The Observer., November 25, 2019, Page 7, Image 7

7A
Monday, November 25, 2019
The Observer
Tigers roar into state final
Ben Lonergan/EO Media Group
The La Grande Tigers celebrate their 68-0 win Saturday evening over The Dalles at Kennison Field in Hermiston in the semifinals of the OSAA Class 4A state playoffs.
■ ■ Tigers control every aspect of the game, maul The Dalles, 68-0 in state semifinal
By Ronald Bond
The Observer
HERMISTON — The fog
in Hermiston made it a bit
tricky to see Saturday night’s
state semifinal game.
One fact, though, was un-
mistakable — the La Grande
Tigers didn’t have any issues
finding the end zone.
Nathan Reed rushed for
185 yards and three touch-
downs and caught a fourth,
Parker Robinson threw three
touchdown passes, and the
Tigers controlled every facet
of the game on the way to
a 68-0 win over The Dalles
Riverhawks in the Class 4A
semifinals.
“This is everything,”
said senior defensive back
Josh Zollman, who had an
interception return for a
touchdown in the win. “I’ve
been dreaming of this since
freshman year. This is every-
thing to me. I’m so excited I
can’t think.”
Next up, the state cham-
pionship game, where La
Grande will face the defend-
ing state champion Banks
Braves — who won Satur-
day’s other semifinal game
over Marist, 56-31 — in next
Saturday’s 4A final, which
will be played at 6 p.m. in
Hermiston.
The Tigers (11-0 overall)
quickly made it apparent it
would be their night, forcing
a 3-and-out on The Dalles’
first series and getting on
the board shortly after on
a 42-yard TD reception by
Payton Cooper for a 7-0 lead.
The wave of blue and
white kept coming non-stop
as the Tigers basically did
whatever they wanted. La
Grande found the end zone
in the running game — Reed
scored on running plays of 1
Ben Lonergan/EO Media Group
La Grande’s Nathan Reed turns upfield during Saturday’s win over The Dalles in the
4A state semifinals in Hermiston.
and 29 yards in the first half
and added a 62-yard run on
the second play of the third
to make it 45-0, Robinson
added a 56-yard TD run
in the first half, and Brody
MacMillan had a 61-yard
touchdown run in the fourth
— and through the air —
Robinson added a 46-yard
deep pass to Blaine Shaw
and a 40-yarder to Reed on
a screen to help the Tigers
build a 39-0 halftime lead.
“We’re so dangerous at
running and passing, so we
keep defenses on their toes,”
Reed said. “If they start
keying on the run game
and slowing that down,
Parker will go and throw
a touchdown and that will
open up the run game again.
It’s super hard to stop our
dominant run game and
dominant passing game.”
Even the defense and
special teams got in on the
scoring act. Shaw returned a
punt 57 yards for a touch-
down early in the third quar-
ter, and Zollman returned
his interception 17 yards to
make the score 61-0 midway
through the third quarter.
“Coach (Matt) Wolcott did
a phenomenal job of get-
ting the kids dialed in on
defense,” head coach Rich
McIlmoil said. “(We) knew
what to expect. We had a
couple ideas of what they
were going to try to do. We
had a feeling they would
probably try to pass it on
us more because we have a
pretty solid run defense.”
The Tigers scored on their
first eight possessions and
weren’t stopped on offense
until the final minute of the
game. La Grande piled up
499 yards of total offense and
See Tigers / Page 10A
■ ■ Dominant win somewhat of a shock,
but shouldn’t be after a second glance
Saturday’s state semifi-
short? Did I overplay The
nal outcome shocked me.
Dalles?
It wasn’t that I didn’t
Perhaps both are true to
expect the La Grande
an extent.
Tigers to win, and even win
Here’s what I think re-
convincingly.
ally happened — this La
Rather, it was the ap-
Grande team was not going
parent ease of the Tigers
to be denied Saturday.
as they
The
RONALD’S
dominat-
team
ed every
thoroughly
REPORT
facet of
scouted
RONALD BOND
the game
The Dalles,
in their 68-0 thumping of
as it has every opponent
The Dalles Saturday night
this season, and shut down
in Hermiston.
the Riverhawks’ offense.
Stop to think of that for a Defensive coordinator Matt
minute. Sixty-eight to noth- Wolcott deserves a ton of
ing. In a semifinal game.
credit for the game plans
The game, from start
he has come up with all
to finish, was a thorough
season long, but especially
whipping of a team that
during the postseason.
has been hot the last six
The Tigers have allowed
weeks. The Dalles had won 16 points in three playoff
five of its last six contests
games — that’s 5.3 points
to get to the semifinals, and per game — and shut out
itself was putting up some
back-to-back teams. They
gaudy numbers on offense
have the best defense in
(see a 55 point-per-game
Class 4A and the third-
average in three postseason best in the entire state,
games coming in).
regardless of classification.
The Riverhawks’ defense Only 2A Heppner and 3A
was suspect, especially
Burns have a lower point-
after giving up 51 points in per-game average than
their quarterfinal win.
the 7.91 allowed by the
But as I looked at it, I felt Tigers this season — and
The Dalles, not only being
Heppner is playing for the
an improved team from the 2A title. No team at any
first matchup against La
level has been better in the
Grande, but being healthier, playoffs on defense.
would put up more of a
For a good picture of
fight than it did the first
how good the defense has
time. La Grande, I told
been, look no further than
myself and a couple others
what La Grande did in two
prior to the game, was still
games to The Dalles re-
going to win, but probably
ceiver Okean Green. Green
by three touchdowns — say, has been difficult for teams
35-14 or 28-7.
to stop as the Riverhawks’
The score was 39-0 by
leading rusher out of the fly
halftime, and the running
sweep with 1,104 yards on
clock was in place a minute the season.
into the second half.
But nearly all of that
See Bond / Page 10A
Did I sell La Grande