PLEASANT HILL – The scene had all the drama of a Friday Night Lights episode. The 14th-ranked Pleasant Hill Billies were facing No. 7 Sisters; both programs tied atop the Class 3A Special District 3 standings; each team with a first-year head coach, fresh identity, and emerging winning cultures.
And the Pleasant Hill community filled the stands to watch the Billies extend their winning streak to six games on Friday with an 18-14 victory over the Outlaws.
ADON ECCLES/ THE CHRONICLE
Coach Kenny Koberstein has the Billies’ football team rolling. Entering Friday night, Pleasant Hill had not just won, but crushed its past five opponents by a combined 106 points.
“It’s huge for the kids and for the community. We were 5-1 for the first time since 2001 and I don’t know the last time we were 6-1,” Koberstein said. “It’s hard to put into words right now. There were a lot of times that we could have folded up shop, and this is a team with no winning culture. No winning seasons since 2016 when they eked out a 5-4 (record). So just to see how far they’ve come, I’m just really proud of them.”
After neither team scored in the first quarter, Pleasant Hill struck first with a 7-yard touchdown from Steven Bounds to Jacob Neely. This put the Billies up 6-0 after a missed point-after try.
Three plays later the Outlaws connected on a 62-yard pass to set them up on Pleasant Hill’s 13-yard line. From there, the Billies were able to force a fourth down, but were not able to prevent a touchdown as Sisters went up 7-6.
With just over six minutes to play in the first half, the Billies took the field at their own 32-yard line. From there Pleasant Hill drove to Sisters’ 40-yard line before stagnating at the 37, leading to a fourth-and-3. In this situation most teams would either punt or go for a short yardage play to pick up another set of downs. For Koberstein and the Billies though, this was the perfect time for a big-yardage play.
The Billies reached into their “bag of tricks” to get the edge over the Outlaws on Friday. ALL PHOTOS BY ADON ECCLES
Bounds received the snap and tossed it to Neely on what was assumed to be a pitch run to the right side. Instead, Neely – the team’s backup quarterback – threw the ball deep down the right sideline, connecting with fellow senior receiver Cota Aanrud for a 35-yard play for a Pleasant Hill first down at Sisters’ 2-yard line.
“I was a little bit nervous in that moment,” Neely said. “I underthrew it a lot. I should have gotten him a touchdown and I apologize to him for that.”
Neely made up for the underthrow by running in a touchdown on the next play. The Billies failed to convert on the two-point attempt, making the score 12-7 at halftime.
Pleasant Hill received the ball to start the third quarter, and its momentum continued. After running back Kai Davis took the kickoff 40 yards to Sisters’ 49-yard line, it took only seven plays for Bounds to find Aanrud for a 22-yard score. This put the Billies up 18-7 after another failed two-point attempt.
Neither team scored for the remainder of the third quarter, leading to the Outlaws receiving the ball via a Pleasant Hill punt at the start of the fourth. Starting at its own 49-yard line, Sisters scored in six plays with a rushing touchdown from quarterback Hunter Bronson. The Outlaws were down by only 4 points.
Coach Kenny Koberstein and Pleasant Hill fans were enchanted during the Billies historic game on Friday in their Cinderella season thus far. ALL PHOTOS BY ADON ECCLES
With just under nine minutes remaining in the game, Pleasant Hill faced a fourth-and-8 on its 22-yard line. Despite being lined up to punt, the player set to kick was Neely, who found junior receiver Tabor Garcia for a first down to extend Pleasant Hill’s drive.
“That’s who we are. We believe in our players. We believe in our offensive line – we believe in our skill guys that we are going to execute,” Koberstein said. “It’s all credit to them.”
