PLEASANT HILL – Offensive players from La Pine’s football team took a beating as Pleasant Hill defensive linemen relentlessly extinguished their drives and forced turnovers Friday night in a 26-6 victory that was even more dominant than the score indicates.
Only two weeks ago – in their previous home game against the Cottage Grove Lions – the Billies’ defense had hiccups: The opponent’s players were running through tackles and the wide receivers seemed to run freely.
Better defensive play became a point of emphasis for coach Jeremiah Heacock.
“Since then, we’ve tried to be more physical in practice and hold ourselves accountable for missed tackles,” Heacock said. “We made that a point of emphasis all week and they responded pretty well. You can see that approval in the fields.”
Pleasant Hill’s victory marks the biggest winning margin against any opponent this season.
Their previous victory against Harrisburg was a much closer contest with a final score of 24-20.
In the first quarter, La Pine had an interception in the first two minutes. However, the Billies defense bit back by forcing a punt.
A surprise turn of events occurred when La Pine’s punt touched a Billies player in the red zone, giving the Hawks possession in the Billies’ red zone.
Pleasant Hill didn’t give up, and stopped the Hawks in their tracks at 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line.
“I think it’s a huge confidence boost for our guys,” Heacock said. “Plus, they can see the effect of all of our hard work.”
“It was good because when the offensive and defense play together it creates the best result and you get a good lead! This has been the first time all year of solid performances from both sides,” he said.
