In the first playoff game of their three-year history, the East Linn Loggers had things going for them in the first half. Then the walls fell in.
Against the Power Valley Sharks, a team that ranked below them in the standings but beat them last week in National Nineman Football League action, the Loggers led 22-6 after the half. But Power Valley came back in the second half to score 20 points, including a punt return for a touchdown, and narrow the Loggers’ lead to 28-26.
With nine-tenths of a second left on the clock at Jefferson High School, where the game was played.
Power Valley completed a 10-yard pass on that final play to take the game and knock East Linn out of the playoffs with a 4-4 record.
“Everyone played a good game,” Loggers Coach Jesse Garcia said. “(The Sharks) did some big, over-the-top-type stuff. I have no excuses. If you’re going to lose a game with nine-tenths of a second left, well… We can’t take anything back.”
Loggers quarterback Duane Stevens struggled a bit in the final minutes of the game, throwing three interceptions on three straight series, Garcia said.
A touchdown punt return by the Sharks’ Tate Tolman put them within striking distance, setting up
“The bottom line is that we had bad clock management,” said Garcia. “We had it with two minutes to play.”
The coach said he’s encouraged by his team’s 4-4 finish, one game better than last year and four better than the previous year.
“The thing of it is, right now we’re just a few plays away,” he said. “We’re not a few players away. If we can keep our nucleus together, we should have a better season next year.
“I’m still licking my wounds.”
The NNFL championship game will be played at Husky Stadium at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, June 24.
“Unfortunately, we won’t be standing on the field,” Garcia said. “We’ll be watching.”