Cronin leads Wolves over Bruins for county crown
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
A poised Goldendale Timberwolf team put together a 10 play, 45 yard drive during the final five minutes of play to defeat the Columbia Bruins 29-22. The win over the Bruins closed the gap to 4-3 in favor of the Bruins in the modern day rivalry of the county's two 1A teams. Torey Spaulding-Jimenez had 108 yards rushing and Tyrell Cronin was superb at quarterback, hitting 11 of 17 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns.
The Wolves had the edge for much of the game, but five turnovers for each team and 21 penalties helped keep the game close. Five minutes into the third quarter, Goldendale was threatening to build on a 14-8 lead when things began to go awry. A muffed handoff on first and goal from the four yard line gave the ball to Columbia. The Bruins went three and out, giving Goldendale the ball at the Bruin 43, but penalties prevented the Wolves from capitalizing on field position. In the next series, Goldendale stopped the Bruins again, but Jenson Ladiges stole the ball from Spaulding-Jimenez on the punt return and the quarter ended with Columbia suddenly ahead 15-14.
There was more trouble to come. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Columbia recovered a Cronin fumble at the Goldendale 18. The stunned Wolves let Kristien Contreras rip off a 10 yard gain on the next play, his longest of the game, forcing Coach Don Strother to call time out for a pep talk. The team responded by holding Ladiges to three yards on two carries, but they lost track of Felix Torres on the next play and Connor Warner hit the slot receiver on a five yard slant for a touchdown, making it 22-14.
Things really looked bleak when a pass route miscue led to an interception and the Bruins were threatening again at the Goldendale 17. But, this time Goldendale responded to adversity with a take-away of their own. Zane MacRae blasted in from his linebacker position to separate Warner from the ball, and Jose Casimiro recovered.
It would be all Goldendale to the end. A 12-yard pass to Anthony Dobson followed by a seven-yard run by Spaulding-Jimenez and back and forth penalties set up a second and seven at the Goldendale 40 with 7:36 left in the game. Cronin put the Wolves back on the board hitting a wide open JD Moss with a 60 yard touchdown pass, and Spaulding-Jimenez tied the game on a two-point conversion.
The Bruins tried to get a drive going on the next possession when Warner scrambled to daylight and was about to break for a big gain when Casimiro caught him by an ankle, holding him to just two yards. Ladiges lost a yard on the next play and Columbia punted to Spaulding-Jimenez, who was instructed to either fair catch the ball or let it bounce. Seeing no coverage by the Bruins, Spaulding-Jimenez decided to return the punt and made his way for 20 yards to the Bruin 45 yard line.
It was more Spaulding-Jimenez, as he carried six straight times for 25 yards and the Bruins were on their heels. Cronin hit Moss for nine more yards and Spaulding-Jimenez got the ball to the seven with 48 seconds left. On the next play, Cronin found Cody Herin wide open from the right side slot for a touchdown. The Bruins fumbled the squib kickoff and Cole Cameron recovered to seal the victory.
Goldendale showed a good mix of offense setting up the passing game with strong running from Spaulding-Jimenez, JimJack Davenport and Justin Garrigus who averaged 6.2 yards per carry. The defense shut down the Bruin running game, holding Ladiges to just 54 yards, much less than the 265 he gained last year. The only play that worked for the Bruins in the early going was a pass to their big tight end, Dylan Rabinowitz, but Goldendale shut that down in the second half.
"I'm proud of the way they played," noted Strother after the fourth quarter comeback. "Our players were young last year. We've gotten more experienced and the summer camp helped. Tyrell impressed me tonight," said Strother. Always the Coach, Strother said there is more work to be done.
The Timberwolves showed good discipline on the line, collecting only two motion penalties while their long snap count pulled the Bruins offside five times. However, 10 penalties for the game, including four for holding, highlight an area for improvement. For their part, the Bruins settled down after nine first half penalties. They were called for just two penalties in the second half.
Both teams coughed the ball up too many times. Goldendale had trouble protecting Cronin's back when he rolled to his left, resulting in one fumble that was recovered in the end zone by Spaulding-Jimenez for a safety. Columbia lost the ball five times on nine fumbles.
Next up for Goldendale is another bear hunt as the Ki-Be Bears play in Goldendale this Friday.
Goldendale 7 - 7 - 0 - 15 29
Columbia 0 - 8 - 7 - 7 22
Goldendale: Rushing - Goldendale: Torey Spaulding-Jimenez 21-108, Justin Garrigus 8-40, JimJack Davenport 8-40, Cole Cameron 1-8, Tyrell Cronin 2 (-15), Columbia: Jenson Ladiges 11-54, Kristien Contreras 8-37, Connor Warner 10-31. Passing - Goldendale: Cronin 11-17-186-3TD-1Int, Warner 8-13-94-2TD. Receiving - Goldendale: JD Moss 4-93, Cody Herin 3-27, Anthony Dobson 2-27, Garrigus 1-21, Zane MacRae 1-14. Columbia: Dylan Rabinowitz 3-45, Felix Torres 2-25, Ladiges 2-19, Zach Mart 1-5.
