The Buckaroos Finish a Perfect Season
FOURTEEN and ZERO! OSAA 1A STATE CHAMPIONS! Big and bold, the St. Paul Buckaroos stamped their mark in Oregon high school football history with a perfect season of fourteen wins and zero losses. For the season, the Bucks scored a whopping 796 total points against opponents while yielding 334. On Saturday December 5th, the Buckaroos' fourteenth win of the season earned them the OSAA 1A Football Championship state title with a 38-34 win over Imbler. Ryan Pierson was an offensive force for St. Paul as he tallied five touchdowns and rushed for 384 of his team's 398 total yards on the ground. Matt Gooding also scored for St. Paul and quarterback Daley Smith completed four out of seven passes for 60 yards in the air.
After trailing 26-14 at halftime, Imbler was able to pull within four points when quarterback Bryan Mills ran for a seven yard TD with 1:08 left in the game, but the Panthers could not pull off the onside kick letting St. Paul run out the final seconds of the game. Other scorers for Imbler were Jace Eisiminger, Zack Phillips and Wesley Burgess who got into the endzone twice. Burgess led his team with 129 yards on the ground and 74 receiving. Quarterback Bryan Mills threw 16 passes, completing five for 144 yards and one touchdown.
Ryan Pierson of St. Paul splits the defense of Imbler's Andrew Fullerton (left) and Dalton McDaniel as he picks up 22 of his 384 yards rushing. Pierson scored five of St. Paul's six touchdowns as they claimed the OSAA 1A Football Championship by defeating Imber 38-34.
Wesley Burgess of Imbler breaks free into open field as he runs for a 53 yard touchdown for the Panthers' first touchdown with 9:55 to go in the second quarter.
Quarterback Daley Smith of St. Paul dives for extra yardage after being tackled by Imbler's Bryan Mills in the third quarter. Smith fumbled the ball as he fell to the turf resulting in a turn-over after Imber's Dalton McDaniels pounced on the loose ball.
Wesley Burges of Imbler rushes for a seven yard gain in the third quarter. Burgess led his team with 129 yards rushing, 74 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
Daley Smith of St. Paul makes a dramatic change of direction to avoid a tackle by Imbler's Bryan Mills as he picks up five yard late in the third quarter.
Ryan Pierson of St. Paul turns towards the goal line as Imber's Andrew Fullerton (foreground) lines up in hopes to stop Pierson short of the endzone. Pierson dove across the goal line to put the Buckaroos up 26-14 with 50 seconds left in the first half.
Ryan Pierson of St. Paul follows his lead blocker John Merten (17) who is lined up on Imber's Andrew Fullerton during a late fourth quarter run.
St. Paul head coach Tony Smith slips out from the cascading ice water as the Buckaroos begin celebrating their OSAA 1A State Football Championship after defeating Imbler 38-34.
The St. Paul Buckaroos hoist the OSAA 1A Football Championship trophy high after defeating Imbler 38-34 for the state title.
Jesuit & Sheldon Pass OSAA 6A Semi-final Tests
It's No. 1 vs No. 2 for the OSAA 6A Football Championship as Jesuit and Sheldon both advance to the championship game after posting semi-final victories at PGE Park in Portland. Jesuit defeated West Salem 21-7 in the first of the semi-final double-header with touchdowns by the Crusaders' explosive runningbacks, Jordan Talley and Keanon Lowe. Talley notched Jesuit's first with a 34 yard run at 8:52 in the first quarter and Lowe added a pair with a one yard charge late in the second quarter and a 22 yard run with 1:42 left in the third. Jesuit's defense kept the West Salem high octane offense in check as they held the Titans to only seven points after averaging over 40 points per game during the season. The lone West Salem touchdown was scored off a four yard run by quarterback Brett Smith.
