Dufur takes home several Big Sky awards

Still with some all-state hardware to claim, Keever was overwhelmed to have his named called once again for some of the league’s top awards.

“Being a part of this is amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a better team to be on than Dufur and these brothers that I have played with through my high school career,” Keever said. “To play with your brothers and share this win with them, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to go out.”

Offensively, the Rangers had the 1A classification’s highest scoring offense at 710 points scored, for 54.6 points a contest.

Keever was the maestro of that charge, using his arms and legs to do damage on the opposition.

In six league tilts, Keever had 12 touchdown passes and three rushes, playing limited minutes due to lopsided scores.

“Once again, Bailey did a great job at quarterback for us,” said Dufur coach Jack Henderson. “He was a threat to run the ball and throw it equally efficiently. He finished a great career for the Rangers this season.”

Even while missing parts of three league games this season, Pence, who had four touchdowns in three Big Sky matchups, contributed so much more to the offense with his blocking.

For his selfless play, Pence earned top honors at the running back position.

“Hagen did a great job at running back this season. He not only ran the ball well, but is a great receiver out of the backfield,” Henderson said. “His ability to block was a huge key to us defeating Crane in the state championship game. Hagen and Curtis (Crawford) repeatedly sealed the edge leading to large gains.”

None of those numbers are possible without the play of the offensive line, and Cleveland, who enjoys playing fullback, took a backseat to those aspirations to anchor the line.

During league action, the Rangers averaged 56 points a game, including 64 a tilt in four wins over Arlington, South Wasco County, Ione and Mitchell-Spray.

“Ian did a great job for us on offense this year,” Henderson said. “Although he’s a great fullback, our team was much better with him playing guard. He does a great job of getting off the ball and plays hard until the whistle blows.”

Keever, a safety, was in on a tackle on nearly every play on the defensive side of the ball, totaling 18 tackles a game, in matchups where he played an entire 48 minutes.

As the offense rolled up big numbers, the Ranger defense held league opponents to 10.8 points a game, two shutouts.

“Bailey, once again, was a dominant force on defense,” Henderson said.

Just as well as he played on the offensive line, Cleveland plugged up holes for the opposition’s running game and did a good job of pressuring the quarterback.

In just two years at Dufur, Cleveland has opened eyes and the other coaches in the league have taken notice.

“Ian was a dominate force on the defensive line, as well as when he played linebacker,” Henderson said. “He is a great team player that is as strong as any player we have ever had at Dufur High School. He creates problems for our opponents with his quickness as well.”

Pence was rewarded for his solid play at linebacker, taking first-team honors in consecutive seasons.

The senior showed speed and delivered crushing blows in the field.

“His size and strength limits our opponent’s ability to run up the middle,” Henderson said. “Hagen is a big strong kid and is tough to push around. He tends to be around the ball all the time.”

Every opposing team had to be sure to account for the 6-foot-3 inch, 200-pound defensive end wearing his No. 99 jersey.

One of the vocal leaders on defense, Kennedy swarmed quarterbacks to the tune of 28 sacks in 13 total games.

“Getting all those sacks is a pretty amazing accomplishment,” Henderson said. “His quickness to the quarterback was a huge key to our success on defense this season. T.J. elevated his game this year and made it tough on our opponents trying to attack the edge.”

Taking on a new role on the defensive side of the ball, Curtis Crawford showed his worth on the line at end, using his precise technique and ferocious hitting style to dominate the rest of the league.

He blocked punts, had top sack numbers, stuffed the run and made all the plays when it mattered most, to secure second-team recognition.

“Curtis had a great year at defensive end for us,” Henderson said. “He improved throughout the season, and made it tough on opponents to attack the edge.”

The junior standout also was a major weapon with his soft hands in the passing game, as he was a second team pick for his play at tight end.

With much of the defensive secondary set to graduate, Farrell, a freshman, placed himself atop the depth chart for years to come with his all-around ability and nose for the football.

His tackle numbers and interception skills, helped him score second-team honors.

Against Crane in the championship game, Farrell racked up 15 tackles.

“Asa was a force for us on defense all season long,” Henderson said. “His speed and quickness gets him to the ball quickly and he’s a great tackler when he arrives.”

Rounding out the defensive awards was senior safety Travis Lucas, who was an honorable mention pick.

Lucas was a sure tackler and had key interceptions and pass breakups at big moments to help his team.

“Travis was a force for us this year both in terms of pass defense, as well as run support,” Henderson said. “He became a very physical player for us who made plays each game.”

Added to his award-winning efforts on defense, Lucas was prominent figure on the offensive line, taking second-team recognition for his play at guard.

Although he tips the scales at 175 pounds, Lucas held his own physically against some big interior linemen during league play.

He also contributed in the passing game for the Rangers, scoring on a 48-yard touchdown pass from Keever to open the championship game against Crane.

“Travis did a great job for us this year at offensive guard,” Henderson said. “He took advantage of his speed and quickness and consistently made plays for us all season long.”

Playing the center position on the offensive line has its responsibilities.

Ben Anderson had to call out alignments and get the line in tune with what Henderson and Keever wanted to do with the football.

As he took on more line duties, the passing game and running game flourished, as Dufur scored its most points (710) since the 2006 season (699).

For those numbers, Anderson earned an honorable mention award.

“Ben was great at center for us this season,” Henderson said. “He handled the ball well all season long, we didn’t turn the ball over all season long largely because Ben’s technique was so efficient. He also got off the ball well and created running lanes for our backs, leading to a lot of success for them.”

With a lot of attention placed on Crawford at one of the end slots, senior tight end Kolbe Bales was able to add big catches when his name was called and was honored with a second-team selection at end and kicker

After starting league play with two scores, Bales rattled off seven end zone trips in a three-game stretch against Arlington, South Wasco County and Ione, including a rushing score in a game played on the road against South Wasco County on Oct. 13.

“Kolbe has to be the best second-team end in the state of Oregon,” Henderson said. “Kolbe has as good of hands as any receiver we’ve ever had at Dufur. He runs great patterns and is a great blocker as well. Kolbe was also the second team kicker this year. Kolbe’s kicking was a huge key to our success. His onside kick in the championship game was perfect leading to the winning score in the game. His ability to place the ball where we wanted it was a key to our defensive success all season.”