Sweet Home’s football team ran into a bulldozer offense Friday night at Cascade, falling 63-12 to a Cougar offense that, as Coach Dustin Nichol put it, was pretty much “smash-mouth football” all game.
The Huskies actually got on the scoreboard first, as quarterback Aiden Tyler connected with Cole Baxter on a 13-yard scoring pass.
“We walked down the field and scored on them,” Nichol said. “I was hoping it was going to be a track meet.”
Instead, the game ended up being a demonstration of physical offense and defense on Cascade’s part.
“Cascade is a very aggressive team,” Nichol said. “Their offense runs hard downhill. Their defense is very physical. They are sure tacklers.
“We just weren’t able to tackle as well as we should have.”
The Cougars added a touchdown and two-point conversion before the end of the first quarter for an 8-6 lead, then scored three more to take a 35-6 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Tyler hit Brady Nichols for a 90-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
Sweet Home’s ground game produced nothing against the Cougar defense, as the Huskies finished with minus three yards rushing.
Tyler finished with eight completions on 20 passing attempts for 210 yards. He gave up one interception.
All the Cougars’ scores came on the ground.
The Huskies get one more chance to play, this Thursday, April 8, as they host Hidden Valley at 7 p.m.
The Mustangs are 3-0, with wins over Phoenix (47-0), Klamath Union (47-3) and Henley (17-16).
They are ranked seventh in the final 4A Division rankings, voted on by representatives of the leagues. Cascade is tied for fifth, with Banks.
“We keep picking on the giants,” Nichol said, noting that Hidden Valley won the state 3A championship in 2019.
He said he expects the Mustangs’ offense will be more varied than the Cougars’.
“We knew what Cascade was going to do: pound off-tackle and sweep. These guys can do it, but they can put up bombs as well.”
“The way I look at it, this is another opportunity for the younger kids to get the pads on for another week for development and for the kids who want to move on to the next level to get some film. That’s the reason I took this game: more opportunities for young and old alike.”