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POLAMALU: Douglas High quarterback
SUTHERLIN — A handful of big plays can go a long way toward negating a game full of small productive ones.
The No. 3-ranked Douglas High football team overcame a yardage deficit Friday night to remain undefeated with a 21-13 win over Sutherlin.
The Bulldogs held the Trojans to their smallest offensive output of the season and held a whopping 12-3 first down advantage. But Douglas used a long pass, a fake punt and a long TD run to eke out the win and clinch the Far West League title.
“We didn't have a great game, but it wasn't through a lack of effort,” Douglas coach Joe Polamalu said. “The kids worked hard the whole game. When you do that, you put yourself in position to make big plays.”
It was a frustrating loss for Sutherlin, which would've given the Trojans (9-0, 4-0 FWL) their first loss.
“We ran the ball well, we were all over the field on defense,” Sutherlin coach Josh Gary said. “But Douglas plays great situational defense. They got us into situations that were close. Our offense is predicated on second-and-short, third-and-short situations and they took us out of that.”
The Trojans trailed 7-0 and had gained only 12 yards in the closing minutes of the first half. On second and 15 from his own 43, quarterback Paul Polamalu avoided being sacked twice and threw a prayer downfield to David Guthrie for a 51-yard gain.
“At that point, we were on our heels a bit and that got us back on track,” coach Polamalu said. “We were fortunate to make a scramble play.”
That set Douglas up on the 6, but it took four downs before Jered Stoffal punched it in from the one with 57 seconds before halftime. Ricky Cortes ran in the two-point conversion to give the Trojans alead they wouldn't relinquish.
Sutherlin held Stoffal, Douglas' leading rusher, to just 64 yards, but 42 of them came on a TD run on the first drive of the second half for a 15-7 lead.
“Defensively, we did what we had to do to win,” Gary said. “We held the No. 2 offense in the state to 21 points. That should have been enough.”
The Bulldogs showed the ability to march with their Wing-T offense. Sutherlin had an eight-play, 45-yard drive capped by Kyle Jaukkuri's 6-yard run to take a 7-0 early in the second quarter. Nick Bradley's 25-yard run after a 55-yard drive pulled the Bulldogs within 15-13 with 8:21 to play.
Bradley finished with 75 yards and Jaukkuri 62. They helped carry the rushing load after Brian Andry – who topped the 1,000-yard mark last week — left with a shin injury in the third quarter.
With their lead down to two and the momentum building on the home sideline, Douglas went only five yards in three plays and sent out the punting unit. But rather than kicking, Guthrie took the snap and ran 10 yards for a first down.
“When I went out there, I thought this could be a game-changer,” said Guthrie, who made the impromptu play change just before the snap. “I saw an opening and knew I could get the first down.”
After their drive was revived, the Trojans faced another third-and-5, and Polamalu was hit after a three-yard gain. But Sutherlin was flagged for leading with the helmet on the tackle, and when the coaches argued the contact was incidental, a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was added.
Sutherlin was penalized 10 times for 110 yards and Douglas nine times for 80 yards.
Sky Woods scored from 2 yards out with 4:08 to play to give the Trojans some breathing room. Douglas was penalized while kicking the point after and missed the re-try that would have made it a two-score lead.
The Bulldogs' drove from their own 15 to the 38 trying to tie the game, but were 0-for-4 passing and Stoffal intercepted Chris Mock with 55 seconds left to seal the game.
Douglas has clinched the league's No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the Class 4A state playoffs regardless of next week's rivalry game with South Umpqua. Sutherlin faces Siuslaw Friday in Florence and could clinch second in the FWL with a win, but with a loss, would fall into a jumble of 2-3 league teams fighting for third place.
“We'll head there treating it like a playoff game,” Gary said.
• You can reach sports reporter Rob McCallum by e-mail at rmccallum@nrtoday.com, or by phone at 957-4221.
Douglas 0 8 7 6 — 21
Sutherlin 0 7 0 6 — 13
2nd: S — Jaukkuri 6 run (Jaukkuri kick); D — Stoffal 1 run (Cortes run). 3rd: D — Stoffal 42 run (Guthrie kick). 4th: S — Bradley 25 run (run failed); D — Woods 2 run (kick failed).
Doug. Suth.
First Downs 3 12
Total Net Yards 156 191
Rushes-Yards 22-96 35-184
Passing Yards 60 7
Comp-Att-Int 5-13-0 1-10-1
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Punts-Avg. 4-33.0 2-27.5
Penalties-Yards 10-80 11-110
The No. 3-ranked Douglas High football team overcame a yardage deficit Friday night to remain undefeated with a 21-13 win over Sutherlin.
