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Sutherlin tailback Austin Elliott (32) is stopped by the Ontario defense as he runs the ball during the second quarter of Saturday’s Class 4A quarterfinal playoff game Saturday at Sutherlin. The Bulldogs lost, 55-7.
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ENLARGE
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Ontario running back Loren Stewart is tackled by Sutherlin's Jake Gilman in the first half of Saturday's 4A quarterfinal game in Sutherlin. Stewart finished with a game-high 188 yards rushing in Ontario's 55-7 victory.
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ENLARGE
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Caleb Trowbridge breaks away to score Sutherlin’s only touchdown on a 91-yard kickoff return in the second quarter Saturday in Sutherlin. The Bulldogs lost to Ontario, 55-7, in the 4A state quarterfinals on Saturday.
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SUTHERLIN — A dream postseason run for the Sutherlin High football team turned into a nightmare for the Bulldogs, thanks to the Ontario Tigers on Saturday afternoon.
No. 2-ranked Ontario controlled Sutherlin’s ball-control offense, then took control of the game in the second half largely in part to a big game from senior tailback Loren Stewart. The result was a 55-7 Class 4A state quarterfinal victory for the unbeaten Tigers that brought the Bulldogs’ stellar playoff drive to a screeching halt.
“We knew coming into the game that they’re a very strong football team,” Sutherlin coach Josh Gary said. “I expected to move the ball a little bit, and I’m a little disappointed in our offensive production.
“They totally outplayed us,” the coach continued. “They stopped the run, and that was trouble for us.”
The victory for the Tigers (12-0), the Greater Oregon League champions, moved them into the state semifinals against top-ranked Sisters (12-0), a 50-46 winner over North Bend on Friday. The loss for the Bulldogs, the No. 3 seed from the Far West League, ended their season at 6-7.
The Tigers won in front of an overflow crowd at the Sutherlin High football field, and many of the fans in attendance stayed throughout the game. When the final seconds ticked off the clock, the crowd rose to give the Bulldogs a standing ovation for the playoff run they made following their 1-4 start to the regular season.
“That felt good,” Sutherlin senior quarterback Caleb Trowbridge said. “I was really glad they did that because we had a great season. We made history. We just got beat by a better team.”
Ontario limited Sutherlin to 54 rushing yards on 36 carries, six total first downs and 120 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, the Tigers amassed 387 yards of offense and got 188 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries from Stewart.
No. 2-ranked Ontario controlled Sutherlin’s ball-control offense, then took control of the game in the second half largely in part to a big game from senior tailback Loren Stewart. The result was a 55-7 Class 4A state quarterfinal victory for the unbeaten Tigers that brought the Bulldogs’ stellar playoff drive to a screeching halt.
“We knew coming into the game that they’re a very strong football team,” Sutherlin coach Josh Gary said. “I expected to move the ball a little bit, and I’m a little disappointed in our offensive production.
“They totally outplayed us,” the coach continued. “They stopped the run, and that was trouble for us.”
The victory for the Tigers (12-0), the Greater Oregon League champions, moved them into the state semifinals against top-ranked Sisters (12-0), a 50-46 winner over North Bend on Friday. The loss for the Bulldogs, the No. 3 seed from the Far West League, ended their season at 6-7.
The Tigers won in front of an overflow crowd at the Sutherlin High football field, and many of the fans in attendance stayed throughout the game. When the final seconds ticked off the clock, the crowd rose to give the Bulldogs a standing ovation for the playoff run they made following their 1-4 start to the regular season.
“That felt good,” Sutherlin senior quarterback Caleb Trowbridge said. “I was really glad they did that because we had a great season. We made history. We just got beat by a better team.”
Ontario limited Sutherlin to 54 rushing yards on 36 carries, six total first downs and 120 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, the Tigers amassed 387 yards of offense and got 188 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries from Stewart.
“We expected a lot more from them,” Stewart said. “But for what they did give us, they gave us a pretty good fight and didn’t give up.”
Sutherlin limited Ontario’s big-play abilities, as only two of the Tigers’ 55 offensive plays went for more than 20 yards. But seven of Ontario’s eight scoring drives started from inside Sutherlin territory, and the Tigers’ only other scoring drive started in the first half from their own 49-yard line.
“They had great field position every time,” Gary said. “Our lack of doing anything on offense really hurt our defense.”
For a half, however, it was still anybody’s ballgame.
Ontario won the coin toss and elected to receive, but Sutherlin recovered its own onside kick to start on Ontario’s 44. The Bulldogs, however, turned the ball over on downs on their opening possession.
Ontario did the same on their opening drive, but forced a Sutherlin punt on defense. The Tigers then put together a 51-yard scoring drive, capped by a 1-yard run from Jake Turner for a 7-0 Ontario lead after Jacob Haueter’s point-after kick.
