A6 — BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021
SPORTS
CLASS 1A STATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Heartbreaker
Powder Valley falls just short in loss to Adrian in state title game
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The (La Grande) Observer
In a game of inches, Pow-
der Valley came up just shy of
a state football championship.
The Badgers exchanged
blows with top-seeded Adrian
in the OSAA 1A state champi-
onship game, but the Ante-
lopes ultimately came out on
top. Despite leading through
the fi rst three quarters, Pow-
der Valley was bested 46-38
at Baker Bulldog Memorial
Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 27.
“The boys played outstand-
ing,” head coach Josh Cobb
said. “We just ran out of time.”
Coming into the title
matchup, top-seeded Adrian
had not trailed all season and
had outscored its opponents
618-54. The Antelopes blanked
Powder Valley 38-0 on Oct. 1.
The championship game
proved to be a much more
competitive matchup.
The action between the
two teams was neck-and-neck
for four quarters, with both
fanbases packing the stands
in Baker City.
The Antelopes started at
their normal pace, taking an
early lead. Adrian quarterback
Conley Martin, this year’s 1A
Special District 2 East player
of the year, ran for a 61-yard
touchdown on the game’s fi rst
play to give the Antelopes a
6-0 lead. He fi nished with
219 passing yards, 57 rushing
yards and four total touch-
downs.
Powder Valley did not back
down, as junior Cole Martin
ran the ensuing kickoff back
for a 94-yard touchdown. The
Badgers converted the extra
point to take an 8-6 lead, the
fi rst defi cit of the season for
Adrian. Powder Valley would
hold the lead until midway
through the fourth quarter.
Late in the fi rst half, the
Powder Valley defense came
up with a huge stop on fourth-
and-goal at the team’s own
eight-yard line. Just when it
looked like the Antelopes were
going to retake the lead, the
Badgers gained momentum.
Early in the second quarter,
senior Case Olson broke loose
for a 65-yard rushing touch-
down that put the Badgers up
16-6 and ignited the Powder
Valley sideline.
Adrian stayed calm and
kept to its game plan. Conley
Martin concluded a produc-
tive drive with a two-yard
touchdown run to cut the lead
to 16-14. Despite driving deep
into Adrian territory, Powder
Valley ran out of time before
the half and went into the
locker room leading by two
points.
In the second half, the
teams settled in as touch-
downs came much easier for
the offensive weapons on both
teams.
Powder Valley senior Casey
Vaughan opened the scoring
in the second half with an
eight-yard receiving touch-
down to put the Badgers up
24-14.
Once again, Adrian
responded quickly and scored
on a 23-yard touchdown pass
from Conley Martin to Gavin
Bayes to cut the lead back to
24-22 just four minutes into
the third quarter.
Powder Valley quarterback
Reece Dixon was effi cient
throughout the game, coming
up with huge plays in the
second half. He scored on a 23-
yard touchdown run with 5:30
remaining in the third quarter
to give the Badgers a 32-22
lead. Dixon fi nished the game
with 107 rushing yards, 129
passing yards and three total
touchdowns. Kaden Krieger,
Dixons’ top target, made
several big plays throughout
the contest and hauled in 72
receiving yards.
As the fi nal seconds ticked
off the clock in the third
quarter, Adrian running
back Jace Martin scored on a
13-yard rushing touchdown
to cut Powder Valley’s lead to
32-30. At the conclusion of two
dominant seasons, both teams’
championship hopes came
down to the fi nal 12 minutes.
Early in the fourth quarter,
Powder drove deep into
Adrian territory but suffered
a major blow — Dixon left
the fi eld due to injury. But
on fourth-and-goal from the
Adrian nine, Dixon returned
and ran for a touchdown. He
would play sparingly for the
rest of the game.
“We stayed focused and
never gave up,” Cobb said of
battling through adversity.
The Badgers could not
convert the extra point, which
kept the Antelopes within one
score at 38-30 with 9:14 left in
the game.
Jace Martin was back at it
again for the Antelopes on the
ensuing drive, closing out an
Adrian drive with a two-yard
touchdown run. Conley Mar-
tin converted the two-point
conversion to knot the game
at 38-38 with just under fi ve
Alex Wittwer/The (La Grande) Observer
Case Olson (No. 25) makes a clean break to score a touchdown against Adrian at
Baker High School on Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021. Powder Valley Badgers lost to Adrian
Antelopes 46-38 during the fi nal game for the OSAA 1A State Championship in a
heartbreaking fi nale which saw a successful comeback attempt in the fourth quarter
by Adrian.
minutes remaining.
“It was a tough game,”
Cobb said. “On both sides,
the teams played real good
football.”
The tension was palpable
on both sidelines as the sun
began to set on an epic cham-
pionship matchup.
Dixon came back into the
game, but a big hit on third-
and-21 led to a fumble that
gave Adrian the ball at the
Powder Valley six-yard line.
Just one play later, Conley
Martin ran in from six yards
out to give the Antelopes their
fi rst lead since the opening
minute. Adrian led 46-38 with
2:37 remaining in the game.
Adrian came away with
several key stops to force a
fourth-and-11 at the Powder
Valley 21-yard line with just
1:46 to go. With the season on
the line, Dixon was unable to
complete a pass to Cole Mar-
tin as the Antelopes secured
the victory.
“I wish we would have
come out on top, but they
were better than us today,”
Cobb said.
The title is the second
consecutive offi cial OSAA
state championship for
Adrian, who defeated St. Paul
in 2019.
“It’s outstanding,” Cobb
said of the large turnout for
the game. “This is small-
town football. To play in east
Oregon on grass and to have
a fi nish like that — you can’t
get any better than that.”
For Powder Valley, the
season fi nishes just one
touchdown shy of glory. The
Badgers concluded the year as
state runners-up after going
11-2 on the year.
“It was a great season,”
Cobb said. “They had so much
focus all season. Both teams
played two seasons in one
academic year. That’s a lot of
football to stay healthy for.”
Powder Valley’s large group
of seniors helped the team get
to the championship game
for the fi rst time since 2003,
which marks just the fourth
time that the school has com-
peted in the fi nal.
“It’s been really fun,” Cobb
said. “We’ll be back next year.”
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