Eagles fall to .500 after loss to Redmond

“We played a very good team that had a little bit more desire than we did,” said Sperry. “We did some really good things, believe it or not, but we just made some catastrophic errors at the wrong times during the game and then things kind of snowballed from there. You always want to try to learn from your mistakes and try to get better so that we can accomplish good things.”

Redmond controlled the contest from start to finish while shutting out the Eagles in the first three quarters, building a 43-0 lead going into the fourth.

HRV avoided a shutout with a seven-play, 80-yard scoring drive to get on the scoreboard. Junior backup quarterback Morgan Williams (six-for-nine passing, 94 yards) threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Tyrone Stintzi (nine catches, 34 yards). A two-point conversion run by sophomore running back Michael Jones (14 carries, 79 yards rushing) made it 43-8 with seven minutes, 21 seconds remaining in the contest. Redmond added a touchdown with 5:16 left for the final margin.

“Redmond played a really good style of aggressive football and we just didn’t match it with our effort,” said Sperry. “They had some big plays that helped provide them with the early momentum.”

Despite the lopsided outcome, there were some bright spots for HRV. The Eagles recorded 341 yards of total offense in a well-balanced attack. HRV had 177 yards passing and 164 rushing. Jones led HRV in receiving with five catches for 50 yards.

Senior quarterback Dallas Buckley was 11-for-25 passing for 83 yards and had three interceptions. Buckley had an average of 34.7 yards on three punts. Senior Kiel Sorenson had a total of 88 yards on five kickoff returns. Senior linebacker Andy Schmidt led the Eagle defense with three tackles and a sack.

The Eagles, who were ranked 15th in Class 5A two weeks ago, have fallen to No. 28 after dropping two straight to top-20 ranked squads Redmond and Ridgeview. HRV will focus on ending the slump when they face the North Eugene Highlanders (4-0) in their next game at 7 p.m. Friday in Eugene.

HRV could have additional help on Friday versus North Eugene with senior running back/defensive back Parker Irusta tentatively scheduled to play his first game of the season after recovering from an injury.

“Hopefully, we’ll have Parker back really soon, which will really be a good addition to our team,” said Sperry. “I know that we’re definitely capable of playing better and I expect us to do that on Friday.”

The Eagles have a chance to regain the momentum they had at the beginning of the season and turn things around should they get a win against the Highlanders. HRV won 56-14 at home over North Eugene last season. North Eugene has won games over three teams with winless records, including Woodburn (0-4), a Class 4A Elmira squad (0-4), and Class 2A Gold Beach (0-4). The combined record of its four opponents is 3-13, while the combined record of HRV’s opponents so far this season is 6-10.

Woodburn is the only 5A team North Eugene has played this year, with the Highlanders winning 52-14. The teams have a common opponent, too, as the Eagles also faced Woodburn in their Sept. 4 season opener at home and won 54-12.

Other CRC action:

If there’s any solace to be had in HRV’s loss, it’s that the rest of the CRC had a miserable Friday night as well. Pendleton (No. 14) fell to 2-2 after losing to Bend on the road by a score of 26-23. The Dalles (No. 29) dropped to 1-3 after receiving a 41-6 beatdown from LaSalle in an away game Friday evening. Finally, the Hermiston Bulldogs (No. 20), who have yet to win a game this season, lost handily to Lewiston (Idaho) by a score of 56-37. This week, Pendleton hosts Ridgeview (2-2), The Dalles hosts La Grande (3-1), and Hermiston hosts Couer d’Alene, Idaho (3-1).