Sheldon used a dominant aerial attach to out-distance Canby 49-14 during the second game of the night. Quarterback Jordan Johnson threw four touchdown passes and ran into the endzone twice. Johnson completed 19 of 24 passes for an impressive 372 yards. On the tail end of the TD passes were Curtis Write in the first quarter and John Campbell scoring two in the second quarter and one in the third. Cameron Abeene also scored for the Irish with a 14 yard run at the start of the second quarter. Canby's first strike off a 23 yard touchdown pass from Josh Yoder to Adam Bell was the only opportunity the Cougars had to lead the game. A two yard Richy Nanez touchdown in the second quarter was the last Canby was able to change their side of the scoreboard.
West Salem quarterback Brett Smith (left) is stopped by Jesuit's Keanon Lowe (right) after rushing 11 yards for a first down early in the third quarter.
Keanon Lowe of Jesuit attempts to dodge a tackle by West Salem's Mike Faber as he rushes for a five yard gain late in the fourth quarter.
Jesuit's Keanon Lowe gains 11 yards off a screen pass to move the ball down to the West Salem 34 yard line. The Crusaders scored the opening touchdown on the following play off a 34 yard run by Jordan Talley.
Jesuit's Jordan Talley breaks through the West Salem line to rush for a 34 yard touchdown with 8:52 left in the first quarter giving the Crusaders the early 7-0 lead.
Jordan Talley of Jesuit finds an opening during a second quarter series to pick up eight of his 125 yards rushing on the night.
West Salem quarterback Brett Smith breaks free from Jesuit's Nick Rhodes to rush 11 yards for a first down during a third quarter series.
Keanon Lowe of Jesuit (right) rushes 11 yards for a first down during a third quarter scoring drive before being brought down by West Salem's Mike Faber (left).
Curtis White of Sheldon gets a block from teammate Cody Skinner against Canby's Cody Hoffman as he extends a screen pass for a 19 yard gain down to the Canby 24 yard line to set up a touchdown two plays later to give the Irish a 14-7 lead with 1:14 left in the first quarter.
Ryan Wall of Canby takes to the air to tackle West Salem's John Campbell after a 20 yard pass completion early in the third quarter.
Cameron Abeene of Sheldon gains 12 yards off a pass completion during a third quarter series until being brought down by Canby's Marco Zamora (behind).
Sheldon quarterback Jordan Johnson breaks tackles to gain eight yards and earn a first down the hard way during an Irish third quarter scoring drive.
Cameron Abeene of Sheldon rushes for 20 yards early in the fourth quarter.
Sheldon offensive linemen Derek Nielson (left) and Jason Geiger (right) open a hole for Cameron Abeene as he receives the hand-off from quarterback Jordan Johnson on an eight yard gain for a first down early in the fourth quarter.
Defensive Stand Sends St. Paul to Championship Game
It's a common claim in sports...defense wins games! When St. Paul battled a talented team from Mohawk (located in northeastern Oregon) in the OSAA 1A Football Championship semi-final game at Liberty High School in Hillsboro, the honor to compete for the State Championship went to St. Paul as a defensive stand successfully thwarted a two point conversion attempt by Mohawk late in the fourth quarter, giving the Buckaroos a 32-30 victory. The two teams literally traded touchdowns throughout the game as St. Paul struck first in the opening quarter on a 46 yard pass reception by Ryan Pierson with 1:43 left on the clock. Mohawk wasted no time evening up the score when Matt York tapped a 55 yard drive in less than a minute to equalize at 8-8 as each team were successful with the two-point conversions. As time ran out in the first quarter Pierson scored his second of three touchdowns on the day with a 64 yard run.
In the second quarter, on cue, Mohawk tied the score again when Matt York closed out a 75 yard drive in 4 plays with a 6 yard touchdown. With that, St. Paul returned the favor to close out the first half with a 24-16 lead as Pierson scored his third TD with a 38 yard run with 6:10 remaining in the second quarter. Dillon Tuyls scored the only touchdown in the third quarter to once again level the game at 24-24 with a 9 yard run, plus a conversion by Matt York. St. Paul went into the lead for the last time at 11:10 in the fourth quarter when quarterback Daley Smith ran for a three yard touchdown and completed a pass to David Furguson for the conversion making the score 32-24.
