Benny Westcott
Sweet Home football is still in search of its first win after losing its home opener against Molalla 29-6 on Friday night.
The game started out great for Sweet Home as senior Kelso Ellis broke tackles on the way to a 55 yard touchdown run.
“I was going right down the middle between the linemen, and I saw [the] running back come towards me so I stepped to the side and then just kept going,” Ellis said. “Another guy came up and tried to tackle me, but I shed it off. Then another guy came in, but missed, and I just went from there.” Ellis was stuffed on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt, making the score 6-0 Sweet Home.
The teams then traded punts, before junior linebacker Kayo Ebbs sacked Molalla’s quarterback on third down to force another Indians’ punt. But Sweet Home went three and out on the next possession, and Molalla returned the ensuing punt to the Sweet Home 22 yard line. A few plays later, Molalla junior quarterback Mason King sneaked the ball into the end zone from less than a foot away, and then threw to senior running back Zachary Clinton on a fake kick to convert the two-point conversion and put the Indians up 8-6 early in the second quarter. It was a lead they would not relinquish.
Sweet Home again went three and out on the next possession and, after a punt, Molalla took over at the Sweet Home 41.
The Indians would take advantage of the short field to score on an 18 yard pass from King to junior tight end Connor Lindsey, and the extra point was good, making the score 15-6 with 3:41 to go in the half.
The teams would remain scoreless until 10:57 to go in the fourth quarter when Molalla blocked a punt through the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety that put the score at 17-6 Indians.
Later in the quarter, Sweet Home returned the favor with a blocked kick of their own, when senior Ryker Hartsook got his hands on a Molalla field goal and the ball was scooped up by Ebbs.
A few plays later, freshman quarterback Kyle Zajic threw over the top to sophomore Bode Nichols for 37 yards, putting Sweet Home five yards away from a touchdown. Nichols said he was supposed to run a slant on the play, but “the kid came down on me too hard and I just turned up field. I got a really good ball and thought I was going to score, but he caught me at the five yard line.”
But then Zajic fumbled while being sacked and a promising Sweet Home drive was terminated.
Molalla then scored with just 56 seconds left in the game on a 46 yard run by King to go up 23-6. The point after attempt was blocked.
On the ensuing possession, Nichols threw a pick that senior Molalla defensive back Brady Beck returned for a touchdown. The Indians’ two-point conversion attempt failed, making the final score 29-6.
Nichols played most of the game at quarterback for Sweet Home, throwing 4-9 for 25 yards and one interception. Zajic filled in for him briefly in the second half, throwing 1-3 for 37 yards.
Ellis led the team in rushing yards with 64 on four attempts, while Ebbs ran for 18 yards on six touches.
Senior defensive back Deacon Bachand led the team in tackles with seven, while senior defensive lineman Nathan Aker had six.
As a team, Sweet Home had 85 rushing and 62 passing yards on the day, while giving up 190 rushing and 41 passing yards to Molalla.
“Our kids played hard,” Head Coach Ryan Adams said. “Our defense showed up to play and played standout, and kept us in the game all game long. But we’re just still learning how to finish four quarters of football and put a complete game together. We’re relatively young in a few spots, but I was really proud of how they responded from last Thursday. It’s easy to kind of get discouraged when a lot of things don’t go well, but I thought they responded really well today.”
He added that “We kind of figured it was going to be a tough battle. I was really just curious how our kids would respond. We had a physical week of practice, and I thought they responded really well and competed. There were a few missed assignments here and there, and that’s kind of all it takes.”
The coach said that “Defensively, we played phenomenal. I thought they did a phenomenal job of keeping us in the game and competing to win. I was really proud of that and proud of them for not getting down too much on themselves. They worked together well. So I think that creates a solid foundation for us to build on and grow on.”
Nichols said of the game “I thought we were going to do a lot better than we did. We scored first, and then they just started closing everything on us. There was nothing we could really do about that.” He added that “I think that there’s a lot that we can work on, but overall I think it went pretty decent,” noting that “on defense, we need to wrap up better and get lower.”
Ellis said of the game “I think it could have been a lot better. I figured it would be at least a little closer, but it was a different outcome. Compared to last year our performance wasn’t as great, but the other team got better. But we played hard and physical; we did everything we could have.”
He said the Huskies weren’t playing fast enough. “We were reacting off the ball slow. That definitely made an impact.”
But, he said “Everyone was excited to be there. All four quarters the energy was high. And everyone was playing physical, playing disciplined.”
Senior running back Gabe Caldera said “I think we could have executed a lot better. I thought it was going to be a lot easier than it was, but they came out and showed us who they really are.”
Sweet Home’s next game is at home against Cascade (2-0) at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15.