Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, December 2, 1992 - THREE
Mustangs nip Cougars, 14-13
The Heppner Mustangs hung
tough and won a thriller over the
Crow Cougars 14-13 Saturday,
Nov. 28 in the Class 2A State
Championship Semifinals. The
Mustangs will play the Vale Vik
ings, a 21-6 winner over the Lost
River Raiders.
Crow brought a big, strong
veteran team to the Morrow
County Fairgrounds to play the
Mustangs before a huge crowd of
fans. Turnovers and conditioning
both played big roles as the
Mustangs recovered two Cougar
fumbles and intercepted two
passes. After a hectic first
quarter, the Mustangs settled
down to shutout Crow for the rest
of the game and seemed to
dominate as the Mustangs speed
and strength overcame the
Cougars’ size advantage.
The Mustangs survived a
disastrous first quarter. After
receiving the opening kickoff and
getting a first down, Heppner
committed their only turnover of
the game. Quarterback Rick Kof-
fler had his pitch knocked down
and recovered by linebacker
Jason Canaday at the Mustang 33
yard line.
Crow wasted little time in put
ting the ball into the end zone.
Canaday, a hard running
halfback, gained 17 yards on
Crow’s first play. Canaday gain
ed 70 yards on 13 carries on the
afternoon. Quarterback Adam
Manley hit split end Brett
Johnson with a bullet down to the
two yard line and Manley ran the
next play into the end zone for the
touchdown with 7:18 remaining
in the first quarter. Brett Bottom
kicked the pat for a 7-0 Crow
lead.
This was the first time the
Heppner Mustangs were behind
this season and it tested the
players’ fortitude. The Mustangs
punted after three downs but An
dy Barker mishandled the punt
and Ryan Pence hustled down
and recovered the ball.
Heppner started from their own
40 yard line. A play action fake
found Len Brittner wide open.
Koffler hit Brittner and he made
several nice moves en route to a
49 yard pass completion to the
Cougar 11 yard line. On third and
four, Koffler kept the ball on the
option around the left end for the
score. Brittner shanked the pat
after a high snap from center and
Crow led, 7-6.
The Cougars struck back
quickly. After a 15 yard gain by
Canaday up the middle, Manley
found Jeremy Martin wide open
down the middle on blown pass
coverage for a 42 yard
touchdown pass. The pat was
bobbled and defensive end Tony
Burt lit up Bottom with a vicious
hit to snuff the attempt. With 1:13
left in the first quarter. Crow led
13-6.
The Mustangs were defended
well for the remainder of the half
by Crow’s huge line and mobile
linebacking corp. Meanwhile the
Mustangs were doing everything
they could to stop the Cougars.
Ryan Pence stripped halfback
Brodie Thomson of the ball and
linebacker Scott Coe recovered
the fumble to stop the Cougars’
next drive. Brittner made a div
ing interception of a Manley pass
to stop another Crow rally.
As the first half ended, the
crowd was restless as the
Mustangs were having trouble
moving the ball against the big
ger Cougars.
Heppner came out determined
to take the lead in the third
quarter. After forcing Crow to
punt, the Mustangs took over on
their own 21 yard line. The
Mustangs benefitted from a pass
interception call early in the drive
and then Coe took an option pitch
for an 11 yard gain. Coe earned
every one of the 47 yards he gain
ed on the day. Five different
backs carried the ball 25 more
yards on the next five plays. Kof
fler hit Burt across the middle for
a 15 yard gain to the goal line.
After Koffler was stuffed on a
quarterback keeper, he ran into
the end zone behind the blocking
o f Pence and tackle Kevin
Kilkenny. The score was 13-12
with Crow leading when coach
Greg Grant went for the lead with
a two-point conversion attempt.
Koffler dropped back to pass,
looking for Burt in the left cor
ner of the end zone. Burt broke
off his route inside and Koffler
headed for the end zone. Fullback
T.R. Riehl sprung Koffler with
a great block on Canaday. The
two point conversion was good
and with 3:23 remaining in the
third quarter it gave Heppner a
14-13 lead.
The third quarter ended as Burt
sacked Manley for a nine yard
loss and Shane Munkers caused
an intentional grounding call on
Manley with a strong rush up the
middle. Crow was forced to punt.
Defensive Back Kevin Payne
intercepted the Cougars’ next
possession for the fourth Cougar
turnover of the afternoon. The
pick set up the Mustangs on the
Crow 30 yard line. A penalty
moved Heppner back five yards.
The Mustangs were penalized
twice on the afternoon. Payne
gained 10 yards on a reverse but
the Cougars took over on downs
with 5:55 remaining and 73 yards
to paydirt.
Things looked bleak for Hepp
ner on the first two plays. Cana
day and Thomson each romped
15 yards up the middle to cross
midfield. Thomson was the
leading rusher with 81 yards on
nine carries. After one more first
down, the Mustangs stiffened.
Crow lined up for a 42 yard
field goal. Kicker Brett Bottom
had plenty of leg but the kick sail
ed just wide right to preserve the
victory.
Statistically the game was as
even as the score. Crow gained
238 total yards to Heppners’ 210.
First downs favored Heppner,
11-10. The team that made the
least mistakes won the game.
Crow suffered through four tur
novers while the Mustangs lost
only one fumble.
The win sends the Mustangs in
to the Class 2A championship
game for the second time in five
years. The game between Hepp
ner and the Vale Vikings will be
played Saturday, December 5 at
Parker Stadium in Corvallis on
the campus of Oregon State
University. It will be played in
conjunction with the Class 1A
and 3A championship games.
St. Paul will play Dufur in the
Class 1A final at 11 a.m. The
Mustangs will challenge Vale at
1:30 p.m. and The Dalles and St.
Helens will square off at 4 p.m.
in the Class 3A championship
game.
Photo by Joyce Hughes
Kevin Payne makes interception against Cougars. No. 32 is Scott Coe. Pass was intended for No.
80, Brett Johnson.
L-R: Seniors Ryan Pence, T.R. Riehl, Kevin Kilkenny, Scott Coe, Jason Hanna and Shane
Munkers and an autographed football by the San Diego Chargers show who’s number one.
Kevin received the football this week congratulating the Mustangs on their outstanding season.
His brother Pat has a friend on the Chargers team and arranged for the ball to be sent.
Photo by Joyce Hughes
Heppner’s Shane Munkers gets a hold of Crow running back
Jed Owen’s (42) jersey.
Photo by Joyce Hughes
Mustang fans get excited during game
BEST OF LUCK
MUSTANGS!
It’s a joy to watch a team
that’s willing to pay
the price for success!
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ASC nominees
set
The slate of nominees for the
upcoming ASC committee elec
tion has been developed, R. H
Matthews has announced.
The candidates in Morrow
County are as follow: Richard A.
Peterson, Clinton H. Krebs and
William R. Jepsen.
The ASC committee election
will be conducted by mail from
November 27 until December 7.
Voters may also get ballots at the
county ASCS office. Eligible
ASC voters will receive a secret
ballot in the mail with instructions
on how to vote for candidates of
their choice and return the ballot
to the county ASCS office.
ASCS encourages nominations
of qualified women and
minorities because historically
they have not been well
represented on ASCS commit
tees, said Matthews. Participation
in ASC elections is open to all
farmers regardless of race,
religion, sex, color, age, han
dicap. or national origin.
From our special
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P O . Bo* 305
Heppner, Oregon 97136