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NHS takes on Franklin Friday

Class 6A football — Tigers ‘show their character’ in tough loss to South Salem Friday

• By: Frank Graham  
• Published: 9/22/2009 3:43:13 PM

Photo By: Laurent BonczijkMoving the ball
Wide receiver Cody Hunter-Brown turns upfield after a reception during Friday's loss to South Salem.

   The Newberg High School football team, 2-1 in the season, travels to Portland Friday to take on the 0-3 Franklin Quakers of the Portland Interscholastic League (PIL).
   NHS head coach Eric Carlson said he hopes the determination his team has shown throughout the first three games this season will carry them to a win. The Tigers are coming off a hard-fought loss to the South Salem Saxons last week.
   Both offenses overcame obstacles and thrilled the crowd during a high scoring extravaganza that saw the Saxons win 52-43.
   The Tigers scored first on the opening kickoff after sophomore Wyatt Mahoney ran the kick back 97-yards for a touchdown. Mahoney found a seam on the far side of the field and blasted through helpless defenders who barely laid a hand on him.
   The Saxons answered with a seven-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a six-yard pass from South Salem quarterback Conor Lynch to Maximo Espitia. The drive took less than three minutes and the Saxons kicked off again to the Tigers.
   Mahoney fielded the kick and, again, found a clear running lane on the far side of the field. Tigers’ fans were on their feet and yelling loudly as Mahoney shook off defenders and ran straight through arm tackles, returning the kick for a 96-yard touchdown.
   The second runback wouldn’t stand, though. A penalty call for an illegal block brought the ball back to the Saxons’ 44-yard line.
   Both teams scored repeatedly in the first half.
   The Tigers scored on a possession after an 11-play drive that included hard running from Joey Chandler and Tazz Tinner.
   Quarterback Matt Dufour also connected with passes to Mahoney and Conor Hazenberg and the team had to overcome two penalties on the drive. Hazenberg scored the Tiger’s second touchdown from four-yards out.
   The Saxons managed a four-play drive that ended in a touchdown, a 16-yard fade pass from Lynch to Espitia then scored again on a four-play drive and a 28-yard pass play, leading 21-13.
   The Tigers recovered their own fumble then fought through a penalty on an eight-play drive with less than a minute left in the half. The drive included a gutsy fourth-and-one call that Dufour managed to convert on a tough two-yard plunge over the middle.
   The Saxons ended the half with a field goal, leading the Tigers 24-13, with four seconds left.
The second quarter scoring flurry by South Salem turned out to make the difference in the game.
   Both teams scored in the third and matched scores in the fourth, with a strong comeback from Newberg
Despite the Tigers’ effort, they could not overcome South Salem’s rally in the second quarter.
   “I’ve never scored 43 points in a game and lost,” Carlson said. “I felt bad that at the end of the first half we gave up 10 points.”
   Carlson said Dufour struggled in the first half because Salem “brought their ends hard.”
   “They are good athletes,” Carlson said. “We made adjustments and protected better in the second half.”
Carlson said he was proud that his team kept playing hard even when they were behind.
   “They never quit, they never gave up, they never stopped,” Carlson said. He said the numerous comebacks his team made showed their character.

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