The Tigers went up 13-0 on Stewart’s 4-yard run with 9:07 left in the second quarter after the extra-point kick failed, but the Bulldogs pulled within a score on the ensuing kickoff thanks to a 91-yard TD return from Trowbridge. A personal foul moved the point-after attempt back 15 yards, and Tim Cote’s 35-yard extra-point kick went through the uprights with 8:56 on the clock.
A pooch kickoff from Sutherlin was fair caught by Ontario’s Nick David, and a collision afterward drew a 15-yard penalty on the Bulldogs that started the Tigers’ drive on the Sutherlin 44. Stewart later scored from 9-yards out to pad Ontario’s lead, but the Bulldogs threatened afterward.
Sutherlin drove the ball into scoring range and had a second-and-goal at the Ontario 6 with less than a minute before halftime after Stephen Rockwell’s 4-yard run. But Ontario’s defense stepped up, tackling Sutherlin ballcarriers behind the line of scrimmage on the next three plays to end the threat.
Sutherlin limited Ontario’s big-play abilities, as only two of the Tigers’ 55 offensive plays went for more than 20 yards. But seven of Ontario’s eight scoring drives started from inside Sutherlin territory, and the Tigers’ only other scoring drive started in the first half from their own 49-yard line.
“They had great field position every time,” Gary said. “Our lack of doing anything on offense really hurt our defense.”
For a half, however, it was still anybody’s ballgame.
Ontario won the coin toss and elected to receive, but Sutherlin recovered its own onside kick to start on Ontario’s 44. The Bulldogs, however, turned the ball over on downs on their opening possession.
Ontario did the same on their opening drive, but forced a Sutherlin punt on defense. The Tigers then put together a 51-yard scoring drive, capped by a 1-yard run from Jake Turner for a 7-0 Ontario lead after Jacob Haueter’s point-after kick.
The Tigers went up 13-0 on Stewart’s 4-yard run with 9:07 left in the second quarter after the extra-point kick failed, but the Bulldogs pulled within a score on the ensuing kickoff thanks to a 91-yard TD return from Trowbridge. A personal foul moved the point-after attempt back 15 yards, and Tim Cote’s 35-yard extra-point kick went through the uprights with 8:56 on the clock.
A pooch kickoff from Sutherlin was fair caught by Ontario’s Nick David, and a collision afterward drew a 15-yard penalty on the Bulldogs that started the Tigers’ drive on the Sutherlin 44. Stewart later scored from 9-yards out to pad Ontario’s lead, but the Bulldogs threatened afterward.
Sutherlin drove the ball into scoring range and had a second-and-goal at the Ontario 6 with less than a minute before halftime after Stephen Rockwell’s 4-yard run. But Ontario’s defense stepped up, tackling Sutherlin ballcarriers behind the line of scrimmage on the next three plays to end the threat.
“I think the things they did just opened up our eyes and made us say, ‘We need to start playing harder,” said Ontario quarterback and cornerback Bryson Sap, who finished 3-for-5 passing for 42 yards and had an interception on defense. “We responded really well.”
Sutherlin punted on its opening possession of the second half, and Sap scored for Ontario from 1-yard out with 7:57 left in the third quarter. Trowbridge was intercepted by Josh Mejia on the Bulldogs’ next possession, Stewart galloped into the end zone from 12 yards away four plays later and Sap added a conversion run for a 33-7 Ontario lead with 3:05 left in the third.
And the Tigers kept scoring even with their second stringers in, as backup QB Tad Anzaldua hit Robert Keyes for a 45-yard touchdown pass that capped the scoring with 4:51 left to play.
“They’re good, they’re fast and they hit hard,” Trowbridge said. “I think they’re going to do very well next week.”
Even reaching the playoffs seemed like a long shot after Sutherlin’s horrid start, but the Bulldogs rebounded and was the only Far West League team remaining in the playoffs after North Bend and Siuslaw suffered playoff setbacks Friday night.
That said, Sutherlin’s final overall record is a little deceiving.
“Isn’t that funny?” Trowbridge said, smiling. “We all talked about it, and we decided that we had to make the state championship game just so we could have a winning record. Even if we would have lost that game, we’d still be 8-7.
“Yeah we have a losing record,” the senior continued. “But we can still consider this a successful season. Definitely.”
Ontario 7 13 15 20 — 55
Sutherlin 0 7 0 0 — 7
1st: O — Turner 1 run (Haueter kick), 1:18. 2nd: O — Stewart 4 run (kick failed), 9:07; S — Trowbridge 91 kickoff return (Cote kick), 8:56; O — Stewart 9 run (Haueter kick), 6:19. 3rd: O — Sap 1 run (Haueter kick), 7:57; O — Stewart 12 run (Sap run), 3:05. 4th: O — Stewart 3 run (Haueter kick), 11:42; O — Lopez 7 run (Haueter kick), 9:54; O — Keyes 45 pass from Anzaldua (kick failed), 4:51.
