1A dynamos fight to the finish

Dufur head coach jack Henderson is looking forward to this opportunity to send out a healthy Bailey Keever, Hagen Pence and top weapons Curtis Crawford, Kolbe Bales and Asa Farrell for a gridiron test against Bill Blevins and his Husky program.

“It’s always fun to challenge yourself against great teams and Sherman is that,” Henderson said. “This is a game between two of the top teams in the state. Although the winner of this game is in the driver’s seat to the league championship, the loser is still going to be one of the best teams in the state. This could turn out to be just the first Dufur-Sherman matchup this season.”

Last week, the No. 2-ranked Rangers (4-0 overall, 1-0 league) used a combined 291 yards rushing and five touchdowns from Pence and Farrell to cruise past Perrydale by a 56-14 margin.

That offensive explosion was the third consecutive game Dufur had eclipsed the 50-point mark for the fifth-best 1A offense (47.5 points a game).

“We need to be able to deal with the pressure that Sherman brings on defense,” Henderson said. “We need to maintain our run/pass balance and take care of the ball to be successful.”

Husky defensive coordinator Kyle Blagg has been in the lab all week, looking for some defensive schemes to try to stop Keever and company.

After giving up 36 points in a season-opening loss to Crane, the Husky defense has held their last three opponents to just two touchdowns over the past 12 quarters, during their three-game winning streak.

Blevins knows this will be his defense’s biggest test of the year.

“We really need to do our best to contain Keever. Obviously, that is much easier said than done. He’s a special player,” Blevins said. “Kolbe Bales has been a nice target for Keever downfield and we need to be prepared for a solid passing attack. Of course, we need to find ways to hold our own against the Dufur running game. Their line does a great job and the backs hit the hole fast and run hard.”

In last week’s 66-0 victory over South Wasco County, the Huskies racked up 267 yards rushing, and senior quarterback Kyle Fields completed 6 of 8 passes for 119 yards, as the team led 30-0 after one quarter and 54-0 at the half.

Jacob Justesen totaled 100 yards with two scores and he caught three passes for 69 yards and another touchdown, and both Isaiah Coles and Maverick Winslow added breakaway scores to help Sherman.

With a dynamic offense and a steady quarterback, the Huskies have averaged 56 points a game over the last three contests.

Henderson said that discipline on defense and preventing Sherman from scoring on quick strikes are keys to success for the Rangers’ fifth-ranked scoring defense (13.5 points a game).

“Sherman has nice balance on offense, couple that with their amazing athletes and you have a great football team,” Henderson said. “They have athleticism in every position and they all can run well, which makes them scary good at every position.”

Even with several new parts on the defensive side, the Dufur defense has one shutout on the year and has held top programs such as Hosanna Christian, Adrian and Perrydale to 42 points in three of four wins.

Both teams have a wealth of speed, so both lines will be emphasized along with the speed of Winslow, Coles and Justesen and catching abilities of Max and Treve Martin.

“Dufur presents a very difficult matchup for us,” Blevins said. “They play a very disciplined game, yet they are very aggressive. Their defensive ends hold the edge very well. We will have to play our best offensive game of the year if we’re going to move the ball at all.”