Games I watched last week.
Eagle Point at Marist
Wow. Eagle Point went into halftime down just 7-6 to Marist. I don't think anyone could believe what they were seeing. The Eagles pounded the ball with some huge backs, namely seniors Garrett Snow (6' 1", 225) and Nick Owens (6' 2", 235), who combined for 141 yards on 26 carries for the game. Eagle junior Jakob Combs (5' 9", 180) added 61 yards. Good strategy - pound the ball and keep it out of Marist's hands for as long as possible.
In the meantime, Eagle Point was handling the Marist O, giving up zero yards on the ground, and somehow giving up just one score while Marist's Kamerun Smith was completing 10 of 14 passes in the first half.. The Spartans had lost their explosiveness.
I don't know what Marist's coach Geske's halftime speech was, but it might have been, "We're not going to try and run the ball the rest of the night." Then it was: Smith to Baird for a TD - Eagle fumble to give Marist the ball - Smith to Baird again for a TD - Eagles throw an interception - Smith to Baird for a 70 yd TD - then Smith to Walcott for a 35 yard TD. Obviously, the Spartans found their explosiveness, and the third quarter ended with Marist up 34-6. One more TD for Walcott in the fourth quarter and Josh Paiement collected a 16 yard TD pass before Combs scored the Eagles second TD.
Smith was 23 for 29 and 435 yards passing. 7 of his completions went for touchdowns.
North Eugene at Willamette
This was my first view of Willamette, Visarraga and crew. It was my second look at North Eugene.
Willamette jumped out quickly and went into the lockerroom at half up 35-0. Visarraga gained 168 yards on 21 carries before taking a seat early. Willamette is in the precarious situation this week of overlooking Marshfield when the Pirates visit Willamette. The Wolverines might just be looking at Marshfield's 1-4 season record and thinking, "This'll be a cakewalk, and we can't wait for the Marist game the following week and our old friend Kamerun Smith."
North Eugene dressed fewer than 30 players, with several young men on the sidelines with injury. It's really too bad there aren't more senior Highlanders on the team. North players have very good technique and are fighting each play. But it's tough on the players when there aren't bodies to come in and spell a player once in a while, or cover for an injured player. The good news is that North has a lot of juniors who are good athletes and can bring it. Kevin Haase (baseball player), Ryan Hodges, Dalton Pachano and Johnny Dawason were all over the place in the Willamette game. North has 17 juniors on the roster including starting QB Tyler Knabe. The juniors and a few sophomores are getting a ton of playing time. If they can bring in some more players in next years junior and sophomore classes, North can move up.
Hoo-ray for high school football
My visit to Springfield two weekends ago and to Willmaette last week reminded me of what is so good about high school football. I don't know that anyone else does as good a job as Springfield in putting on a great evening of entertainment. Silke is a great venue starting with the basics, like an easy to find and easy to use concession stand, easy to find restrooms, etc... to it's covered seating. Then there is the almost always state champion cheer team plus the great Miller marching band. Of course, the football players running through the Miller balloon has to be the best intro in the MWL.
Next up for a great MWL spectator experience might be Willamette. How can you beat the Wolverine mascot? (WSU has Butch the Coug, but that's a college) While Willamette doesn't have the best scenic stadium, there's something good about the covered seats and the fact that you can actually see each other in the stands. That's because Willamette has a lot of lights over the spectators, unlike some dark stands where grandma is about to tumble and break her hip because she didn't see a toddler in the stair way. But the best part of a Willamette game has to be the students and cheerleaders doing their line dance. Pure, honest fun.
Oct 7 Predictions
Note that all four league games are in the Eugene-Springfield area this week.
I gambled last week and tried to gain a two game lead on MWL fans in the polls. I picked Springfield over Churchill, while MWL fans picked Churchill. I knew that Springfield hasn't put together stellar defensive outings, but I thought I might sneak one by the MWL fans if Air Lancer couldn't click on O. Fat chance. Churchill always comes together the second half of the season. Lancer QB Mitch Reese could have waited one more game for my sake, but, noooo. Reese completed 17 passes for 315 yards and 4 tds.
Eagle Point at Springfield
I think this one is tougher than MWL fans think. Yes, Springfield is giving up points, but so is Eagle Point. I'm going to this game and I think there's a strong chance that it will be high scoring. Eagle Point will pound the ball and I think the Millers will try the airways. I'll go with home field advantage and Springfield and give MWL fans a chance to go ahead of me. MWL fans are voting for the Eagles by a 2 to 1 margin.
Marshfield at Willamette
Looking for an upset? Look to the Marshfield Pirates. The Pirates have been installing a new offense this year and it looked like money against Ashland last week. The Wolverines are thinking Marist in two weeks. Still, I'm going with the Wolverines.
Marist at Churchill
The Lancer's really clicked last week on offense. Churchill's Mitch Reese is comfortably in second place in league passing yardage and one of his receivers, Tucker Molinski, is in second in receiving yardage.... It will be interesting to see what Marist works on this week on offense after their zero rushing yards in the first half last week against Eagle Point. Marist should be able to handle the Churchill rushing game and the Spartan secondary is too quick for anyone in this league until proven otherwise. Going with Marist.
Ashland at North Eugene
Enjoy this one. Ashland puts an exciting offense on the field and North always tries to pull out all of the stops. Going with Ashland.
You can still vote in the MWL fan polls. Click Here
How I voted in the OregonLive.com poll this week.
My votes followed by the actual poll results for the OregonLive.com 5A poll
1-1. Sherwood
2-2. Marist
3-3. Corvallis
4-4. Mt View
5-5. Bend
6-6. Lebanon
7-7. West Albany
8-T8. Wilsonville
9.-T8 Ashland
10-12. Crescent Valley
Watch List: Willamette, Silverton, Hermiston
Marshfield's Coach Helfrich
Many of you know that Marshfield lost a special coach last month. - Mike Helfrich. This one hit me pretty hard.
I had just seen Mike at the North Eugene game. Mike was one of those people who instantly made you feel great about yourself. What made Mike extra special was that he continued to attend Marshfield events after he retired from coaching, forever encouraging Marshfield youth to improve just by his being present. You could always find him in the northeast bleachers at Hoffine Court with coach Wigle. You could find him anywhere there was a Pirate event. Mike had that old school mix of sending a message that an athlete needs to be really fit and tough, yet players always knew Mike was looking out for the best in his players. They say you can judge a man's character by the company he keeps. Mike was good friends with coach Wigle and another former coach, Bill Lilley. Both Wigle and Lilley shared Mike's ability to instantly make people feel great about themselves. They must have really felt great when it was just the three of them together. Farewell Mike.
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