Ont. Suth.
First Downs 14 6
Total Net Yards 387 120
Rushes-Yards 48-290 36-54
Passing Yards 97 66
Comp-Att-Int 4-7-0 4-10-2
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 4-1
Punts-Avg. 0-0 4-25
Penalties-Yards 8-55 8-70
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Ontario, Stewart 26-188; Turner 4-24, Sap 5-20; Lopez 4-20; Mejia 2-10; Anthony 1-10; Mauney 1-7; Keyes 1-4; Uyeki 2-7; Rodriguez 1-2; Lang 1-(minus-2). Sutherlin, Trowbridge 15-26; Rockwell 6-22; Elliott 8-9; Andry 1-7; Gilman 3-6; Henry 1-1; Team 1-(minus-10).
PASSING — Ontario, Sap 3-5-42-0; Anzaldua 1-2-45-0. Sutherlin, Trowbridge 3-8-48-1; Kats 1-2-18-1.
RECEIVING — Ontario, Keyes 1-45; Stewart 1-19; Laubacher 1-13; Allen 1-10. Sutherlin, Oliver 1-15; Cowan 1-19; Trowbridge 1-18; Larman 1-14; Henry 1-0.
• You can reach sports reporter Jon Mitchell by e-mail at jmitchell@newsreview.info, or by phone at 957-4219.
Sutherlin punted on its opening possession of the second half, and Sap scored for Ontario from 1-yard out with 7:57 left in the third quarter. Trowbridge was intercepted by Josh Mejia on the Bulldogs’ next possession, Stewart galloped into the end zone from 12 yards away four plays later and Sap added a conversion run for a 33-7 Ontario lead with 3:05 left in the third.
And the Tigers kept scoring even with their second stringers in, as backup QB Tad Anzaldua hit Robert Keyes for a 45-yard touchdown pass that capped the scoring with 4:51 left to play.
“They’re good, they’re fast and they hit hard,” Trowbridge said. “I think they’re going to do very well next week.”
Even reaching the playoffs seemed like a long shot after Sutherlin’s horrid start, but the Bulldogs rebounded and was the only Far West League team remaining in the playoffs after North Bend and Siuslaw suffered playoff setbacks Friday night.
That said, Sutherlin’s final overall record is a little deceiving.
“Isn’t that funny?” Trowbridge said, smiling. “We all talked about it, and we decided that we had to make the state championship game just so we could have a winning record. Even if we would have lost that game, we’d still be 8-7.
“Yeah we have a losing record,” the senior continued. “But we can still consider this a successful season. Definitely.”
Ontario 7 13 15 20 — 55
Sutherlin 0 7 0 0 — 7
1st: O — Turner 1 run (Haueter kick), 1:18. 2nd: O — Stewart 4 run (kick failed), 9:07; S — Trowbridge 91 kickoff return (Cote kick), 8:56; O — Stewart 9 run (Haueter kick), 6:19. 3rd: O — Sap 1 run (Haueter kick), 7:57; O — Stewart 12 run (Sap run), 3:05. 4th: O — Stewart 3 run (Haueter kick), 11:42; O — Lopez 7 run (Haueter kick), 9:54; O — Keyes 45 pass from Anzaldua (kick failed), 4:51.
Ont. Suth.
First Downs 14 6
Total Net Yards 387 120
Rushes-Yards 48-290 36-54
Passing Yards 97 66
Comp-Att-Int 4-7-0 4-10-2
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 4-1
Punts-Avg. 0-0 4-25
Penalties-Yards 8-55 8-70
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Ontario, Stewart 26-188; Turner 4-24, Sap 5-20; Lopez 4-20; Mejia 2-10; Anthony 1-10; Mauney 1-7; Keyes 1-4; Uyeki 2-7; Rodriguez 1-2; Lang 1-(minus-2). Sutherlin, Trowbridge 15-26; Rockwell 6-22; Elliott 8-9; Andry 1-7; Gilman 3-6; Henry 1-1; Team 1-(minus-10).
PASSING — Ontario, Sap 3-5-42-0; Anzaldua 1-2-45-0. Sutherlin, Trowbridge 3-8-48-1; Kats 1-2-18-1.
RECEIVING — Ontario, Keyes 1-45; Stewart 1-19; Laubacher 1-13; Allen 1-10. Sutherlin, Oliver 1-15; Cowan 1-19; Trowbridge 1-18; Larman 1-14; Henry 1-0.
• You can reach sports reporter Jon Mitchell by e-mail at jmitchell@newsreview.info, or by phone at 957-4219.
