Benny Westcott
The Sweet Home football team fell 63-27 to Cascade at Husky Field in their season finale on Friday, Oct. 29.
The Huskies finished 3-6 on the year, while the Cougars wrapped the year undefeated at 9-0 and ranked No. 2 in the state for Class 4A play.
“I thought we played really hard,” Huskies Head Coach Ryan Adams said. “We knew it was going to be a really tough game. All respect to Cascade – they are a phenomenal football team this year. But I’m super proud of our guys. They didn’t let up from beginning to end, and we were able to put points on the board.”
Adams said his squad was able to stretch the field vertically when it was tough to run against a “big, physical football team.” He added that the team had been “focused more on our passing game anyways” in recent weeks.
“We went in with a game plan of getting our athletes the football, and we were able to move the ball up and down the field,” Adams said.
The Cougars ran a shotgun wing T formation on offense. “With a team like Cascade, it’s kind of annoying as a coach, because you know what they are going to do,” Adams said. “But if you have the guys to do it, it can be pretty tough to stop.”
The Huskies shifted their linebackers outside to try to prevent the Cougars from attacking them with the run off-tackle, but when Cascade adjusted by running the ball down the middle, Sweet Home’s linebackers moved back inside.
Still, they struggled to slow the Cougar run game that had notched over 500 yards rushing in four separate games this season.
Sweet Home struck first in the game, after their defense stopped the Cougar’s opening drive.
Junior quarterback Heath Nichol found senior Daniel Luttrell for a first down pass, and a pass interference penalty against the Cougars moved Sweet Home further down the field. Soon after, Nichol threw to junior Brady Nichols for a 23 yard touchdown pass, putting the Huskies up 7-0.
But Cascade bounced back quickly when senior Shawn Kuenzi ran over fifty yards into the end zone.
Sweet Home’s offense stalled on the next possession as Nichol was sacked on two consecutive plays. With the ball back, Cascade’s offense proved effective again, when senior quarterback Jacob Hage connected with senior Colin Smittle for a fifty yard touchdown pass, putting his team up 14-7 with four minutes left in the first quarter.
Nichol was able to find junior Kaden Zajic through the air on the next possession for a big gain, but the quarterback later threw an interception in the end zone.
Now with the ball at the beginning of the second quarter, Hage ran a keeper into the end zone. The two point conversion attempt was no good, and Cascade went up 20-7.
Nichol threw another pick on the second play of the Huskies ensuing drive. Hage ran the ball into the end zone again, and this time the Cougars kicked the ball through the uprights to go up 27-7.
The Cougar backfield was again able to wreak havoc on Sweet Home’s passing game on the first play of the Huskies’ next drive, when Nichol threw another interception. And Hage ran the ball in for his third touchdown in a row, putting his team up 35-7.
But Sweet Home’s offense was able to show signs of life before halftime, when Nichol connected with Nichols on fourth and 23 to keep the drive alive. Eventually Nichols quarterback sneaked the ball into the end zone, and the score was 35-14 Cougars going into the halftime break.
At the onset of the second half, an onside kick put down by senior Russ Holly was scooped up by sophomore Ryker Hartsook, giving the Huskies possession. But the Cougars’ defense forced a turnover on downs, and senior Lance Van Hoose rambled down the field for a touchdown run to put his team up 42-14.
On the next possession, completions to Zajic and Nichols moved the ball down the field for the Huskies, and Nichol found Nichols for a 22 yard touchdown pass. A missed extra point kick kept the score at 42-20.
Van Hoose repeated his touchdown run performance on the next drive, stretching the Cougar lead to 49-20.
The Huskies turned the ball over on downs on the next possession, and Van Hoose ran the ball for his third touchdown in a row, bringing the score to 56-20. An interception thrown by Nichol gave Cascade the ball back, and Van Hoose ran the ball into the endzone yet again for his fourth touchdown of the night. The score was 63-20 early in the fourth quarter.
But Sweet Home would score once more, with a completion to Zajic followed by a 12 yard touchdown pass to Nichols, bringing the final score to 63-27.
Senior lineman Tanner Waldrop, who played his last game for the green and gold, said “We just came out and tried the best we could. Our offense did pretty well, and our defense had some good plays overall.”
Senior lineman Charlie Crawford said “Cascade is good. We competed and didn’t give up. We tried to keep the pocket clean for Nichol, and he didn’t get hit much. We picked up their linebackers pretty well on blocks.”
On playing his last game for Sweet Home, Crawford said “It’s over. I can’t believe it.”
Senior wide receiver Jacob Ingram said “Everyone worked their hardest. Playing the best team in the state, I was proud of how nobody gave up.”
He said ending his career “is rough,” but added “I’m glad I got to play for Sweet Home. I will say that. I love it here.”
Adams reflected on his first year at the helm of the football program, after replacing previous head coach Dustin Nichol.
“I’m really proud of the way the guys handled the year,” he said. “There’s always a lot of questions that come with a coaching change. We had a lot of growing pains on and off the field, but I’m super proud of the guys showing up and working hard. I’m excited to see where we go in the future.”
Noting that the Huskies played their first full season in two years, Adams said it was hard for the players to know “what to expect and how much of a grind a full season can be. Early morning lifts, early morning film sessions, practices after school, they all take a school. And the kids had to do it all through the COVID environment these last two years, first having to deal with the isolation of doing stuff online, and then having to adjust to getting back into school and grades actually mattering.”
Adams said that Nichol will finish second in 4A in total passing yards, and fourth in 4A in passing touchdowns. He added that Nichols will finish top five in 4A in receiving yards, while Zajic will finish in the top ten.
He said a highlight of the season was the “Kids coming together and truly embracing a family environment. They joked around with me and I joked around with them. They learned that what they do outside of football is more important than winning high school football games.”
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Game Summary
Sweet Home 7 7 6 7 – 27
Cascade 14 21 21 7 – 63
First Quarter
SH – Nichols 23 pass reception. Holly kick.
CS – Kuenzi run. Unknown kick.
CS – Smittle pass. Unknown kick.
Second Quarter
CS – Hage run.
CS – Hage run. Unknown kick.
CS – Hage run. Unknown kick.
SH – Nichols 1 run. Holly kick.
Third Quarter
CS – Van Hoose run. Unknown kick.
SH – Nichols 22 pass reception.
CS – Van Hoose run. Unknown kick.
CS – Van Hoose run. Unknown kick.
Fourth Quarter
CS – Van Hoose run. Unknown kick.
SH – Nichols 12 pass reception. Holly kick.
Individual Statistics
Rushing – SH: Nichol 13-28; Luttrell 1-4.
Passing – SH: Nichol 10-24-4-287; Nichols 1-1-21; Luttrell 0-1.
Receiving – SH: Zajic 4-148; Nichols 4-127; Luttrell 2-24; Trenton Smith 1-9.