Cavaliers meet their match in Canby
The Cougars pull out a 20-6 win with 20 points in the game’s final 15-1/2 minutes
CLACKAMAS – There was a playoff atmosphere here Friday night, as a large and vocal crowd circled Clackamas High School’s new artificial turf field to watch the Cavaliers take on the eighth-ranked Canby Cougars in football.
And Clackamas defenders gave their home fans a lot to cheer about, as they held the Cougars scoreless for the first 32-1/2 minutes of the 48-minute game.
But the Cavalier defense appeared to grow weary after that, and the Cougars sustained scoring drives on their final three possessions of the game, as they rallied to a 20-6 victory.
“It was a good, tough, hard, well-played football game between two very good defensive teams that really controlled each other’s offenses,” said Canby coach Mike Doty.
“Our defense was outstanding throughout. We started to have success on offense in the fourth quarter and we got our rhythm going. I’m not sure, but I think their kids may have been getting a little tired.”
The Cougars broke the scoreless deadlock with 3:34 remaining in the third period when Canby 6-4, 200-pound quarterback Jake Fowler nosed the football across the goal line on a one-yard quarterback sneak. The play came at the end of an 86-yard drive in which Canby senior running back T.J. Gorman did most of the damage.
Gorman didn’t score in the game, but the 6-1, 200-pound Cougar star carried 18 times for a game-high 188 yards.
Clackamas answered Canby’s initial score, driving 74 yards in just six plays, with Clackamas quarterback Ryan Cook passing 18 yards to Greg Inahara for the score.
But Clackamas’ PAT kick went wide of the mark, and the Cougars found themselves owning a 7-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Three minutes into the final period, Canby fullback Chris Schumacher capped off a 67-yard, nine-play drive with a one-yard dash to paydirt.
And on Canby’s next possession, reserve running back Josh Roth dashed six yards to the end zone at the end of a 64-yard, 10-play drive, to earn the Cougars their 20-6 winning advantage.
Still, Clackamas was still very much in the game until the closing minutes. Trailing 13-6 with just over five minutes left, a Cavalier receiver hauled down a long pass inside the Cougar 5-yard line. But the officials ruled that he made the catch out of bounds.
“He was real close to being in,” said Doty. “He catches that pass inbounds and they score, they gain some momentum, and maybe it’s a different outcome.”
Cavalier defenders made some huge stops early in the game. The Cougars took the game’s opening kickoff and marched 74 yards in 16 plays, before Clackamas senior linebacker Victor Nunn pounced on a fumble at the Clackamas 6.
Clackamas defensive back Greg Inahara turned the Cougars back again on their second possession when he picked off a pass near the Clackamas 10-yard line.
And Clackamas defensive back Taylor Worley intercepted a pass and returned it 35 yards to end a Canby scoring threat early in the third quarter.
Cook completed 19-of-40 passes to seven different receivers for 203 yards. But he was intercepted twice. And he was slowed by the absence of his top target, senior wide receiver Kylle Walkoski, who played sparingly because of a shoulder injury. Walkoski a week earlier had hauled down nine passes for 214 yards in a 30-12 route of Centennial. He had three catches for 36 yards against Canby.
The Cavaliers struggled on the ground, netting only 37 yards on 15 rushing plays.
The Cougars out-gained their hosts in total offense, 415 yards to 240 yards, with 366 yards rushing.
In talking with his players following the game, Clackamas coach Joe Bushman said:
“Did we play a top 10 team that made it to the semifinals last year, and are we just as good as that team?
“Yeah! We just didn’t quite make the plays tonight when we needed to, and they did.”
“I thought we played well,” said Inahara. “We worked hard and everyone stayed positive. It came down to a couple of plays. But that’s football.”
The Cavaliers get their final tune-up before the start of league play this Friday, when they meet Barlow on the road.