A6 — BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2021
SPORTS
Second-half spurt lifts Baker past Nyssa/Harper
By JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Gauge Bloomer said the
Baker football team, sitting
in their locker room with a
7-6 halftime lead over Nyssa/
Harper Charter Friday night,
Oct. 1, had an intense conver-
sation.
“We just said, hey, we’re
making plays out there,” said
Bloomer, a senior and Baker’s
top running back.
The Bulldogs, he said, felt
they should have more than
the slimmest of leads.
When they left the locker
room and ran back to Baker
Bulldog Memorial Stadium,
they were, Bloomer said,
“fi red up.”
Their excitement showed
on the fi eld — and, after a
bit of a sluggish start, on
the scoreboard — as Baker
dominated the fi nal 16 min-
utes to take a 35-14 win and
improve to 2-3 with its second
straight win.
“We’re on a two-game win-
ning streak and we’re feeling
good,” said Bloomer, who had
192 yards rushing on 22 car-
ries, including 151 yards on 16
rushes in the second half.
Bloomer had four touch-
downs for the second game in
a row, repeating the feat from
Baker’s 41-0 win over Newport
on Sept. 25, when he ran for
195 yards.
On Friday, after Nyssa/
Harper tied the score at 14 on
Ryan Talbot’s 25-yard touch-
down run on a sweep to the
right with 4:10 left in the third
quarter, Baker dominated.
The Bulldogs scored the
next 21 points in a seven-
minute span.
Bloomer had two of the
three touchdowns — his third
and fourth of the game — and
Baker took advantage of great
fi eld position on each of the
three scoring drives.
The worst start was on
the fi rst drive, when Jaron
Long returned the kickoff
to the Baker 49 following
Nyssa/Harper’s game-tying
touchdown.
Bloomer accounted for
all 49 yards, most of it on a
40-yard run on second down
when he weaved through
the defense to the Nyssa/
Harper 11.
Two plays later, Bloomer
burst through a gaping hole on
the right side of the defensive
line for a nine-yard touchdown.
Hudson Spike, who made
all fi ve extra points, booted the
ball through to give Baker the
lead for good at 21-14.
On the ensuing possession,
Baker’s Malaki Myer picked
off Andrew Enders’ pass. Myer
ran the ball back for an appar-
ent score, but his touchdown
was nullifi ed by an illegal
block penalty on Baker.
The Bulldogs settled for
starting at the Nyssa 25. On
the fi nal play of the third quar-
ter, Myer caught a fi ve-yard
pass from Paul Hobson, who
was celebrating his birthday.
The fourth quarter started
with Tate Powell running for
10 yards and a fi rst and goal at
the Nyssa/Harper 8.
Bloomer then took over
again, running for three yards
and then plowing into the end
zone from fi ve yards out for his
fourth touchdown. Spike’s PAT
boosted Baker’s lead to 28-14
less than two minutes into the
fi nal quarter.
The next sequence followed
a similar progression.
Spike’s long kickoff left Nys-
sa/Harper starting at its own
13. On their third play from
scrimmage, Dash Bloomer
recovered a fumble at the 13.
On Baker’s fi rst play, Dylon
Freeman sprinted off the left
side for a touchdown and
Baker, with its second touch-
down in 95 seconds of game
time, led 35-14.
“It’s a momentum thing,”
Baker coach Jason Ramos said
of the stretch after the Bull-
dogs broke the 14-14 tie and
took control. “When you can
capitalize and be opportunistic,
it takes the wind out of the
sails of the other team.”
Nyssa/Harper threatened
to score late in the game, aided
by three Baker penalties, but
Nyssa/Harper fumbled again
and Gauge Bloomer recovered
at the Baker 8 with 4:22 left in
the game.
Bloomer ran four times for
69 yards on the next pos-
session, including a 50-yard
rumble that would have been
his fi fth touchdown but for an
ankle tackle that brought him
down at the Nyssa 4.
Hobson then took a knee to
run out the clock.
Bloomer credited his offen-
sive line and other teammates
for giving him space to run as
he neared 200 yards for the
second straight game.
“I’m looking for a crease,
but it’s my teammates that
make the creases,” Bloomer
said.
Early Friday, in front of a
That was certainly the
case against Nyssa/Harper,
as Bloomer gained most of
his yards — and three of his
four touchdowns — in the
second half.
Ramos said he was also
pleased with Hobson’s perfor-
mance — 9 of 17 passing for
138 yards and, perhaps most
importantly, no interceptions.
“He’s getting better,” Ramos
said of his sophomore quarter-
back. “It’s a progression.”
