MILWAUKIE – From the rainy weather, to the constant flow of injuries further decimating an already depleted roster, The Dalles football team could not overcome the hurdles it faced Friday in its 41-6 non-league varsity loss to the La Salle Falcons.
Adding insult to injury, TD receiver Bryce Belanger discussed Thursday’s practice leading up to Friday’s paltry performance.
“Thursday we came out with a bad attitude really,” said Belanger. “We just came out cocky and everything, really just underestimating La Salle. Part of it was our Thursday practice and the other part of it was La Salle came out with a really good game plan. I have to give props to them. They are a good football team and they outplayed us tonight and got the win.”
TD lost its biggest offensive weapon Devin Wilson on the first offensive play of the game, and a few others went down with head injuries, knee injuries and other ailments, as La Salle scored on its first two possessions to lead 14-0 with one minute and 53 seconds left in the first period.
In three second-quarter possessions, the Riverhawks totaled 15 yards on 10 plays, while La Salle capped its final drive of the half with an 8-play, 75-yard drive capped by a Jalontae Walker touchdown run from 27 yards out to put the Falcons ahead 21-0 at the half.
“We just got to keep our heads in it. At the half, when we were down 21-0, we were still in a position to come back,” said senior Colton Walker. “It was us making these key mistakes to get so far down to put us in a deeper hole.”
Walker is not placing a lot of credence in non-league losses.
His focus is on the schedule from mid-October on when his team hits the Columbia River Conference schedule.
“We just need to move on from this loss tonight,” Walker said. “We have already gotten one win and we can still get more. This season is going to keep moving on and we need to keep playing more games and just need to get better as the season goes on.”
TD had the ball three times in the third quarter, moving the ball into Falcon territory on two of those drives, but were kept off the scoreboard.
The Hawk defense held serve by allowing 77 yards on three drives, keeping La Salle within a three-score difference entering the fourth quarter.
Ahead 28-0 in the fourth quarter, La Salle put the final touches on a lopsided win with back-to-back touchdowns in a span of 1:18, one score coming on a 105-yard interception return by Falcon defender Cayden Martinez and the other on a 60-yard run by JJ Menor to make it 41-0 midway through the fourth.
Nick McCoy completed half of his 16 passes and had one interception to go along with two touchdowns.
Parker Cardwell had three catches for 82 yards and a score to lead the receivers, and the running back duo of Quentin Pearson (13-107) and Menor (4-79-2) combined for 17 carries, 186 yards and two touchdowns.
The Dalles finally broke the shutout bid with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that chewed up 4:15 on the clock.
With 2:06 left in regulation, Cash Mathewson grabbed a double reverse handoff and coasted for a touchdown to give the Hawks its only score of the game.
TD managed 150 yards of offense, but punted six times, committed four turnovers and had two drives end on downs.
Dominique Seufalemua completed 8 of 24 passes for 62 yards with two interceptions. He was also sacked three times.
Seufalemua had 19 rushes for 70 yards, Damion Morris followed with 14 carries and 45 yards, and Mathewson rushed twice and racked up 15 yards.
Denzel Arellano notched two catches for 225 yards, Bryce Belanger added a 22-yard reception and Glenn Breckterfield had one grab for 14 yards.
All-league running back Devin Wilson, who was hurt on the first play from scrimmage, rushed once for two yards and had two catches for two yards in his limited work.
Even with the loss, Seufalemua is still confident in the pieces he has at his disposal.
“We can move the ball on anybody and we have shown in at camp to 7-on-7s to games, we have done a lot offensively,” Seufalemua said. “It always come down to assignments in the end like receivers running the right routes, running backs going hard, quarterbacks making the right throws, linemen doing their jobs on the line, just working hard pretty much.”
TD (1-3 overall) hosts 4A La Grande at 7 p.m. Friday on Homecoming night at Sid White Field in its home opener.
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