It was a rough Friday night for Scappoose football.
The Indians — after starting the season with road wins over Pendleton and Baker — were shutout by Cascade, falling to the visiting Cougars 36-0 on Sept. 13 at Scappoose High School.
After being eliminated by Scappoose in last year’s state quarterfinals, Cascade had a point to prove and they proved it, building a 29-0 first-half lead on the back of junior running back Bryce Kuenzi who spearheaded a Cougar attack that took the fight to the Indians who — at least on this night — weren’t up to the challenge.
“Going into the game we they were very disciplined and very physical, and there was some concern as to how our guys would handle it,” coach Sean McNabb said. “We just didn’t match up with them that way that night. They outcoached me, they outplayed us, it was a long weekend.”
Kuenzi carried 31 times for 190 yards and four touchdowns.
Cascade head coach Shane Hedrick said Kuenzi is one of the best backs he’s had, and one he expects to play at the next level.
“He’s one of the top backs I’ve had in a long time,” Hedrick said. “He’s as physical as any kid we’ve had. He’s not that Division I speed kid, but he’s a small-college running back, a Linfield kind of guy.”
McNabb echoed the opposing coach’s comments on the running back.
“Their running back is probably one of the better running backs in the state,” McNabb said. “I can’t imagine at the 4A level, anybody being much better than him.”
To make things worse, the Indians were forced to play the second half without standout quarterback Max Nowlin who injured his ankle late in the second quarter.
The three-year starter had thrown for 741 yards and seven touchdowns in Scappoose’s first two games but was limited to just eight pass attempts before hurting his ankle, completing six of them for 53 yards. From there the Indians were forced to turn to sophomore quarterback Will Kessi for which the hill — understandably — proved too steep to climb.
“We got a little something going right before half, but then our quarterback (Nowlin) got hurt and we had our backup in the whole second half,” McNabb said, “and it’s just not the same.”
The coach said that while the team didn’t take kindly to the defeat, he’s confident they’ll respond this week versus another formidable opponent, Estacada.
“The guys took it hard, but it’s all about being resilient and being able to bounce back,” McNabb said. “I know the guys will handle it the right way and bounce back.”
McNabb said he wasn’t yet sure whether Nowlin would be available for this Friday’s game, but said that whether he is or isn’t, it’s up to he and the team to be ready to compete.
“We’ve just got to put him in the best position to be successful, and defensively we’ve got to make sure we do our job and we’ll be in good shape,” McNabb said. “But Estacada, their physical, and I expect them to come in and give us a great game.”
Despite the loss, McNabb also believes that his team learned a little something from the game with Cascade, and that in the future they should better understand what to expect when facing a motivated foe.
“I think going in, they felt a little bit bulletproof after the two big wins over Baker and Pendleton,” McNabb said. “Now, it’s going to be all about the Cowapa League, and we just got a taste of a team wanting to get the best of us. And Seaside hasn’t beaten us in I don’t know how long, and that’s the first league game of the season, so we’ve got to be ready to go.”
Local News
Comments / 0