Cougar talent wins over Dufur youth
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
A secret weapon from Germany helped Lyle-Wishram pull out a 36-30 overtime win against Dufur. It was a great way for the Cougars to open the season particularly considering the loss to the Rangers last year in a game that the Cougars should have won.
The Cougars have a new look offense this year, running a wildcat set with the Matai brothers, Alan and Henry taking turns fielding the snap on most plays. The team also runs a more traditional set with a quarterback under center, often with the Matais lined up as a double wing.
It is no surprise that the offense is designed to feature Henry, the power house back and Allen, the speedster. But, a pleasant surprise emerged at Dufur when their German exchange student, Florian Forsthuber proved to be much more than a guy handing the ball to a Matai. Forsthuber is in there because he can throw, but he showed he can run, too. Forsthuber ran for two touchdowns, a 44 yarder and the game winner in overtime.
Forsthuber wasn't the only bright spot for the Cougars. While a little rust was evident, the front line of Nolan Smith, Dillon Huffman, and Johnathon Marshall was too big and strong for Dufur to run inside, and the linebackers, Alan and Henry Matai and Trey Kitchens were good in support. Henry Matai led with 14 tackles followed by Smith with 10 and Keale Wiseman with nine.
Alan Matai showed what he could do on his first touch of the ball, taking a kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown. He was fast, strong and quick running the ball for 151 yards, but he really shined on defense. By the second half, Matai was dialed into the game and overwhelmed the Rangers' outside run game.
Henry Matai didn't disappoint, either, punishing Ranger tacklers as he carried the ball 15 times for 171 yards.
The Cougars showed some potential for their passing game, which would make them complete, if they can give Forsthuber time to throw. Under pressure each time he passed, Forsthuber managed to muscle a 22 yard wobbler to Cody Carlsen, who out-jumped two defenders for the completion. The Cougars were unable to get the ball to Carlsen in open territory, but once that happens opponents will have their hands full.
Coach Don Smith does have a few things to work on if the team is going to be successful against the tough Southeast league. Steven Begay burned the defense on several pass plays, often with just one receiver out. The Dufur junior's passes were sharp and when he pulled the ball down to run, he was hard to stop. Smith gave credit to newcomer Wiseman, who got burned on pass plays in the first half, but made the proper adjustments to help shut down the pass in the second half. The goal line offense also sputtered for the Cougars, when they came up short on all six extra point attempts, allowing the game to go into overtime.
The home opener will be played this Friday in Lyle against South Wasco. Game time is 7 p.m. The first league game will be against Sunnyside Christian on Sept. 18 in Lyle. The Knights were successful in launching their first ever football season, defeating Kings Way 44-36. The game was played on Lyle's field last Friday, giving the Knights a feel for the field and the Cougars a chance to scout their opponent.
Lyle-Wishram 12 - 12 - 0 - 6 - 6 36
Dufur 8 - 16 - 0 - 6 - 0 30
Rushing - H. Matai 15-171, A. Matai 17-113, Forsthuber 5-61.
Wolves reloading
You might think that losing the 1A player of the year, Kylee Bellamy, all-conference hitting machine Sydney Bloom, all-conference defensive player Nikki Williams, all-conference outside hitter Hannah Swigart, other side hitter, Ryell Carley, and defensive specialist Becky Gourley would signal a down turn in Timberwolf volleyball. But, there is no fear from Coach of the Year, Jodi Bellamy, who is back for her ninth season.
The reason has much to do with the volleyball tradition that has been developed in Goldendale. The Timberwolves were fifth in the state last year, taking home their third trophy over the last four years. They were SCAC champions, third time in a five year stretch, and they have won 41 of 43 league and district matches, going back to early in the 2006 season. Bellamy has been working on this program for enough years to have a steady flow of players to keep the Timberwolves competitive.
The front line looks pretty good with experienced players Sadie Shattuck, Ashley Barrett and Lexi Cameron returning. Also back from last year's varsity squad, with state playoff experience, are Amber Ihrig, Haley Hoffman, Cassie Kelly, Monique Scherf, and Alex Counts. Moving up to varsity are girls who will contribute immediately after having an equally successful 2008 season.
If there is any concern for Bellamy, it is lack of practice time for some of the players. Cameron has just had the cast removed from her left arm (the one on her right arm came off a few weeks ago), and several players have been sick.
The team got its first action in a jamboree format at Kiona-Benton on Tuesday and should be ready to compete at the SunDome this Friday. League will kick off on Sept. 15 at Mabton and the first home match is Sept. 17 against Granger. Matches begin at 5:30 p.m. with the junior varsity.
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