Huskies go one and out

Ken Roberts

For The New Era

Sweet Home?s hopes for a continued run into the state playoffs sank into the quagmire at Husky Field when Hidden Valley running back Sam Dollarhide exploded for a 41-yard run early in the fourth quarter to give the visiting Mustangs a 12-11 lead that would hold up for the rest of the game.

Similar to the previous week?s game against Stayton, the defenses held off most of the charges of the offenses. Unlike the previous week, the Huskies couldn?t come up with the miracle play to pull the game out.

Sweet Home?s game plan was affected by the rain the most. From the outset, the Huskies had made a decision to go through the air. Quarterback Kyle Pettit threw 21 passes in the first half alone, completing 10.

?Their defensive scheme gave us the passing game,? explained coach Rob Younger. ?We executed well early, so we stayed with it. I wished we could have stayed with it a little bit longer, but due to the weather conditions we couldn?t.?

Hidden Valley?s game plan never varied. Give the ball to the 5-11, 185-pound Dollarhide and then give it to him again. Of the 256 yards of total offense for the Mustangs, Dollarhide accounted for 239 ? 224 rushing and 15 more receiving. The weather conditions made it difficult for the defense to pursue and break down properly on tackles.

?It makes everything harder when you have layers of mud caked to your feet,? said outside linebacker Charlie Fitzsimons. ?You can?t be perfect when there are conditions like that.?

Once again, the game revolved around key turnovers and big plays. The Huskies capitalized on their first opportunity in the first quarter when a snap sailed over the head of Mustang punter Ryan Van Cleave.

Starting at the Hidden Valley 34 yard line, Sweet Home started its short drive with a 10-yard pass from Pettit to Tim Faulconer. Later, on a fourth-and-one play, Pettit spotted Cody Shipp for a short pass to keep the drive going. On the very next play, Ryan Elliott, on his way to 147 yards rushing, scored from 13 yards out. With a Trevor Tagle run for a two-point conversion, the Huskies opened with an 8-0 lead.

Though Dollarhide ran effectively in the first half, the Huskies found a way to stop the Mustangs. Fitzsimons stuffed Dollarhide on a fourth down and one play in Husky territory. Then, midway into the second quarter, Dollarhide fumbled with Pettit recovering.

Following that fumble, the Huskies went on another scoring drive, starting at their own 28-yard line. Following an Elliott yard run, the Huskies went into a passing mode, throwing 12 straight times. Twice they converted on fourth-down plays, once to Shipp for 14 yards on a fourth and two, the other

Total
0
Share