Ken Roberts
For The New Era
As expected, the Wilsonville Wildcats played lights out.
The Wildcats used their deep and talented roster to roll over the Sweet Home Huskies 55-14. Then, with a minute and twenty seconds left in the game, the lights actually went out and the party was over.
?They are as good a football team as you will see at our level,? stated Sweet Home head coach Rob Younger. ?They can put tremendous pressure on you with their offense at all points. They just keep bringing people at you.?
The previous week, it was Brandon Jackson of Marist. This week, it was a full roster of speed and athleticism, starting with Cameron Smith, who scored three rushing touchdowns in the first quarter to put Wilsonville fully in command 21-0.
In the second quarter, quarterback Spencer Crace took over the spotlight by throwing for two touchdowns on his way to a stellar first half, in which he connected on 11 of 13 passes for 184 yards.
Sweet Home could never get untracked. After stopping the Wildcats? fake punt attempt on the opening drive at Wilsonville?s 44 yard line, the Huskies set the tone for their first half of struggles. Sweet Home had only two first downs in the half and just 53 yards of total offense while making two turnovers.
The Huskies? passing game was squelched by the constant Wildcat pressure as Kyle Pettit was only able to complete 3 of 10 passes for 25 yards.
?We had problems with their stunts and their quickness, especially with their defensive line,? said Younger.
Crace and Smith sat out the second half as a new wave of players took over on offense. The change did not slow the Wilsonville surge.
Led by quarterback Tyler Reeves, who went 4 for 5 for 62 yards, and Greg Lynch, the leading rusher with just 42 yards, the Wildcats scored three more touchdowns.
The opening drive of the second half seemed to be an extension of the first-half misery for the Huskies when they were thrown for losses three consecutive times, with the last one ending in a lost fumble.
After another Wilsonville passing touchdown, Ryan Elliott returned a kickoff to the Husky 41 and then ran 10 yards for a first down on the first play.
Keeping the ball mostly on the ground, Trevor Tagle finished off a strong drive with a 12 yard run. Tagle led the Huskies with 14 carries for 115 yards.
Isaac Villarreal scored his first career extra point when it bounced off the hand of an on-rushing Wildcat enough to clear the bar.
In the fourth quarter, Tagle once again scored, this time on a long 55-yard sprint through Wilsonville?s defense. On the extra point, Villarreal?s kick went cleanly through as the senior soccer player continues to make the adjustment to football.
The game came to an end when the lights went out after Wilsonville?s final scoring drive. For the Huskies, it was a welcome end to the seemingly endless flow of rested Wildcats who kept entering the game. Other than the quarterbacks, no Wilsonville player amassed any significant stats. That is because they had 11 different running backs and nine different receivers in action.
?Sometimes it?s not too bad to have a little reality check,? said Younger. ?It?s an evaluating tool for us.?
Younger is not concerned that these two games might break the team?s spirit. It is a team that believes in itself and the system.
?We will become a better football team five weeks from now than teams that are winning right now by playing teams that aren?t challenging them,? emphasized Younger.
The Huskies come back home to play another highly rated team, the Central Panthers, this Friday. Central brings talented quarterback Joe Pratt, who is equally adept at passing and scrambling. Younger expects to see a team that has a similar philosophy on both offense and defense.
?In some ways, it is an easier week to prepare because we are playing a carbon copy of us,? said Younger.