To finish out the trading of touchdowns, Mohawk marched 72 yards in 13 plays to score on a Cord Wilkins two yard run to set up a chance to tie the game with the two-point conversion. Mohawk quarterback Cord Wilkins rolled right and sent a high pass to Anthony Wallace in the corner of the end-zone, but St. Paul's Ryan Pierson's coverage was just enough to disrupt the play and preventing the catch to tie the game. The Buckaroos were able to hold off one last Mohawk drive in the final minute as their defense played a major role in their 32-30 win to go on for the OSAA 1A Football Championship game the following week at Hillsboro Stadium.
Dillon Tuyls (left) of Mohawk squeezes out a five yard gain for a first down early in the first quarter before being caught by St. Paul's Josh Turner (right).
Quarterback Cord Wilkins of Mohawk works his way around the outside on a keeper in the first quarter. Cord completed 6 of 13 passes for 168 yards and rushed for 78 yards.
Ryan Pierson of St. Paul celebrates after scoring the second of his three touchdowns of the game. Pierson rushed for 196 yards and hauled in two receptions for another 52 yards.
Ryan Pierson of St. Paul (right) throws a move on Mohawk's Anthony Wallace as he attempts to avoid the tackle during a second quarter possession.
Ryan Pierson of St. Paul looks for the down markers to check his progress as Mohawk's Anthony Wallace ends up on top of him in reverse position after making the stop.
Ryan Pierson of St. Paul leaves all players in the dust as he breaks away for a 38 yard touchdown with 6:10 left in the second quarter.
Matt York of Mohawk (right) eyes St. Paul's TJ Weisz as he attempts to get around the outside after a screen pass reception late in the second quarter.
St. Paul quarterback Daley Smith dives through the Mohawk line for a first down on a third-and-one play in the third quarter.
A helmet discarded during St. Paul's celebration after defeating Mohawk 32-30 lay in the middle of the field while the players exchange handshakes after the OSAA 1A Football Championship semi-final game.
St. Paul Bucks Perrydale at the Rodeo Grounds
I am not the biggest football fan. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy football...I'm just not fanatical about it. However, I love Oregon 1A high school football. Eight man football! It's a wide open game played in the purest element of high school sports. I try to get out to St. Paul, Oregon at least once a year to shoot the St. Paul Buckaroos on their home field...the St. Paul Rodeo Arena.
I have blogged previously about St. Paul football and their very unique home field...a 10,000 seat stadium that host the world famous St. Paul Rodeo on the Fourth of July, but is converted to a football field courtesy of the local Willamette Valley Grass Seed Growers who donate seed and labor to plant a grass football field in the arena in time for football each Fall. Understand...there are only 85 students in the high school at St. Paul and 354 folks in the entire town. Here's a link to one of my previous blog stories about St. Paul Football.
The Buckaroos hosted the Perrydale Pirates on October 16th to determine which of the two teams was to going to take sole possession of first place in the Casco League standings as both teams entered the contest with a 6-0 record. St. Paul got out to a two touchdown lead heading into half-time and was able to hold off the Pirates as they battled back into the game in the second half. The No. 2 ranked Buckaroos kept a lead over the No. 3 ranked Pirates throughout the final two quarters to claim a 34-24 homecoming victory.
The St. Paul Buckaroos gather in the cottage adjacent to the rodeo arena for their pre-game talk as they prepare to take on league rival Perrydale Pirates.
The St. Paul Buckaroos host the Perrydale Pirates at the St. Paul Rodeo Grounds. The 10,000 seat arena provides one of the most unique settings for high school football in the nation as the local grass sead growers donate grass seed and labor to install a football field in the arena following the St. Paul Rodeo in July in time for Fall football.
Ryan Pierson of St. Paul runs for an eight yard gain during the opening drive against Perrydale. Pierson rushed for over 300 yards and scored four touchdowns during the Buckaroos’ 34-24 home victory.
Pierson of St. Paul flies for a few extra yards after being up-ended on a first quarter run.
