Huskies will host Estacada Ranger Friday in state playoffs

Ken Roberts

For The New Era

Thanksgiving isn’t the only tradition held in late November here in Sweet Home. Perhaps a Husky playoff football game should be automatically added to the calendar for the third Friday in the month.

For 20 of the last 25 years, that has been the case. Maybe not always a first round bye, but the Husky bite in the state 3A scene is almost as prevalent as the chill in the autumn air. Because of three consecutive Capital Conference championships, Sweet Home has had the privilege of a first round bye. This year, the road to the state semifinals comes through Husky stadium.

First, welcome back Estacada, the third ranked team from the Tri-Valley Conference, who defeated Phoenix last Friday, 44-21. In 2000, Estacada, still under the guidance of head coach Roger Freeborn, came into Sweet Home and knocked off the Huskies 22-14. They were 6-3 back then; they are 8-2 this year, losing only to the same two teams that defeated the Huskies, Wilsonville and Sherwood.

In their opening two games, Sweet Home was shutout by Sherwood 23-0 and Wilsonville 37-0.

At the same time of the year, Estacada struggled past Cascade 19-7 and defeated North Marion 35-13. Since then, the Huskies have waltzed through the conference practically untested while Estacada lost to Sherwood 32-15 and Wilsonville 43-14. How much has Sweet Home improved?

“This team has improved from the first game to the ninth game more than any other team I’ve coached,” said Rob Younger. “I’m proud of how hard they’ve worked to get where they are now.”

Since those opening losses, Brandon Martin returned from his early injury, the offensive and defensive line has been reconstructed, and the defensive secondary has become a cohesive unit. Martin, like all the other Huskies, are anxious to show that those shutouts don’t represent the Huskies that are entering the state playoffs.

“We were timid when we played Sherwood and Wilsonville,” said Martin. “Our team was searching for a personality. Since then, our physicality has picked up a lot. We’ve established a dominant defensive unit.”

The Rangers, however, are also a big, physical team that is disciplined and looks to use their power running game from multiple sets. Tailback Gordon Grachowsky and fullback Nate Nicholson run primarily out of either offset “I” or split back formations. On occasion Estacada also switches into a run and shoot passing formation just to keep the defense guessing. On top of that, the Rangers employ motion, misdirection, play action, and an option game, all situations that quarterback Reed Huskey disguises fairly effectively.

Sweet Home will have to be equally disciplined defensively.

“Each player has to take care of his responsibility,” emphasized Younger. “We’ve done that the last few games.”

Estacada matches the size of the Huskies as well. The Rangers’ line averages 245 pounds. Younger is hoping that the difference might be that the heart of the Sweet Home line changes on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball while Estacada plays many of their linemen both ways. The game could hinge on which line can control the gaps at the line of scrimmage.

“We’ve worked on fundamentals since day one,” said all-league tackle Chris Kelley, who believes Estacada has predictable tendencies. “We are more agile and quicker. We are just a smart football team, and we don’t tend to make as many penalties.”

Both teams will bring different looks on defense. Estacada switches in and out of 4-4 and 5-2 base defenses. Younger believes the Huskies will also have to vary their defensive approach.

“We can’t always be in the same base alignment,” said Younger. “We’ll have to use different looks to counteract what they do.”

Though the two teams have a similar offensive philosophy of power football, Younger thinks Estacada cannot match the speed of the Huskies. Neither Estacada’s backs or receivers have breakaway speed.

“They don’t have a Travis,” noted Younger, referring to tailback and the conference offensive player of the year Travis Smith. “Their team speed is average to good but nothing fantastic.”

Nor do the Rangers have the kicking game that Heath Belknap provides for Sweet Home, something on which Younger hopes to capitalize, along with all facets of the special teams.

There is a quiet confidence in the Husky camp as they prepare to reverse the outcome of the 2000 contest. Coach Younger and his staff have a myriad of all-Conference players to send at the Rangers.

“It’s gratifying to see the respect of our players from the other coaches,” said Younger, noting that many of the choices were unanimous. But for Younger, the game will turn on the three things he has been preaching forever: field position, takeaways, and execution.

Now the Huskies must earn the respect of the other teams in the playoffs.

“We’re just going to have to come out like we’ve been doing, hard and aggressive, and not take it easy,” said Smith. “And we’ll do it with class. When we knock someone down, we’ll help them up.”

The Huskies hope to apply a second round knockout to the Estacada Rangers in front of the home crowd this Friday at 7 p.m.

Total
0
Share