Varsity 541

PREP FOOTBALL

Challengers ease past Eagles

Stickler's running, determined defense propel Challengers to first-round win

CENTRAL POINT — Santiam Christian may have knocked Cascade Christian off balance with a game-opening kickoff return for a score, but the sixth-ranked Challengers never lost their stride completely in the first round of the Class 3A football state playoffs.

The eighth-ranked Eagles needed only 13 seconds to take a 7-0 lead when Ryan Hansen returned the opening kickoff 87 yards, but that was more the exception than the rule Friday at Dutch Meyer Field.

Cascade Christian dominated play from that moment on, scoring 27 straight points to assume control en route to a 34-21 triumph.

The win advances the Challengers (7-3) into the quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of today's Vale-Rainier game on the road next Saturday.

"It happened so fast, I don't even know that we registered that it was happening," said Cascade Christian coach Andy Maurer of the Eagles' opening touchdown.

"It's an interesting thing about running a kickoff back at the start of the game," added Maurer. "It changes the whole complexion. From our side since it was against us, it didn't change our mentalness a bit. But on the other side you think, 'OK, maybe it's going to be an easy blowout.' They might have went flat for a little while and let us get our playoff legs underneath us."

Once those legs got churning, there was almost no stopping the Challengers on this night.

Sophomore halfback Tyler Stickler was especially effective, churning for a game-high 164 yards and three TDs on 18 carries.

"As he grows he just continues making the right cuts and has the right thoughts and right ideas," said Maurer of the 5-foot-9, 170-pounder. "He's got enough speed and talent to get it in the end zone. He's developing just like everyone else."

As a team, Cascade Christian amassed 250 yards on the ground in a game played mostly in Santiam Christian territory thanks to five Eagle turnovers and the Challengers' dominant play at the line of scrimmage.

"That's just like our offense goes," said Stickler. "We wear 'em down and wear 'em down and sooner or later they're going to break."

Stickler helped get his team in position to score on a 65-yard drive to answer Hansen's effort, with receiver Ben Joffer making a nice play on an 11-yard pass from quarterback Jake Gettman to cap the scoring drive.

The Challengers appeared to catch a break when Eagles punter Bryan Bremer bobbled the ball and wound up getting off a low kick that hit a lineman for a negative 1-yard punt, but Santiam Christian held them without a first down.

The Eagles (8-3) weren't quite as fortunate on the next series, with Joffer intercepting a Brian Kessi pass near midfield and returning the ball to the Santiam Christian 33. Five plays later, Stickler burst through the middle for a 1-yard score.

Helping set up the final run was a 26-yard hookup between Gettman and Joffer.

The Eagles later fumbled twice inside their own territory but the Challengers couldn't capitalize, with one drive stalling at the Santiam Christian 23 and another at the 33 after Gettman was intercepted on a pass with 10 seconds to go until halftime.

Given time to recharge, the Challengers stormed out of the locker room and marched 65 yards — all on the ground — to take a 21-7 lead. Stickler's 4-yard run capped the drive with 9:02 to go in the third quarter.

Cascade Christian's lead ballooned to 27-7 after forcing a three-and-out, with Brandon Grissom doing the honors with a 1-yard dash up the middle. Grissom had several bruising runs on the drive and, overall, finished with 66 yards on 13 carries.

"It wasn't so much the running as it was just the effort," Maurer said in reference to what he enjoyed about his team's running game. "They really wanted to play hard and they really wanted to play well."

"That's what's fun about this part of the season because we're dealing with teenagers and sometimes they don't want to be here," he added. "And when you see them run like that and sacrifice their body for a cause, that is really a delight. That's when you're playing at your best and with great ability and is really exciting."

Santiam Christian closed the gap with a 17-yard scoring strike from Kessi to Derek Howerton with 9:43 to go in the game, but an onside kick recovered by Gettman put the Challengers in prime position at their own 46.

Hoping to put another drive together to run down the clock, Stickler did one better when he took a handoff, darted right and outran Howerton to the corner en route to a 54-yard touchdown scamper.

"I had a wonderful block on the edge from my wingback Grissom," said Stickler of the play. "He's been doing that all year long and that's just awesome when the linemen and everyone clicks like that."

An interception by Connor Kirkpatrick cut short Santiam Christian's next series, but the Eagles finally scored again with 2:22 to play on a 29-yard pass from Kessi to Hansen.

Cascade Christian held the ball from that point on, with Colton Cochran recovering another onside kick and a combination of runs by Stickler and Grissom chewing up the rest of the time.

"This is a great way to get going," said Stickler. "We knew Santiam Christian was tough, so this was a perfect way for us to start the playoffs off."

"We came out and everyone was just fired up and it was an adrenaline-filled game," he added. "We were flying around and everyone played hard."

At Dutch Meyer Field, Central Point

Santiam Christian 7 0 0 14 — 21

Cascade Christian 7 7 13 7 — 34

SC — Hansen 87 kickoff return (Boshart kick)

CC — Joffer 11 pass from Gettman (Davis kick)

CC — Stickler 1 run (Davis kick)

CC — Stickler 4 run (Davis kick)

CC — Grissom 1 run (kick blocked)

SC — Howerton 17 pass from Kessi (Boshart kick)

CC — Stickler 54 run (Davis kick)

SC — Hansen 29 pass from Kessi (Boshart kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING

SANTIAM CHRISTIAN — Hellesto 10-50, Hansen 8-18, Zolla 4-15, Scruggs 9-10, Kessi 4-9.

CASCADE CHRISTIAN — Stickler 18-164, Grissom 13-66, Kirkpatrick 5-20, Wipf 1-6, Tooker 1-1, Kirkland 2-0, Gettman 6-(-2), Cochran 1-(-5).

PASSING

SANTIAM CHRISTIAN — Kessi 9-16-2 157.

CASCADE CHRISTIAN — Gettman 4-7-1 51, Cochran 1-1-0 8.

RECEIVING

SANTIAM CHRISTIAN — Herrold 2-64, Hansen 4-60, Howerton 2-25, Hellesto 1-8.

CASCADE CHRISTIAN — Joffer 2-37, Kirkland 2-17, Stickler 1-5.

Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail khenry@mailtribune.com