced a fumble that Anderson recovered at the Lyle 16-yard line with 7:20 left in the game. The turnover set up another seven-yard touchdown run for Anderson and the Rangers led 24-16 with 5:56 to play.

The Cougars responded quickly as Mason Ramsay found Carson Ramsay for a 27-yard touchdown pass to tie the game, 24-24, with 3:24 remaining.

In another odd sequence, the Cougars kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds and Henderson, who is in year 40 as a coach, elected to have the ball kicked again. Two more out-of-bounds kicks gave Dufur possession at Lyle’s 39-yard line.

Anderson took matters into his hands again as he took off for a 31-yard touchdown run — his third rushing touchdown of the day. Dufur converted the two-point conversion for a 32-24 lead. Chase Peterson recovered Lyle’s fumble on the kickoff, and Dufur ran out the clock for the win.

Henderson said a key to the game was the defensive plays by Anderson. “We found out some things tonight. Gavin Anderson, playing defensive end, was huge for us. He made plays, and obviously, he made plays offensively, but defensively, bringing linebackers got us into the passing game a little bit and really helped us win the game.

“I don’t know how many yards he rushed for, but he rushed for a lot of yards tonight and really just provided great leadership for our team.”