The two local Class 2A football squads both fell short in their Sept. 6 nonleague season opening contest’s. The Neah-Kah-Nie High Pirates (0-1) lost a close game at home 22-16 to the Irrigon High Knights (1-0). The Nestucca High Bobcats (0-1) lost on the road 46-0 to the No. 4-ranked Gervais High Cougars (1-0).
Pirates had a rough start in falling behind 16-0 after the first quarter and trailed 22-0 at halftime. Led by junior quarterback Brady Douma (14-for-20 passing, 166 yards, touchdown), the Pirates made a valiant second half comeback effort that just came up a little short.
“The first half was rough, but we picked things up and we played better in the second half and only lost by six points,” said Quintana-Rios. “We shut them out in the second half, and we had a chance to score at the end of the game and it came down to the wire. We really played great in the second half, but we just had a slow start defensively in the first half. We’re hoping to bounce back and play better in our next game.”
The Pirates scored a third quarter touchdown along with a two-point conversion, making it 22-8 after three quarters. The Pirates then scored another touchdown in the fourth, while converting another two-point conversion, trimming the deficit to 22-16. The comeback effort stalled on a fourth down conversion attempt that fell just one-yard short at the 14-yard line.
The Pirates were led offensively by Douma (19 carries, 37 yards rushing) and running backs Alex Neto (nine carries, 59 yards rushing; four catches, 31 yards receiving) and Daniel Sargent (four carries, 25 yards rushing; three catches, 44 yards receiving). Senior receiver Jasper Folden (three catches, 42 yards receiving) and freshman receiver Dylan Sigman (three catches, 48 yards receiving) also made significant contributions to the Pirates’ offense.
Defensively, Sargent led the Pirates with 10 tackles, two fumble recoveries and an interception, followed by Neto (four tackles) and Noah Scovel (four tackles).
The Pirates faced the Sheridan High Spartans (1-0) Sept. 13 at Sheridan High School (results unavailable). The Pirates will meet the Bobcats in a Tillamook County rivalry game Friday at 7 p.m. at Neah-Kah-Nie High School in Rockaway. Nestucca won 32-20 in last year’s area matchup in the final game of the season on Oct. 27, 2023, in Rockaway.
Nestucca
The Bobcats struggled in a matchup versus the highly regarded Cougars, a 2023 state quarterfinal playoff team. The contest was very similar to a year ago, when the Cougars won 42-0 at home.
The Bobcats, guided by longtime (21-years) Coach Jeff Schiewe, were seeking to bounce back from their season opening loss when they met the Salem Academy Crusaders (1-0) Sept. 13 in Salem (results unavailable).
“Even though it was 100 degrees at the game in Gervais, we really played pretty respectable in the first half,” said Schiewe. “In the second half, we were just beaten pretty badly, and we were absolutely worn out. Our coastal temperature bodies that we have were just hating that particular aspect.”
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