Sean McLean
For The New Era
If the Sweet Home football team had a theme towards winning games, getting off to a good start would be their focus.
And for the second straight week, the Huskies struck first, in the end holding off Tillamook in a 17-15 nailbiter at the coast.
“We got off to a good start, and it was big for us to jump out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter,” coach Rob Younger said. “It was one of our goals again to get out to a good start in both halves.”
After a scoreless first quarter, the Huskies finally gained some offensive momentum by tacking on two straight scores in the second. From the Cheesemaker six yard line, they went to the air with quarterback Ryan Graville finding Marcus DeLong. It was the second straight week that DeLong scored the Huskies’ first touchdown of the game, and it put Sweet Home up 7-0.
DeLong wasn’t finished either, as the senior added another score from one yard out, giving the Huskies a commanding 14-0 lead. Tillamook, however, would strike back before the break, scoring on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Daniel Gienger to Taylor Blum. The successful two-point conversion would cut the lead to six heading into halftime.
“Tillamook really started to get some momentum going in the second quarter,” Younger said. “I was pleased with our guys for sticking with it and stopping that momentum in the second half.”
In the second half, the Husky defense clamped down to stop the Cheesemakers from getting any closer. Although they threatened numerous times, Sweet Home was there to deny Tillamook any chance of taking the lead.
“There were some big plays, but I thought overall they had another good game on defense,” Younger said. “I think we are starting to get some consistency and we will continue to get better at it.”
Sweet Home would put the game out of reach with a rare field goal in the third quarter. From 35 yards out, kicker Kyle Gutierrez connected to give the Huskies a 17-8 lead. It would be the only score of the second half for Sweet Home, and it came after a long drive that last over eight and a half minutes.
Tillamook cut the lead to two in the final quarter on a nine-yard pass from Daniel Seaholm to Nathan Bentham. It would be the last Tillamook threat, as the Sweet Home defense held and the Huskies notched their second win of the season.
“We definitely re-established ourselves there in the third quarter by getting that field goal,” Younger said. “It was a nice long drive that took the majority of the quarter, so I was pleased with how we can out and got the momentum back in the second half.”
Once again, Amos Parmenter led the Sweet Home running game with 87 yards on 23 carries. DeLong would end the game with just 30 yards of total offense, but his two scores were vital in the team’s victory. Graville was six of 11 passing for 90 yards and two interceptions.
“At times, the running game and the passing game was working, but having four turnovers wasn’t good,” Younger said. “It certainly was not a good thing, although we didn’t have to punt till three minutes left in the game, so I think being consistent on offense, we just need to cut down on the mistakes.”
The Sweet Home had another big game on the defensive side of the football, tallying five sacks with Parmenter leading the charge. The senior led the Huskies with 12 tackles and a sack, while Nick Pitts added eight tackles and a sack. Kelsey Fisher led Sweet Home with one and a half sacks to go with seven tackles, and Brock Cota recorded seven tackles for the defense, who has only given up 21 points in the last two games.
The non-conference slate continues next week as the Huskies return home to face Seaside on Friday night. The matchup could be an indicator of how the Huskies, now 2-2, will fare in league, as the Seagulls are coming off a 48-21 loss to Val-Co foe Newport last week.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Tilllamook 0 8 0 7 15
Sweet Home 0 14 3 0 17
2nd Quarter
SHHS: Marcus Delong 6 yd. pass from Ryan Graville (Kyle Gutierrez kick)
SHHS: Delong 1 yd. run (Gutierrez kick)
Tilla: Taylor Blum 12 yd. pass from Daniel Gienger (Juan Delatorre pass from Nathan Bentham)
3rd Quarter
SHHS: Gutierrez 35 yd. field goal
4th Quarter
Tilla: Bentham 9 yd. pass from Daniel Seaholm (Ryan Turney kick)
Team Stats
Rushing: SHHS 39-123; Tillamook 39-228
Passing: SHHS 6-11-2, 90; Tillamook 5-12-1, 50
Total Yards: SHHS 206; Tillamook 244
First Downs: SHHS 10, Tillamook 17
3rd/4th Down Conversion: SHHS 6-15; Tillamook 6-12
Penalties: SHHS 3-30, Tillamook 8-60
Sacks: SHHS 5-34 (Fisher 1.5, Pitts, Horn, Parmenter, Riggs 0.5); Tillamook 2-7
Individual Stats
Rushing
SHHS: Parmenter 23-87; Graville 5-15; Delong 5-10;
Pitts 4-7; Macklin 1-6; Erickson 1-(-2)
Tillamook: Beeler 15-146; Delatorre 15-49; Seaholm 6-33
Passing
SHHS: Graville 6-111-2, 90
Tillamook: Seaholm 4-11-1, 38; Gienger 1-1, 12
Receiving
SHHS: Delong 2-20; Macklin 1-42; Riggs 1-19; Pitts 1-13; Parmenter 1-(-4)
Tillamook: Bentham 2-25; Blum 2-14
Punting
SHHS: Delong 2-41, 20.5
Tillamook: Reeves 2-51, 25.5
Kickoffs
SHHS: Gutierrez: 3-104, Net 28 (plus one onside kick recovered by SHHS);
Tillamook: 3-57, Net 18.7
Kickoff Returns
SHHS: Callagan 1-1; Tillamook 2-20
Fumble Recovery: SHHS 2 (Brewer, Cota); Tillamook 2
Onside Kick Recovery: SHHS: Fisher
Interceptions: SHHS 1 (McGuyre); Tillamook 2
Tackles: SHHS: Parmenter 12, Pitts 8, Fisher 7, Cota 7
– Statistics reported by Ken Roberts