The Bulldogs held the Trojans to their smallest offensive output of the season and held a whopping 12-3 first down advantage. But Douglas used a long pass, a fake punt and a long TD run to eke out the win and clinch the Far West League title.
“We didn't have a great game, but it wasn't through a lack of effort,” Douglas coach Joe Polamalu said. “The kids worked hard the whole game. When you do that, you put yourself in position to make big plays.”
It was a frustrating loss for Sutherlin, which would've given the Trojans (9-0, 4-0 FWL) their first loss.
“We ran the ball well, we were all over the field on defense,” Sutherlin coach Josh Gary said. “But Douglas plays great situational defense. They got us into situations that were close. Our offense is predicated on second-and-short, third-and-short situations and they took us out of that.”
The Trojans trailed 7-0 and had gained only 12 yards in the closing minutes of the first half. On second and 15 from his own 43, quarterback Paul Polamalu avoided being sacked twice and threw a prayer downfield to David Guthrie for a 51-yard gain.
“At that point, we were on our heels a bit and that got us back on track,” coach Polamalu said. “We were fortunate to make a scramble play.”
That set Douglas up on the 6, but it took four downs before Jered Stoffal punched it in from the one with 57 seconds before halftime. Ricky Cortes ran in the two-point conversion to give the Trojans alead they wouldn't relinquish.
Sutherlin held Stoffal, Douglas' leading rusher, to just 64 yards, but 42 of them came on a TD run on the first drive of the second half for a 15-7 lead.
“Defensively, we did what we had to do to win,” Gary said. “We held the No. 2 offense in the state to 21 points. That should have been enough.”
The Bulldogs showed the ability to march with their Wing-T offense. Sutherlin had an eight-play, 45-yard drive capped by Kyle Jaukkuri's 6-yard run to take a 7-0 early in the second quarter. Nick Bradley's 25-yard run after a 55-yard drive pulled the Bulldogs within 15-13 with 8:21 to play.
Bradley finished with 75 yards and Jaukkuri 62. They helped carry the rushing load after Brian Andry – who topped the 1,000-yard mark last week — left with a shin injury in the third quarter.
With their lead down to two and the momentum building on the home sideline, Douglas went only five yards in three plays and sent out the punting unit. But rather than kicking, Guthrie took the snap and ran 10 yards for a first down.
“When I went out there, I thought this could be a game-changer,” said Guthrie, who made the impromptu play change just before the snap. “I saw an opening and knew I could get the first down.”
After their drive was revived, the Trojans faced another third-and-5, and Polamalu was hit after a three-yard gain. But Sutherlin was flagged for leading with the helmet on the tackle, and when the coaches argued the contact was incidental, a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was added.
Sutherlin was penalized 10 times for 110 yards and Douglas nine times for 80 yards.
Sky Woods scored from 2 yards out with 4:08 to play to give the Trojans some breathing room. Douglas was penalized while kicking the point after and missed the re-try that would have made it a two-score lead.
The Bulldogs' drove from their own 15 to the 38 trying to tie the game, but were 0-for-4 passing and Stoffal intercepted Chris Mock with 55 seconds left to seal the game.
Douglas has clinched the league's No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the Class 4A state playoffs regardless of next week's rivalry game with South Umpqua. Sutherlin faces Siuslaw Friday in Florence and could clinch second in the FWL with a win, but with a loss, would fall into a jumble of 2-3 league teams fighting for third place.
“We'll head there treating it like a playoff game,” Gary said.
• You can reach sports reporter Rob McCallum by e-mail at rmccallum@nrtoday.com, or by phone at 957-4221.
Douglas 0 8 7 6 — 21
Sutherlin 0 7 0 6 — 13
2nd: S — Jaukkuri 6 run (Jaukkuri kick); D — Stoffal 1 run (Cortes run). 3rd: D — Stoffal 42 run (Guthrie kick). 4th: S — Bradley 25 run (run failed); D — Woods 2 run (kick failed).
Doug. Suth.
First Downs 3 12
Total Net Yards 156 191
Rushes-Yards 22-96 35-184
Passing Yards 60 7
Comp-Att-Int 5-13-0 1-10-1
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Punts-Avg. 4-33.0 2-27.5
Penalties-Yards 10-80 11-110
