COTTAGE GROVE – After a 2-1 start and their first 40+ point performance since 2023, it was obvious that first-year coach Kenny Koberstein of the Pleasant Hill football team had the Billies humming again.
But the official stamp of approval came Friday, when the Class 3A Billies muscled past the Class 4A Cottage Grove Lions for a gritty 20-18 victory at Don King Field.
The result confirmed that the Billies and their new coach are instilling a winning culture.
“When you play against a Steve Turner team, you know you’re in for a fight,” Koberstein said on Friday. “You know you’re in for a bit of a slobber knocker. And there hasn’t been a culture of winning here … so for them to kind of stick with us and trust us as coaches – they’re great kids.”
Pleasant Hill broke open the game in the first quarter with a safety and scored on the ensuing possession.The run-heavy Billies reached 1st-and-18 before Kai Davis ran in the first touchdown with a 16-yard carry. Davis struck again in the second quarter after taking a handoff from quarterback Steven Bounds, rushing for a 30-yard touchdown. The Billies led 14-0.
The Billies’ offense is made up of a senior-heavy squad that was firing on all cylinders Friday night. ADON ECCLES / THE CHRONICLE
The Lions, who had been a “second-half team” so far this season, bit back in the third quarter when Isiah Grogan recovered and returned a fumble 30 yards for a touchdown, bringing the score to 14-6.
The fourth quarter was a nail-biter as the Lions struck again with two rushing touchdowns by Declan Monahan, who finished with 16 carries for 88 yards. However, the Billies’ Jacob Neely scored a third touchdown for the Billies. Neely finished with 99 rushing yards for the game.
The Lions failed on their extra-point attempts, and the Billies held on for a 20-18 victory.
It wasn’t easy. The Billies’ offensive line slowed in the second half, particularly with pass protection and creating space up front. Cottage Grove’s size and defensive schemes were wearing down Pleasant Hill.
Koberstein said the Billies compensated by relying on creative trick plays, hard counts, and trusting his players to execute under pressure.
“They (the Lions) did a couple defensive things that we weren’t really expecting,” he said. “Obviously we kind of had to play forward there and kind of go into our bag of tricks in the second half a little bit … Jacob (Neely) was even joking in a sideline huddle at one point. He’s like, ‘What do you got? What do you got on the sheet coach?’ And I was like, ‘I’m looking man! It’s looking bare right now!’ So those things can be fun — fun for kids, fun for coaches, and they come in handy.”
Kenny Koberstein discussed the importance of a new culture; the Billies celebrate their win postgame. ADON ECCLES / THE CHRONICLE
Along with the strategic elements and the broader theme of culture-building that this victory represents for the Billies, Koberstein said it symbolizes the underdog mentality and chip-on-the-shoulder identity he is trying to build.
“They’re a 4A school,” Koberstein said. “Also, this is a program that’s won a state title and has been perennially very good. They see us as lesser. They went undefeated in 3A last year and won the league trophy. And if that’s something that we ever want to do, we have to hunt that down.”
Lions are rebuilding
The Lions are 0-3 with Class 3A teams this season as they head into the Special District 3 league in Class 4A this week.
Head coach Steve Turner attributes the recent losing streak to the team’s inexperienced and youthful roster. He is also frustrated with the drop in classification.
“This is a game for seniors,” he said Friday night. “We’re playing with a JV squad against varsity kids. You can’t put in a junior you don’t have. You can’t put in a senior you don’t have. We’re 0-3 against Class 3A and now we have to play five 4A teams, so what’s that tell ya? This is proof that people should listen to us and not the people who don’t count when it comes to classification decisions. Because we knew what we had coming back this year.”
The Lions’ big plays were undone by penalties and turnovers during key possessions. ADON ECCLES / THE CHRONICLE
Turner said Cottage Grove has nine seniors, six juniors, and 25 sophomores. In addition to the youthful roster, the team has lacked its key personnel in the early season due to injuries and traveling conflicts.
“We haven’t played with our best kids yet,” he said. “Our top lineman has a broken leg. Our starting quarterback was hurt. Our starting tailback – this was his first night back. We haven’t had an opportunity to play with our top 11 guys. We still haven’t done it. We’re going into our fifth game, and we still won’t have our best.”
Though Cottage Grove excelled in the defensive schemes, it struggled with turnovers and mistakes.
“Every time we had a big play, there was a penalty … We lost two fumbles and we threw an interception. You’re not going to win a lot of games doing those,” Turner said.
Turner said that a silver lining is that the sophomores have been learning and getting better. So there may be some late-season potential as the team improves.
“They’re a much better football team tonight than we were three weeks ago,” he said. “We’re getting better each game. But right now, we’re just worried about next week.”
Reporter Eli Thomas contributed to this report.