Blake Barnes of Perrydale earns four yards the hard way as he is hit hard by St. Paul’s Ryan Pierson as he leaps high to pull down a pass reception.
David Ferguson of St. Paul questions a penalty call with the referee after the Buckaroos scored the two point conversion with 1:20 left in the second quarter for a 14-0 lead. The flag was ultimately withdrawn the the conversion was good.
TJ Weisz of St. Paul pulls in a pass reception for a 20 yard first down with 4:00 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Being all smiles after they celebrate their 34-24 victory over Perrydale, Matt Brown (Left) and David Ferguson of St. Paul shout out to fellow students as the bus leaves the St. Paul Rodeo Arena to head back to the high school.
The LO/Lakeridge Civil War on New Turf
When Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego, Oregon was built in 1971 a football stadium was not included in the construction plans. One reason for this was the school's very close proximity to an established neighborhood who was not thrilled at the idea of screaming crowds, bands playing, PA announcers and traffic on Friday nights. For 37 years the Pacers played their "home" games on the field of cross-town rival Lake Oswego High School. Even though the LO High School stadium was call District Stadium in an attempt to provide some degree of neutrality to the venue, being located on the LOHS campus, it was definitely not "home" to the Pacers.
Everything has changed this year. After long negotiations with the city and the local neighborhood association, Lakeridge was allowed to start holding a limited number of home games on their campus last year. The stadium seating is very limited so last year's Civil War was played at District Stadium in order to give some time to understand the logistics of holding the big Lake Oswego derby at Lakeridge. On October 2nd, the day had finally come for Lakeridge to host the big Civil War game. Portable bleachers were brought in to accommodate the visiting LOHS fans, because there is not a visitors' section - due to an agreement with the neighborhood association - at the Pacers' field. The chilly Fall air in the stadium was filled with the scent of hamburgers grilling on a large open BBQ at one corner of the field, the stands were at near capacity, the Lakeridge band played with spirit and enthusiasm, the cheer teams rallied their fans on both sides of the field and LO and Lakeridge spirit was evident throughout the stadium. This was a special event...for both schools.
As for the game, LO dominated from their opening series and rolled to a comfortable 42-10 victory. Despite the lopsided loss to their bitterest of rivals, Lakeridge fans were far from disappointed on the night. It was tough to loose the Civil War at home...but that was the most important aspect of the night. They were "at home."
The Lakeridge Pacers take the field prior to the start of the first LO/Lakeridge Civil War to be held on the Lakeridge field.
Will Storey of Lake Oswego dives into the endzone to score the Lakers’ first touchdown on their opening drive with 11:15 left to play in the first quarter.
Will Storey (10) of Lake Oswego gives a stiff-arm to the facemask of Lakeridge’s Ryan Bliss (56) as he runs the sideline to score the Lakers’ second touchdown on a twenty yard run with 3:15 to go in the first quarter.
Chase Wippert (3) of Lakeridge attempts to elude the tackle of Lake Oswego’s Danny Oyama during a kickoff return ing the second quarter.
Lakeridge seniors Amador Marcano (left) and Cody Palmer (right) show their spirit as they brave the chilly Fall evening air wearing only Lakeridge Columbia blue body paint to cover their upper body.
Myke Tavarres (44) of Lakeridge rushes around the right end as he looks to avoid the defense of Lake Oswego’s Tyson Coleman (6) as he rushes for short yardage during the second quarter.
Whit Bissett (25) of Lake Oswego flies over the blocking of teammate Andre Lee (68) to score a one yard touchdown with 1:47 left in the third quarter to put the Lakers up 41-3.
Photos shot as part of an assignment for the Lake Oswego Review. Click here to view the game coverage on their web site.
