Benny Westcott
To say the battle between Sweet Home’s defense and Junction City’s offense on Friday night was a mismatch would be an understatement, as the Tigers celebrated their Homecoming night by hanging 59 points on the Huskies, the most scored in a game by any 4A Special District 3 team all season.
On the other end of the ball, Sweet Home put up 34 points of its own, the team’s highest mark in a league contest this year, but it wasn’t enough to match up with Junction City’s attack, as the Tigers ultimately prevailed 59-34.
The loss sent Sweet Home back to 2-4 on the season, while Junction City improved to 4-2 in District 3 play.
“They didn’t do anything we didn’t expect,” Sweet Home Head Coach Ryan Adams said of Junction City. “They just dominated the line of scrimmage. I don’t think we had a tackle for loss. If we did, it was very few. They didn’t turn the ball over at all, which they did a couple times in the last couple of games that we watched.
“They played really good, disciplined football and just took it to us.”
No Sweet Home defensive strategy seemed to work to slow down the Tigers’ run game.
“You can draw up scheme after scheme,” Adams said. “I thought we had a pretty good plan going into it. But it’s not the X’s and O’s, it’s the Jimmies and Joes, and they just dominated us up front.”
Safety Kaden Zajic said the game went “not really what was planned.”
“I thought we were going to beat them,” he said. “I knew it was going to be a tough game, but honestly, it just didn’t go as planned. We couldn’t stop the run. They had no pass game, so they ran.”
He said Junction City’s run game was effective partly because of Sweet Home not staying disciplined on defense.
Defensive lineman Nathan Aker said the game went “pretty bad.”
“We didn’t perform how we should have,” he said. “We’re a lot better than this.”
Adams noted how Junction City’s attack is uniquely difficult to defend.
“They run a lot of unbalanced stuff,” the coach explained. “We rep that in practice, time and time again, but it’s so hard to give your defense a good look with an offense like this. Using your scout offense (second- and third-stringers), you can’t really get them as prepared as you would like with the look.
“It took us a long time to figure out that unbalanced look. Once we did and settled down, then we made it a ballgame. But until we did that, that hole we dug was just too big.”
Wide receiver Brady Nichols said that he thought the Huskies were a little too confident going into the game.
“We definitely thought that we had it in the bag, and then we came out a little flat-footed,” he said. “I would have liked to have won that game to give us a better chance (to make the playoffs), but I think these next three weeks could definitely get us there.”
Despite the loss, Aker noted a positive in his team’s offensive line play.
“I think our run blocking is getting a lot better,” the offensive lineman said. “We’re just seeing more yards out of it. The line’s getting better, with better blocks.”
The game started off all Junction City, as the Tigers jumped out to a 20-0 lead within the first seven minutes. Running back Brett McKee punched in a three-yard touchdown run, and then put together another touchdown run, this time for 12 yards, to put the Tigers up 14-0.
Junction City got a head start on its next possession, as a Heath Nichol pass was intercepted by cornerback Gunner Rothenberger, putting the ball on Sweet Home’s 28. Running back Grant Barnes then scored on a 17 yard touchdown run.
Trenton Smith blocked Junction City’s point-after attempt, making the score 20-0.
Sweet Home finally got the ball moving on its next possession, as a big pass from Nichol to Nichols put the ball on Junction City’s 25-yard line. Nichol scrambled for a 25-yard touchdown, but Sweet Home’s run on the two-point conversion attempt was stuffed, making the score 20-6.
Junction City marched into Sweet Home territory on its next drive, but a turnover on downs eventually gave Sweet Home the ball back on its own 13-yard line. The Huskies went three and out, however, and were forced to punt, giving Junction City the ball at the Husky 45.
The Tigers wasted little time driving down the short field, and quarterback Rothenberger ran for a five yard touchdown. Rothenberger again ran into the end zone for the two-point conversion, putting his team up 28-6.
The Huskies struck back on the second play of their next drive, however, when Nichol and Nichols connected for a 77-yard touchdown pass.
“It’s very hard to keep your footing on this ground,” Nichols said of the Tigers’ field. “So as soon as I caught that ball, I broke that defender, and then the next guy slipped and fell. And then it was just off to the races from there.”
He noted how he was able to prepare for Junction City’s grass field.
“I’ve played on grass and we practice on grass, so I’ve kind of gotten decent at keeping my footing when the ground’s wet.”
A pass to wide receiver Jayce Miller made for a successful two-point conversion, and the score was 28-14 Tigers with 6:55 left in the second quarter.
But Junction City scored again before halftime. Rothenberger , now at quarterback, threw to wide receiver Kaleb Burnett for a 12-yard touchdown pass, giving the Tigers a 35-14 lead going into the half.