Defensively, Ramos said
Baker largely accomplished
the goal he had emphasized
during the previous week of
practice — controlling the line
of scrimmage with the four
defensive linemen.
“We did a nice job for the
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
most part,” he said.
Baker’s Alex Ritter, right, sacks Nyssa/Harper quarterback Andrew Enders during
After losing its fi rst three
Baker’s 35-14 win Friday, Oct. 1 at Baker Bulldog Memorial Stadium. Ritter also
games to Cascade, Homedale
recovered a fumble.
and Weiser — teams with a
Santiago Miranda, Enders and and the score remained 7-6.
relatively sparse crowd on a
combined record of 15-0 —
On the opening possession Baker has won two in a row
Landon McDowall. McDowall’s
cool, clear and nearly wind-
10-yard reception brought the of the second half, Myer ran
less evening, Baker seemed
with another home game,
the kickoff to the Baker 45,
destined to run away from the ball to the Baker 16.
against Vale, set for this Friday,
and the Bulldogs took advan- Oct. 8 at 7 p.m.
What followed then was
visiting Bulldogs.
Nyssa/Harper had the ball the game’s wildest sequence of tage of the good fi eld position.
“Hopefully we can keep it
Bloomer ran for 11 yards,
fi rst, and after losing six yards plays, with fumbles on three
going,” Bloomer said.
but an illegal motion pen-
straight plays.
on three plays, they punted.
Ramos said Vale, which is
Nyssa/Harper fumbled on alty, a run for no gain and an
Myer returned the punt to the
4-1 with its lone loss 37-12 to
incomplete pass left Baker
Nyssa 25, and on Baker’s fi rst two plays in a row.
La Grande, is a formidable
facing a fourth and 7 from the opponent.
They recovered the fi rst,
play from scrimmage, Bloomer
raced to the end zone. Spike’s after a loss of seven yards, but Nyssa 42.
“We know they’re going to
Hobson rolled to his right
Baker’s Alex Ritter pounced
PAT gave Baker a 7-0 lead
come out and play hard, as
and found Long streaking
less than two minutes into the on the ball after Enders was
they always do,” Ramos said.
sacked, and Baker had the ball down the sideline for a 41-yard
game.
He said the Bulldogs will
Baker forced another punt on its own 34 with 6:30 left in gain to the Nyssa 2.
focus this week on eliminating
Bloomer ran it in from
on Nyssa/Harper’s second pos- the fi rst half.
the self-infl icted wounds —
there, and Spike’s kick gave
But on Baker’s fi rst play,
session, and Baker started its
penalties, bobbled snaps and
Baker a 14-6 lead with 9:13
Bloomer fumbled and Nyssa
drive at its own 30.
the like — that stifl ed their
left in the third quarter.
recovered at the Baker 44.
Baker avoided a turnover
momentum at times against
Ramos said Bloomer’s
Ritter sacked Enders on
by recovering Hobson’s fumble
Nyssa/Harper and kept the
on a sack, and on the next play the next play for a loss of four performance in the past two
game close until well into the
yards, but Nyssa/Harper then games, with eight total touch- third quarter.
he found Spike for a 20-yard
downs, is hardly a surprise
went 48 yards in eight plays,
completion.
Although the Bulldogs
capped by McDowall’s 11-yard from the senior.
But the drive stalled and
have four games remaining,
“We know we’re going to
Baker turned the ball over on touchdown run. The two-point
Bloomer said the last, the
downs at its own 48 with 5:48 try failed, though, and Baker feed him the ball, and eventu- Homecoming game against La
ally he’s going to pop one for a Grande on Oct. 29, looms in his
still led 7-6 with 1:54 left in
left in the fi rst quarter.
long gain,” Ramos said.
the half.
Nyssa/Harper gained 17
mind as he fi nishes his high
He said Bloomer’s physical school career.
Baker drove into Nyssa/
yards but Ryan Richardson
running style, and ability to
fumbled after catching a pass Harper territory thanks to
“La Grande — they’re our
from Enders, and Baker recov- Hobson’s 30-yard pass to Spike break tackles, tends to wear
rivals, and that’s what it’s all
with 53 seconds left, but Baker down defenders as the game
ered the ball at its own 31.
building up to,” he said with
turned the ball over on downs progresses.
On the ensuing drive
a smile.
Hobson scrambled and found
Spike for 22 yards, but Baker
was forced to punt in the fi nal
30 seconds of the quarter.
“We got off to a great start
and then we had some of our
own unforced mistakes that
killed some drives,” Ramos
said. “The momentum clearly
went back to Nyssa at that
point.”
Nyssa/Harper put together
its best drive of the game,
mostly on the ground with
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