Ken Roberts
For The New Era
Last week, Heath Belknap was hoping for a chance at a game winning field goal. Against Scappoose, he got his wish.
With a minute and a half left in the game, Belknap converted a 20 yard field goal from the right hash mark to send the Huskies into the semifinals against Wilsonville after their 17-14 hard-hitting victory over the Indians.
Belknap used a brand new kicking net to stay warm on the sidelines and prepare for the moment.
“I was a little bit nervous,” said Belknap, who had to endure through a Scappoose timeout intended to add more pressure. “The coach (Rob Younger) came out and tried to liven things up, so he had us all say different jokes to make us laugh.”
Not that Scappoose didn’t keep everyone in attendance on edge right up to the final ticks. With no time-outs left, the Indians started deep in their own territory at the 19 yard line after Belknap’s kickoff. On the very first play, Tyler Morrill lofted a pass that tightly-defended Sean Robbins wrested from the grasp of Cody Shipp on their own 49.
The next pass was sniffed out for no gain, but Morrill completed another pass to his tailback Jason Brasmer for 9 yards. Then a snap to Morrill, who was in a shotgun formation, seemed to catch him off guard and skidded 22 yards before he could recover it only to have Shorty Weikel finish off the sack. Finally, under the pressure of time expiring, Morrill was forced to throw a pass that Travis Smith intercepted to end the game.
“It was just a very intense high level game and the way high school football should be played,” said Younger. “We executed late and they didn’t. We got the win because of it.”
The Huskies opened the game on a familiar note. After Kyle Pettit lost two yards juggling the snap on the first play, he regained his composure and found Nic Moore free down the left side.
After appearing to be tangled with the defender, Moore was able to get loose and took the long pass for 56 yards into the end zone.
“That was the whole focus, to start off with a good first drive,” said Moore. “We didn’t get the drive, but after that everybody was up and we had the momentum.”
Throughout most of the first half, Sweet Home held the edge but could not sustain drives all the way into the red zone, either turning it over on downs or punting.
Scappoose mounted one drive in the first quarter but were stopped on downs at Sweet Home’s 19 yard line. In the second quarter, the Indians put together an impressive effort, primarily through the air, that resulted in a Morrill to John Muehleck 12 yard touchdown pass to knot the score at halftime 7-7 and appeared to give the Indians momentum.
“Momentum is going to shift back and forth,” said Younger. “Good football teams will handle the ups and downs and play through them.”
Sweet Home has consistently emerged from the lockerroom at half-time and exerted their will against their opponents all year. Once again, the Huskies were up to the task, riding on the broad shoulders of Travis Smith. Against the physical and quick Indians, Smith had to earn all 145 of his yards the hard way.
“They put a lot of people up in the box, so that hurt our running game a bit,” said all-league guard Jesse Aitken, who started at tackle, the third position at which he has started for the Huskies. “That along with the field being sloppy made for a big physical game for both of us.”
Starting from their 26 yard line after stopping Scappoose’s first possession of the half in three plays, Sweet Home began to grind it out. After Smith gained one first down, the drive nearly came to a halt after Pettit was sacked for a 6 yard loss on first down. Brandon Martin exploded for a 13 yard gain, but the Huskies still faced a fourth down and one situation. Out of punt formation, Pettit took the snap and gained four yards to keep the drive alive.
Smith ran two more times for 37 yards to the six yard line, but once again the Huskies nearly had the opportunity disappear after committing two of their three penalties of the game, which pushed them back to second and goal at the 16 yard line. Pettit, however, tossed a perfectly timed pass into the waiting arms of Tim Faulconer to put the Huskies up by a touchdown.
From that point, the defensive units of both teams dictated the action until midway into the fourth quarter when Scappoose made a big play to tighten up the ball game. Morrill connected with Steven Anderson, who broke free after the catch and reached the Husky 12 yard line before Smith caught up to him. Sweet Home’s defense stiffened, forcing the Indians into a fourth down and 8 situation. However, Morrill found his favorite receiver Robbins for a 9 yard first down and then T.J. Crane, on his only carry of the night, scored the game-tying touchdown.
