Football finale

Myrtle Point outlasts Knappa in classic game

Friday’s opening round of the 2A playoffs between Knappa and Myrtle Point was the kind of game that couldn’t be described unless it was watched live.

After an instant classic between the two teams to open the season, both coaches expected the rematch to be something similar. With the Loggers seeded seventh and Myrtle Point 10th, this was as close to a “pick ’em” game as you could get. Friday night was a battle of defensive wills that somehow topped the first matchup. The double-overtime instant classic led Knappa head coach Chris Jackson to say it was one of the best games he’s ever been a part of.

Unfortunately for the Knappa Loggers, the football gods evened the score. Since the Loggers won in walk off fashion, it only made sense they would lose by a walk off.

What got us to that walk-off Myrtle Point touchdown is a long story that can best be summed up as both defenses leaving everything on the table.

Friday night opened up like every other playoff game with fans of both teams either climbing into the bleachers or watching the game from the Logger track.

The Bobcats’ defense gave up 33 points to Knappa in their first meeting and were determined to be better this time. A forced fumble on the Loggers second offensive possession showed the Bobcats were ready to play. The Bobcats had the ball inside Knappa’s 10-yard line and looked poised to score an early touchdown, but the Loggers’ defense said not so fast. A terrific goal line stand by the Knappa defense would tell a story of how the night would go.

The Loggers’ defense was put in short fields most of the night and continued to stop Myrtle Point. On the other end, the Bobcats smothered the Loggers offense and at halftime the score was 6-0 Myrtle Point.

Fans in the stands thought that maybe the scoring would pick up, but no, the defenses continued to carry the night. The Loggers’ defense shut out Myrtle Point in the second half and the Loggers’ offense finally found what they were looking for.

Deep inside their own territory, quarterback Oliver Stevens found wide receiver Kade Kinder open down the right side and hit him with a perfect pass for an explosive gain. The very next play Stevens ran around the left side and into the end zone to tie things up at 6. The Loggers were blocked from the extra point by a bad snap.

Though the Loggers found a couple of explosive plays, the defenses were still following the script. Both teams would have an opportunity to win the game in regulation. After yet another fourth down stop, the Loggers ran a nifty trick play that looked like it would put them on the doorstep of field goal range, but a penalty called the play back. Knappa punted to Myrtle Point with overtime seemingly on the horizon. Despite Myrtle Point being pinned deep and having less than a minute on the clock, they put together a miraculous drive that saw their Hail Mary pass caught one yard short of the end zone.

Tied at 6, the game went into overtime. By this point, much of the Logger faithful had migrated down to the west end zone where the action would be. The Loggers’ defense made an initial stop to give their offense a chance for a walk off, but Myrtle Point’s defense continued to play out of their minds. They stopped Knappa on back-to-back possessions and then junior running back Cash Miller broke through the hole for a game ending 25-yard touchdown leaving the Loggers disappointed as their season ended where it began a couple months prior.

“It’s unfortunate to always end up on the losing end of a game like that, but we really couldn’t be more proud of how the kids played, couldn’t have asked for anything else from them,” Jackson said. “They came out, gave it everything they had, held a very explosive offense to 6 points in regular time and gave up that touchdown in the end which is unfortunate.

“The defense played incredibly the entire game, had a short field, made a lot of big stops, got some takeaways, but couldn’t quite hold on for the last few seconds.”

Coach Jackson and his staff met with the boys after the game and thanked every single one of them for the contributions they made this season. Even those who didn’t play much were acknowledged. Jackson also credited his defensive coaches in the postgame for making incredible adjustments. He didn’t see the game as being this low scoring, he said, adding that it’s a testament to both his and Myrtle Point’s defense staff.

As always, the end of the season meant seniors would be walking off the field for the last time. Jackson had nothing but praise for his talented senior class.

“We thank each and every member of the community for coming out and watching us, just wishing we could have come out on top,”Jackson said. “The program will forever be indebted to what these seniors gave it. They’re an incredible group to coach, to be with, to lead … it’s going to be hard not to have them on the field but they’ve set a great foundation for the kids coming up.”

Seaside falls to Henley

A Friday victory was not to be for the Seaside Seagulls as they fell to Henley 49-13 in a rematch of last year’s round of 16 games.

The Seagulls end their season with a 4-6 record, but will see most of their offense and defense return next year. Though the record wasn’t what Seaside usually expects, they had a lot of turnover this past summer and played one of the hardest schedules in 4A.

With quarterback Brayden Cooley and his core of skill players back next season, expect the Seagulls to continue making strides towards Cowapa League contention once more.

Warrenton falls to Vale

The long trip to Vale was not fruitful for Warrenton as they fell to six-seeded Vale 56-7.

For a team that came into the season in rebuilding mode, making the postseason and finishing with a winning record has to be seen as a success. Travis Freeman will end his first season as Warrenton coach with a 5-4 record and his staff now knows which players the team has in the pipeline to continue making strides next season.