Stayton 55, Cottage Grove 17
■ What2Know: Cottage Grove fell to 0-7 on Friday at home in the team’s Hall of Fame game. While Cottage Grove’s defense continues to struggle, the offense was clicking in the first half thanks to sophomore Nathin Lemon taking over the starting quarterback position. The Lions started the game inspired, and despite giving up an early touchdown, Cottage Grove answered. Lemon connected with senior WR Karson Willmarth on a TD pass to tie the score at 7, and the Lions immediately recovered an onside kick to regain possession. Two plays later, however, an errant snap was recovered by Stayton’s Chance Ellingsworth, who scooped the ball up and returned it 70-yards for the score. The Lions answered the call again after a long pass from Lemon to Ethan Petersen, and scored a field goal to stay in it, down 14-10. Stayton started to pull away after scoring two straight touchdowns, but Lemon threw another touchdown to lead the Lions into half only down 28-17 to the 15th-ranked Eagles. The second half proved all Stayton, however, as 20 third-quarter points put the game away for good. Despite the loss, Cottage Grove looks like a different team than the beginning of the season.
Sisters 31, Pleasant Hill 7
■ What2Know: Pleasant Hill’s losing streak moved to four games after its loss at Sisters in the Outlaws homecoming game. The Billies were competitive with the Outlaws in the first half, going into the locker room down 14-7 in a defensive struggle of a first 24 minutes. Sisters came out firing in the second half, however, and Pleasant Hill was unable to rein in the Outlaws. The Billies, with only two games remaining, find themselves on the outside looking of the postseason.
Creswell 39, Harrisburg 0
■ What2Know: After two straight tough losses, the Bulldogs got back to their winning ways last Friday in their homecoming game. Creswell led 13-0 in the first quarter thanks to a 41-yard TD run by Jack Nguyen and a 65-yard TD run by Connor Hanson. The Bulldogs then had TDs erased due to penalties in the first half, and were unable to score again despite dominating the game. The second half was a different story, as Creswell ran away from Harrisburg thanks to 20 third-quarter points. Nguyen and Hanson both scored again on the ground, Nguyen from 37-yards and Hanson from 7 yards. Maysen Scovil got in on the fun as well, scoring on a 24-yard run to put Creswell up 33-0 heading into the fourth. With a running clock, the final quarter went by in a blur, and the Bulldogs only scored once more on a 60-yard run by Nguyen. The win keeps Creswell’s postseason hopes alive.
■ Quotable: “It’s huge … We wanted to come back after (those losses) and find a way to get a win,” said Scott Worsham, Creswell head coach. “I felt like we probably should have been up 28-nothing at half, and it was good to see the guys come back out in the second half and get after it.”
■ Bulldogs’ top performers: Connor Hanson 9 rushes, 180 yards, 2 TD’s; Jack Nguyen 5 rushes, 152 yards, 3 TD’s, 5.5 tackles; Juan Beltran 5 tackes, 1 sack; Maysen Scovil 2 rushes, 26 yards, 1 TD, 5 tackles.
Thurston 1, South Eugene 0
■ What2Know: South Eugene was forced to forfeit last week’s game against Thurston. The Axes had a slew of injuries, and head coach Chad Kessler said the team was unable to field a varsity roster, giving the Colts the forfeit win and a bye week.
Springfield 42, Willamette 34
■ What2Know: Springfield won a Midwestern League shootout in Eugene against the Wolverines. The Millers had a balanced offensive attack that Willamette was unable to stop for much of the night. QB Caeleb Kasperek ended the night with 281 yards passing and 3 TDs, including an improbable play at the end of the first half where Kasperek stepped up in the pocket and threw it downfield, only to have the ball bounce off the tips of a Willamette defender’s fingers and into the waiting arms of WR Zack Sherman for the 45-yard score. Senior wideout Dwayne Fotta had 154 yards receiving and had the other touchdown catches for the Millers, including an 89-yard catch and run. On the ground, Springfield fed Connor Dye, who ended the game with 139 yards and two scores, averaging 8.2 yards per carry in the game. Springfield has won two in a row, and clinched its first winning season since 2015.
Millers’ top performers: Caeleb Kasperek 10-for-18, 281 yards, 3 TD’s, 1 INT; Connor Dye 17 rushes, 139 yards, 2 TD’s; Dwayne Fotta 3 catches, 154 yards, 2 TD’s; Zack Sherman 3 catches, 73 yards, 1 TD.