A Most Improbable Win
With 50 seconds left in the game, fourth down and four on the 14 yard line, the Hillsboro Spartans lined up for a potential game tying fieldgoal as they trailed the West Albany Bulldogs by three with the score 20-17. The ball is snapped, Ty Starkman's kick is blocked by West Albany's Jacob White and the Bulldog players head to the sidelines to rejoice with coaches and teammates, as victory is assured due to Starkman's block. But not so fast. As jubilation unfolds on the West Albany sidelines, Hillsboro's Zack Hickman picked up the football left laying in the middle of the field and handed it Kyle McLennan who turn and sprinted into the right corner of the endzone. The West Albany players were too quick to celebrate as they did not realize the ball laying in the middle of the field was still live. Hickman and McLennan seam to be the only two people in the packed stadium to realize the Bulldog players' error. Touchdown Hillsboro...game over...right? Not quite so fast.
In the midst of the chaos and McLennan's run into the endzone, a lone whistle sounded that no one paid any attention to...until after the Spartans were now celebrating in the endzone believing they had remarkably got the jump on the Bulldogs and now lead 23-20 with just over 40 seconds to play. That whistle turned out to be inadvertently blown by an official who was as unaware as the Bulldogs that the play had yet to be over. The officiating crew discussed the situation and due to the whistle accidentally being blown, they ordered the down to be replayed. McLennan's touchdown run was nullified, but the Spartan's still had another chance to tie the game once again as they lined up for another fieldgoal attempt. Once again, White beat the Hillsboro line for a diving block of Starkman's second attempt. This time the blocked ball bobbled out-of-bounds allowing the West Albany players to celebrate once again...and the celebration is for real as their three point lead holds for the 20-17 victory.
As the West Albany players begin to celebrate their potential win after blocking Hillsboro's final seconds fieldgoal attempt (photo right), Zack Hickman of Hillsboro hands the live ball to teammate Kyle McLennan who runs the ball into the endzone only to have his run nullified by an inadvertent whistle by the officiating crew (photo left).
Tyler Davis (24) and Anthony LaCoste (28) of West Albany team up to put the stop to Colt Lyerla's run as the Spartan's make their way to the 24 yard line during their final drive of the fourth quarter.
Colt Lyerla of Hillsboro finds a hole in the line for a five yard gain during the Spartans final drive of the fourth quarter.
Colt Lyerla of Hillsboro slips past the tackle attempt of West Albany's Tyler Headrick as he rushes for a six yard gain early in the fourth quarter.
Anthony LaCoste of West Albany puts a move on Hillsboro's Ryan Strong as he breaks free for a 27 yard gain late in the third quarter.
Anthony LaCoste of West Albany flies by the Hillsboro defensive line on his way to a 22 yard gain in the first quarter for first and goal-to-go at the Hillsboro seven yard line.
“F” is for Fall…Friday…and Football
It's official...Fall is here, and that means high school football on Friday nights. To get back into the swing of shooting football I ventured out to Sunset High School who were hosting the Lakeridge Pacers from Lake Oswego. Sunset's season opening effort fell short as the Pacers jumped out to lead first on a Chase Wippert two yard touchdown with just barely a minute played in the game. Sunset evened the score on a 76 yard run by Reggie Coulter. After Sunset added a fieldgoal for a brief 10-7 lead, the Pacers scored twice to up the score to 21-10. Sunset had hope as Ty Harper hauled in a 71 yard touchdown pass reception to close within five points at 21-16. A final minute drive by the Apollos stalled with a failed fourth down run to end up a yard short, giving the Pacers possession of the ball for to run out the final two minutes.
Lakeridge quarterback Ben Swinford rushes for five yard to gain a first down before being stopped by Sunset's Sam Novak (45) late in the third quarter.
Ty Harper (12) of Sunset goes full stretch in attempt to pull in a deep pass during the second quarter.
Alan Bell, one of three quarterbacks taking the snaps for Sunset during the game, throws down field for Matt Fey during the second quarter.
Ty Harper (12) of Sunset runs for a twelve yard first down late in the first quarter before being brought down by Lakeridge's James Adler (6).
Lakeridge quarterback Ben Swinford (9) cuts towards an opening in the line, but his run is held for a short gain as Sunset's Michael Metter (75) steps in for the tackle.