Sweet Home tried to make some defensive adjustments at halftime.
“We made sure that our linebackers understood where they need to read to figure out (Junction City’s) unbalance and get our defensive line over,” Adams explained. “And we started to bring secondary guys down into the box a little bit more, but Junction City still did what they do best. So credit to them.”
Sweet Home got the ball to start the second half and took advantage, mounting a drive that ultimately ended with a score on a 10-yard quarterback keeper by Nichol. A pass to Zajic gave Sweet Home the two-point conversion, and the game score was 35-22 Huskies.
But the Huskies’ momentum was short-lived, as Burnett took the subsequent kick-off all the way to the end zone, an 89-
yard return. “Our guys just kind of didn’t stay in their lanes, and Junction City runs a hard, good middle wedge,” Adams said of the play. “And if you don’t take that head on, then it’s tough to stop. We just kind of had guys out of spots and things like that.”
Rothenberger ran in the two-point conversion, and Junction City took a 43-22 lead.
Sweet Home would answer again, though, as Nichols shook some tackles on a screen play for a 15 yard touchdown. After a delay of game pushed the Huskies back, a pass to Zajic fell incomplete on the two-point conversion attempt, making the score 43-28 Junction City with 6:14 remaining in the third quarter.
On the next drive, Junction City pummeled the Huskies again with its steady diet of runs, as Rothenberger eventually ran into the end zone on a five-yard play. Tylen Franks ran in for the two-point conversion, making the score 51-28 Junction City at the end of the third quarter.
On the Huskies’ next possession, on third and 19, Nichol evaded sackers and threw to Zajic in the end zone for a 20 yard touchdown pass. Zajic said “I was supposed to run a slant, but my defender was up on me, and then I saw Heath rolling out, so I went in the end zone, and Heath threw it up to me and I had to go get it.”
A throw to Nichols was incomplete on the two-point conversion attempt, and the score became 51-34 Junction City with 6:47 left in the contest.
Junction City recovered Sweet Home’s subsequent onside kick, and the Tigers drove down the field again, running out the clock and scoring on a 10 yard run by running back Levi Walker with 57 seconds left in the game. Franks ran in the two point conversion, making the final score 59-34.
Despite the score, Sweet Home showed tenacious effort throughout the game.
“We don’t give up, all of us,” Zajic said. “We just keep going.”
Adams said “Credit to our guys for still competing, down 21 at half. They didn’t stop. They didn’t slow down.” He added “Credit to Junction City for doing what they do best – dominating the line of scrimmage.”
Nichols noticed improvement in the Huskies’ play after halftime.
“I wish we could have had a little bit of a different outcome, but I think we definitely stepped up a little bit in the second half,” he said. “We had a lot of guys injured and some refs not making very many good calls. So we subbed some guys in and brought some freshmen up, and they just bought out.”
Adams explained that “We just dug ourselves too big of a hole to begin with. I’ve just got to do better getting these guys prepared for big games. We just kind of all let our emotions get the best of us to start off, myself included.”
The coach was tagged with a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in the first quarter for jawing with the refs.
“The kids kind of fed off of that for a little bit, and I’ve just got to do a better job being that role model and showing them how to handle adversity and things like that,” Adams said of the penalty. “I dropped the ball there.”
Smith, playing defensive back, was ejected from the game in the second quarter after he allegedly punched a Junction City player, according to Adams. The coach did not actually see the alleged punch.
On the positive side, Sweet Home’s skill position players showed signs of flash.
“I knew that (Junction City) was going to have a hard time defending our athletes and playmakers,” Adams said. “Brady showed why he’s the talent that he is, and Heath did a good job getting guys the ball. Kaden and (wide receiver) Von (James) did a phenomenal job blocking for us on the outside, and letting some other guys get the big plays.”
Sweet Home next suits up for a home game against non-league opponent Ashland. The game is Sweet Home’s homecoming. The Grizzlies (1-5) come into the contest at the bottom of Special District 4, after dropping down from the 5A Division in football this year.
“It’s Homecoming, so we’re really looking forward to that,” Adams said. “The kids are excited about this week and all of the events that come with that game. We just look at it as another opportunity for us to get better, fix some things, and hopefully get on the right track.”
Of Ashland, he said “I think they’re pretty similar to us. They run a spread offense and a defense kind of similar to ours as well. They kind of seem to be in the same situation we’re in. They have some athletes and some guys around that can make plays, but the win and loss column is kind of skewed one way.”
He said that “I think they’re going to come ready to play, and I think it has a lot of potential to be a pretty good game.”
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