The Dalles High Riverhawk football team’s hopes of bouncing back from a loss at rival Hood River Valley were dashed April 9 at league-leading Redmond.
A much younger Riverhawk team, guided by fifth-year Coach Andy Codding, was unable to overcome a more experienced Panther squad, losing 44-0 in the season finale for both teams.
“We had a hard time adjusting to their physicality and the level of athletes,” said Codding of the Class 5A Special District 1 game. “They (Redmond) are a very senior-heavy team and we’re a young, inexperienced varsity group. They had nine seniors starting on their defense. We don’t even have nine seniors on our team. We probably had nearly as many freshmen starting on our team as they had seniors starting on their team.”
The Riverhawks, who have eight seniors and five juniors, faced a Redmond squad with 15 seniors and 15 juniors. The other 26 players on The Dalles’ 39-man roster are freshmen (13) and sophomores (13), while Redmond has only one freshman.
Despite the difference in experience, The Dalles (1-3 SD1, 2-3 overall) played tough against Redmond (4-1 SD1, 5-1 overall) early in the contest, trailing 7-0 after the first quarter. However, the Panthers gained a big edge on the scoreboard in the second, as they outscored the Riverhawks 14-0 to build a 21-0 halftime advantage.
The Riverhawks never could get untracked offensively. The Panthers’ momentum continued, and they added three touchdowns in the second half. The 44 Redmond points was the largest total allowed by The Dalles this season. It marked the fourth time that Redmond shut out an opponent and it was the first shutout this season for The Dalles.
The conclusion of the short five-game spring season marked the end of the high school football career for seniors Kenape Stewart, Jesse Larson, Dusty Dodge, Skyler Leeson, Francisco Medina, Enrique DeLaCruz, Spencer Taylor and Alex Gonzalez.
“It’s always tough for the seniors to finish their career and have the finality of turning in their gear while knowing it’s the last time that they’re going to play high school football with their teammates,” said Codding. “We just need to put everything together for our team with more numbers and without having a COVID environment. We’re looking forward to going to a team camp sometime in early summer and then we’ll start daily doubles practice in August to prepare for next season.”
The Dalles, which resumed football after a 16-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, began the season with a high confidence level – evident in its season-opening 27-6 road win March 12 at Putnam in Milwaukie. Another highlight was the Riverhawks’ 34-0 home win over the Class 6A Wilson Trojans (2-3) March 25 at Sid White Field on the Wahtonka campus.
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