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closeHeading back to the Dome
Cascade Christian’s offensive line takes over in the second half against Montesano in Class 1A quarterfinal football contest
Shaun Scott
Cascade Christian Cougars senior linebacker Trevor Horn couldn’t contain his jubilation any longer.
Horn, who finished with a team-high two sacks, was sprawled out on the fieldturf celebrating the biggest triumph of his high school career after his team had just registered a come-from-behind, 13-12 victory against the Montesano Bulldogs in the Class 1A quarterfinals on Nov. 21.
The Cougars will face Nooksack Valley at 1 p.m. Nov. 28 in the Class 1A semifinals at the Tacoma Dome.
Trailing 13-12 with just one minute, 59 seconds in regulation, Montesano had the ball on its own 30-yard line. The Bulldogs drove as far as the Cougars’ 44-yard line before Cougars defensive back Tyler Walrath tackled Montesano quarterback Josh Tyler just three yards short of a first down on Montesano’s fourth-down desperation run, setting off a wild celebration on the Cougars’ sidelines with 41 seconds left on the clock.
Cascade Christian’s offense ran out the clock on its ensuing offensive possession to preserve the victory behind four straight running plays. The last four plays of the game epitomized what the Cougars had to do to come up with the win. The Cougars’ offensive line dominated the second half, plowing open gaping holes for running backs Brendan Ossman and Colton Faverty. The Cougars were disappointed heading into the locker room at halftime, facing a 6-3 deficit. The only points of the first half for the Cougars came from kicker Jonathan Felczak’s 35-yard field goal in the first period.
Cougars head coach Randy Davis knew it was only matter of time before his team took control.
“We put the game in the hands of the offensive line at halftime. We saw some things and made some adjustments,” Davis said. “They beat us pretty good on the line in the first half and the second half our guys rose to the occasion.”
The Cougars’ offensive line made its statement on the opening drive of the third period, marching 80 yards in 13 plays before Faverty scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to give them a 10-6 lead with 7:22 left in the third period. Faverty rushed for 63 yards on the drive and quarterback Kyle Stennes hooked up with wide receiver David Walters on a 23-yard pass on fourth-and-17 to set up Faverty’s touchdown run. Felczack tacked on three more points with a 28-yard field goal, extending the Cougs’ lead to 13-6 with 11:55 left in regulation.
Montesano appeared to be in a favorable position to tie the game after a 2-yard touchdown run by Gabe West with 8:02 left in the game cutting the Cougs’ lead to 13-12. Montesano elected to fake a field goal and go for the two-point conversion. Josh Tyler was stopped mere inches from the endzone, preserving a lead the Cougars wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the night.
“We made the big plays we needed to,” Ossman said. “Even when we were down, we knew there was a lot of football to play. Our offensive line dominated in the second half. All of the credit goes to them.”
Faverty carried the ball 14 times for 85 yards and one touchdown. Ossman had 19 carries for 102 yards on the ground.
“We didn’t give up even when we were down,” Davis said. “We went through some adversity and showed our will to win. Montesano is a great team and this is a big win for us. I’m proud of our guys.”
While Davis and the Cougars were busily enjoying their win over previously unbeaten Montesano, they know they will have their hands full against a Nooksack Valley (10-2 overall) team that is peaking at the right time. Nooksack Valley defeated Kings, 54-47, in their quarterfinal matchup to advance to the semifinals against Cascade Christian.
“Their game against Kings was one of the best high school football games I’ve ever seen,” Davis said. “We have another huge challenge ahead of us. We’re looking forward to it.”