Ken Roberts
For The New Era
Marist used its team speed to score three touchdowns in its first three possessions en route to a 40-20 victory over Sweet Home in the state playoffs on South Eugene High School’s artificial-turf field Friday.
“Coming into the game, we knew we had to slow them down and eliminate the big play,” said coach Rob Younger, who said it was difficult to practice against speed when you can’t replicate it. “But every score they had came on something big.”
After forcing the Huskies to punt on the first series, Spartan quarterback Ryan Bell came out firing immediately. He connected on strikes of 39 and 25 yards on the opening two plays. Two plays later, Bell finished with a 10-yard run on an option play.
Sweet Home answered quickly when Kyle Pettit rambled for a 51-yard touchdown on a delay play straight up the middle to even the contest at 6-6.
From there, the Spartans shifted into a higher gear. On Marist’s very next play, premier running back Brandon Jackson, who’s headed for Cal Berkeley next year, raced for 59 yards. A two-point conversion by Bell put the Spartans on top 14-6.
“Their team speed was just so much faster than anybody we have played this year,” said senior fullback/linebacker Skyler Bascom.
When Marist took control of the ball again, it mixed a drive evenly with pass and run to add another touchdown before the first quarter’s end, this time an eight-yard run by Chad Swenson. Marist rolled up 194 yards of offense in the first quarter.
During the second quarter, both teams’ offenses slowed down, unlike the rain that poured continuously throughout the game. The Huskies intercepted two Bell passes, one after a tipped ball that Pettit picked off and the second by Cody Sells.
It didn’t take Marist long to put the game out of reach in the third quarter. Jeff Bedbury returned the opening kickoff 80 yards to ignite the Spartans. After the Huskies’ ensuing drive stalled, Bell took over once again. He ran twice for 27 yards before tossing a 55-yard pass to Jerran Johnston.
Following back to back-to-back turnovers by the two teams in the fourth quarter, Swenson concluded Marist’s scoring with a 27-yard burst. Then the Spartans turned the game over to their second unit for the rest of the evening.
Sweet Home did manage to put together two extended drives exclusively on the ground. Nick Pitts did much of the work but was joined by Skyler Bascom, Sells, and Trevur Byers. Pitts scored first on a four-yard run. After Nathan Whitfield recovered Pettit’s onside kick, Bascom capped off the second series with a three-yard run. Offensive lineman Casey Topp recovered a fumble on the two point attempt to put the Huskies at 20.
Early on, the Huskies picked up steady yardage on the ground but failed to finish drives or capitalize on turnovers. The final two touchdowns allowed the Sweet Home players to finish on a positive note.
“We had mixed emotions,” stated Younger. “Every time you put in that much work and it comes to an end, it is an emotional experience. The two touchdowns were a good way to go out.”
Bell led Marist offensively, completing eight of 13 passes for 190 yards and running for 54 yards on seven carries. Jackson led Spartan rushers with 85 yards in eight attempts. Marist had an extremely balanced offense with its 203 rushing yards.
The Huskies produced 124 of their 281 yards in the fourth quarter, all on the ground. Sweet Home had difficulty in its passing game both in throwing and catching the wet ball in traffic. Pettit was held to just 13 yards through the air on a uncharacteristic 3-12 night. With the late fourth-quarter surge, the Huskies chalked up 268 rushing yards, 103 by Pitts. Pettit and Bascom each had over 60 yards as well.
Sweet Home finished with a 4-7 record, but team character, the focus of the program, can’t be quantified.
“I was really proud of our team,” Bascom emphasized. “Even though we might not have always been the best team, we never gave up. It was that way the whole season. It showed our character.”
Game Statistics 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F inal
SHHS 6 0 0 14 20
Marist 21 0 13 6 40
1st Quarter
Mar—Bell 10 yd. run (kick failed)
SHHS—Pettit 51 yd. run (kick failed)
Mar—Jackson 59 yd. run (Bell run)
Mar—Swenson 8 yd. run (Schepergerdes kick)
3rd Quarter
Mar—Bedbury 80 yd. kickoff return (kick failed)
Mar—Bell 55 yd. pass to Johnston (Schepergerdes kick)
4th Quarter
Mar—Swenson 27 yd. run (kick failed)
SHHS—Pitts 4 yd. run (run failed)
SHHS—Bascom 3 yd. run (Topp recovers fumble)
Team Stats
Rushing: SHHS 52-268; Marist 24-203
Passing: SHHS 13; Marist 190
Sacks: SHHS 1-6 (Schaefer); Marist 0
Total: SHHS 281, Marist 387
1st Downs: SHHS 13; Marist 10
Turnovers: SHHS 3; Marist 4
Penalties: SHHS 3-15; Marist 7-66
Individual Stats
Rushing: SHHS: Pitts 21-103; Pettit 9-69; Bascom 15-67; Sells 5-21; Byers 2-8
Marist: Jackson 8-85; Bell 7-54; Swenson 5-48
Passing: SHHS: Pettit 3-12-1, 13;
Marist: Bell 8-13-2, 190
Receiving: SHHS: Riggs 1-13; Hummer 1-1; Bascom 1-(-1)
Marist: Johnston 2-66; Jackson 2-33
Punts: SHHS: Delong 3-125 (41.7, 41.3 net)
Marist: 2-58 (29; 29 net)
Punt Returns: SHHS 0; Marist 1-2
Kickoffs: SHHS: Delong 3-101 (33.7; 1.3 net), Pettit 1-12
Marist: 7-344 (49.1; 32.7 net)
Kick Returns: SHHS: Sells 3-35; Bascom 1-20; Pitts 1-10
Marist: 3-97
Interceptions: SHHS: 2 (Pettit, Sells); Marist 1
Fumble Recoveries: SHHS 2 (Fisher, Whitfield); Marist 2