COTTAGE GROVE – The threat was real.
The undefeated Cottage Grove Lions, playing in Class 3A after moving from Class 4A, were riding high when Sisters came to town last Friday. However, they finished the first half of the game with only 8 points and trailed the Outlaws by 5 points.
Instead of panicking, coach Steven Turner and his team outscored Sisters 20-6 in the second half and won 28-19.
“Just keep working, keep pounding, stay together as a team,” said Turner about his halftime message. “That’s our deal. The second half is where we come after folks, and we just gotta keep the faith and keep pounding.”
Cottage Grove opened the first half at its own 30-yard line before marching to Sisters’ 15-yard line in 12 plays. Senior Gavin Grogan converted a fake punt on fourth down to extend the Lions’ drive. Ultimately, the drive ended when QB John Paulo Delima threw an interception in the back of the end zone.
Cottage Grove got the Outlaws to third-and-8 before Sisters connected on a 78-yard touchdown from Hunter Bronson to Hudson Beckwith to go up 7-0. The Lions responded with a three-and-out; the Outlaws then drove to Cottage Grove’s 4-yard line before the end of the first quarter. This break in the action was exactly what the Lions needed though, as on third-and-goal at the 2-yard line, linebacker Jake Thirkell tackled Sisters running back Ethan Eby for a 5-yard loss. The late-drive heroics weren’t finished there, as Sisters’ field goal attempt was blocked by linebacker Braydon Bauer.
The Lions struggled to convert their defensive efforts into offensive momentum, failing to get a first down on their next drive. This resulted in a punt, placing Sisters at their 13-yard line. Running back Kolbi Cotner’s 73-yard rush helped Sisters use only six plays for their second score, putting them ahead 13-0.
With 4:29 to go in the half, senior running back Clayton Dewitt and the Lions converted two fourth downs en route to their first-game score as time expired in the half. Dewitt rushed six times for 36 yards on the drive, including the 6-yard touchdown to cap off the period.
Cottage Grove began the second half, knowing it had work to do.
The Outlaws opened the third quarter by driving to the Cottage Grove 10-yard line, wher Lions defensive back Terran Stewart forced a fumble that was recovered by Bauer. The Lions rushed the ball 16 times in a row leading to its second score of the night – courtesy of Grogan. The Lions’ persistence in the run game left Sisters with only 1:26 left in the third, now down 15-13.
However, before they could even think about taking the lead back, Sisters turned over the ball again; it was recovered by Bauer and returned for 42 yards. This brought the Lions to Sisters’ 15-yard line, and it took them only two more plays for Stewart to power through for the 10-yard touchdown.
“When you beat a good team like this, you need big plays,” Turner said. “You need things that you don’t count on. Those were huge plays that we weren’t counting on, but that’s the difference … You never know when a big play will happen.”
Now up 21-13, Cottage Grove needed to seal the deal on defense. But a 32-yard completion put the Outlaws within striking distance, and Bronson connected with Beckwith again for a touchdown to potentially tie the game with a 2-point conversion. Cottage Grove’s defense stepped up again as the runner was stopped short.
With its only goal to maintain the lead, Cottage Grove returned to Dewitt. The Lions handed off the ball to Dewitt on 10 of their 14 plays of the drive, resulting in 6:05 being taken off the clock and Dewitt’s second score of the night.
“Banyan Beckes, Johnny Reilly, Zane White, Darby Ladd, Nick Wally and Trevor Cooper. When you mention Clayton you mention those names with him,” Turner said. “Clayton doesn’t do it all; those guys up front did a lot of that workload. Clayton is good, but he can’t run without all those guys blocking.”
When asked what the team needs to do to keep the momentum rolling, Turner bluntly said, “Practice hard, stay together, don’t worry …” And, with a chuckle, said “… don’t read the articles.”
The Lions travel to Harrisburg next Friday before their homecoming game against Madras at 7 p.m. the following week. Cottage Grove last went undefeated in 2018.