After the Huskies were held in check, Scappoose took over at their own 32 and immediately moved the ball on a 13 yard run by Anderson. Following a 5 yard completed pass, the Indians suffered the game’s first turnover when Morrill fumbled the snap and Jesse Aitken came up with the ball at the Husky 49.
That was the opening Sweet Home needed. After a short 3 yard run, the sophomore Pettit, who had a season best 181 yards in passing, dropped a perfect pass over the shoulder of Smith, streaking down the right sideline for 42 yards to the six yard line. Then the Huskies began to position the ball for Belknap’s field goal with their running game and also forced Scappoose to use their remaining two time-outs.
The total offensive yards reflected the closeness of the game. Sweet Home totaled 359 yards to Scappoose’s 305. Younger knew that they would have to control Brasmer, who gained over 200 yards the previous week, and still keep the passing game featuring multiple wide receivers under control. Brasmer had 59 yards in the first half but was limited to only 7 yards in the second.
It was also a game in which the Huskies made the most of their opportunities, often with the passing arm of Pettit, who seemed to come of age with his performance. Not only has Pettit developed as a quarterback, but he has tremendous confidence in his receivers.
“I know they are going to catch it,” stated Pettit, who believes the team’s overall offensive game can provide a balance attack. “If they stop the run, we know we can pass it now.”
Younger believes Pettit’s growth has made a huge difference in the makeup of the team.
“Kyle has turned us from a good offensive football team into a great one,” declared Younger.
“When he needed to, he came through with big play after big play. He’s matured way beyond being a sophomore.”
And maybe Sweet Home had a few breaks. They managed to recover all four of their fumbles, but Younger knows that the Huskies will have to avoid putting the ball on the ground when they face Wilsonville, whom they lost to 37-0 in the second game of they year.
“We can’t do that in big football games, but we got all four back, a couple of those on great hustle plays,” noted Younger. “You can say we were lucky, but we believe you make your luck.”
Now Sweet Home finds itself in the same situation they were in last year, competing in a semifinal game against the number one ranked Wildcats. The Huskies have a new confident look, and maybe they will stir up a bit of luck that Wilsonville didn’t see in the first encounter.
HUSKY SCOREBOARD
Varsity Football
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
SHHS 7 0 7 3 17
Scappoose 0 7 0 7 14
1st Quarter
SH—Moore 56 yd. pass from Pettit (Belknap kick)
2nd Quarter
Scap–Muehleck 12 yd. pass from Morrill (Herrington kick)
3rd Quarter
SH—Faulconer 16 yd. pass from Pettit (Belknap kick)
4th Quarter
Scap–Crane 1 yd. run (Herrington kick)
SH—Belknap 20 yd. field goal
Team Stats
Rushing: SHHS 44-184; Scappoose 23-132
Passing: SHHS 181; Scappoose 199
Sacks: SHHS 2 (Morneault,Weikel); Scappoose 1-6Total: SHHS 359; Scappoose 305
1st Downs: SHHS 13; Scappoose 11
Turnovers: SHHS 0; Scappoose 2
Penalties: SHHS 3-20; Scappoose 4-20
Individual Stats
Rushing: SHHS: T.Smith 29-145; Martin 8-27; Pettit 7-12
Scappoose: Brasmer 14-66; Anderson 3-47; Morrill 5-18; Crane 1-1
Passing: SHHS: Pettit 8-13, 181; Smith 0-1
Scappoose: Morrill 13-25-1, 199
Receiving: SHHS: Moore 2-81; Smith 2-45; Faulconer 2-20; Martin 1-19; Carter 1-16 Scappoose: Robbins 5-65; Muehleck 3-21; Anderson 2-77; Klobes 2-31; Brasmer 1-5
Punts: SHHS: Belknap 4-147 (36.8, 36.8 net)
Scappoose: 5-166 (33.2, 33.2 net)
Punt Ret: None
Kickoffs: SHHS: Belknap 4-193 (48.3, 40.3 net)
Scappoose: 3-81 (27, 21.7 net)
Kick Ret: SHHS: Fitzsimons 1-13; Faulconer 1-3
Scappoose: 3-32
Interceptions: SHHS 1 (Smith)
Fumble Rec: SHHS 1 (Aitken)
Tackles: SHHS: Martin 8, Fitzsimons 6, Elliott 5