The East Linn Loggers evened their season record Saturday with a hard-fought 14-12 win over the Santiam Stallions in National Nineman Football League action.
“They came to play. I knew they would,” said Coach Jesse Garcia of the opponents. “They were hungry.”
Santiam scored first, but Loggers cornerback Ronnie Garcia forced a fumble on the point-after attempt and recovered the ball to keep the score at 6-0 and turn the momentum the other way.
Trace Privratsky scored later in the first half for the Loggers on a nine-yard sweep and Derek Robinson, who also played quarterback during the first half, added an extra point for the 7-6 lead East Linn took into the locker room at halftime.
In the second half, with regular quarterback Duane Stevens back behind center, the Loggers scored on a seven-yard touchdown pass to Devin Dvorak and Robinson added another point-after kick to give them a 14-6 lead.
But the Stallions came back late in the game with one final score. Chris Ropp stuffed the two-point conversion attempt to keep the Loggers ahead. Then, on the Stallions’ last possession, with 4.3 seconds left, Jesse Garcia Jr. intercepted a pass to seal the win.
The Loggers, now 2-2, will face the Capitol City Enforcers at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Husky Stadium, their last regular-season home game. They are currently tied with two other teams for second in the league standings. The top six teams in the league make the playoffs, so, Garcia said, wins are crucial now.
Stevens was 8 for 13 for 85 yards of passing, the longest a 24-yarder to Mike Bell.
Robinson completed one of four passes as the Loggers totaled 90 yards in the air, and another 106 on the ground.
Privratsky carried 14 times for 45 yards, including the touchdown. Fullback Danny Nunn had a “great game,” Garcia said. He carried 10 times for 38 yards and caught two passes for 16.
Bell was the leading receiver with five catches for 62 yards.
On the offnesive line, Schuyler Short recorded five pancakes, Garcia said.
Craig Bergevin led the defense with 11 solo tackles and eight assists. Ronnie Garcia had four solo tackles and seven assists, along with forcing and recovering a fumble.