South Wasco County senior football players, pictured are, from left to right, Keith Kegel, Andrew Lindley and Dawson Herlocker were in action Friday in a Big Sky Conference football game against Arlington. After a 60-0 loss, the Redsides turn their attention to Sherman next week. Ray Rodriguez photos
South Wasco County senior football players, pictured are, from left to right, Keith Kegel, Andrew Lindley and Dawson Herlocker were in action Friday in a Big Sky Conference football game against Arlington. After a 60-0 loss, the Redsides turn their attention to Sherman next week. Ray Rodriguez photos
MAUPIN – In just their second game of the season, the South Wasco County Redsides were able to see a huge amount of growth from their underclassmen and veteran players.
The team ended up on the wrong end of a 60-0 score against Big Sky Conference opponent Arlington/Condon, but senior quarterback Andrew Lindley is looking forward to breaking down the film and attacking practices head-on next week in preparation for the Sherman Huskies on Friday.
“We will probably watch some film on Monday and work off of that,” Lindley said. “We need to bust our butts as hard as we can, every week, we got to do it. With as few guys as we have, we need everyone to be out there, conditioned and prepared to play. It is important. Practice makes perfect.”
Waine liked the protection put forth by sophomore guard Zane Malefyt and freshman Timo Hisatake, along with Ty and Dawson Herlocker, which gave Lindley time in the pocket to make plays.
With a wealth of time in the pocket, Lindley had some sharp passes, with a few throws sailing inches too long or his receivers having drops to stop drives.
In the Redsides final possession of the game, Keith Kegel had a five-yard run, and on the next play from scrimmage, Lindley scampered 51 yards for a first down on Arlington’s 24-yard line.
Lindley finished with a team-leading 73 yards rushing for the game.
“It is fun to see a project blossom,” said head coach Mike Waine. “He had a lot of time this year. In this game, he had time to really sit back and read the defense. He is making great throws. Our receivers aren’t coming through on their end. It happens. We understand as coaches that guys are going to make drops. We are going to work on that this week and do what we can to get better.”
Dawson Herlocker played quarterback in the first half and gained 30 yards on the ground, including a 10-yard run in the first quarter.
Senior Nick Ward totaled 70 yards on kickoff returns and nearly had two touchdown catches, and Ryan Wraught showed toughness running inside with a couple of big gains and added a 27-yard kickoff return in the second quarter.
Wraught and Lindley also connected on an eight-yard passing play late in the second half.
“My offensive line was impeccable. I like having time in the pocket,” Lindley said. “They had some beautiful blocks. That is the best blocking I have seen since the program started back up again. And then I stepped up and made a couple of throws, so that felt awesome. That first throw, I had time and I felt confident and I think if we can continue to make those blocks and I can get in tune with my receivers, we should have a better offense.”
On the defensive end, the Redsides forced two turnovers and sacked the quarterback three times.
Ty Herlocker posted a fumble recovery and a sack and Hisatake had a quarterback sack, as did Malefyt.
With 4:54 left in the fourth quarter, sophomore Austin Brady recovered a fumble to set up SWC’s last drive.
“Two weeks ago, we didn’t have the best hitting game, but tonight, we just stepped up right away and played much better,” Lindley added. “Just seeing that amount of growth in two weeks has been amazing.”
As the Redsides prepare for a big road test in Moro, they should have a full complement of 16 players on the sidelines ready to contribute, including lineman Dennis McCabe and quarterback Kabe Frederick.
Waine wants to iron out some details and get this machine rolling over the next six weeks, saying that mental mistakes, penalties, negative plays and dropped passes need to be minimized.
“It’s all coachable stuff. It is not something that we can’t fix on the practice field,” Waine said. “We are really close to putting together a full, competitive game. The scoreboard doesn’t show what we saw out there as coaches. It’s the most aggressive game we have put together on the defensive side, regardless of score, in literally two years. It was nice to hear the shoulder pads popping.”
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