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

By John Denny

The Clackamas Review, Sep 12, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009

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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.

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