Sweet Home’s hopes for a post-season bid were washed away Friday night, Nov. 2, in a rain-soaked 32-0 loss at Cascade, the second-ranked team in the state.
Mud-stained jerseys told the story.
“We knew this was going to be a tough matchup,” Coach Ryan Adams said. “Cascade being Top 2 in the state, we knew it was a tall order.
“We had good momentum coming in, and the kids were excited to play one last game and maybe see if things could shake our way for a postseason run.”
Things got off to rough start for Sweet Home as the hosts scored 16 points before halftime.
Sweet Home made several attempts to break into the end zone, but Cascade’s tough defense kept the Huskies from closing the gap. Both Bode Nichols and Jason Funk both contributed some big gains, but each drive was a struggle against both the Cascade lineup and the muddy, rain-drenched field.
Despite the uphill battle, Adams was proud of his players’ resilience.
“I’m really proud of how the kids played,” he said. “They kept their heads up, they fought hard for each other. You give up 16 points in the first few minutes, it’s tough to come back and fight, and they did that.”
Sweet Home finishes 1-4 in league and 4-5 overall, in 4A Special District 3, which includes four teams ranked in the top 10 – No. 1 Marist, No. 2 Cascade, No. 6 Philomath and No. 8 Stayton. The Huskies finished with a No. 14 ranking out of the 28 teams in the 4A Division.