Canby Herald Online

Video: Defense propels Canby into state quarterfinals

Cougars hold second-highest scoring team in state to lowest season total

• By: Alex Tam  
• Published: 11/21/2009 1:21:06 AM
• Last Updated: 11/23/2009 12:03:15 AM

Photo By: Alex TamFootball: Canby 28, Sprague 21
Canby High School seniors Cody Smith and Jordan Knigge (34) celebrate following Friday's 28-21 victory over Sprague in the second round of the Class 6A state playoffs.

SALEM — The biggest question heading into Friday’s matchup was how would Canby’s defense handle Sprague’s offense.

The Olympians were ranked second in the state in points scored at 44.9 per game during the regular season.

In the end, No. 3 Canby was up to the challenge, shutting Sprague to just seven second-half points en route to a 28-21 victory in the second round of the Class 6A state playoffs at Sprague High School.

“It’s a huge win,” senior Cody Smith said. “We came in knowing they’re a great offensive team and it was going to be an offensive battle. We prepared hard all week on defense, changed some things up and got a lot of people back.

“The defense held out well. They averaged 40 points per game and we held them to 21.”

The 21 points was a season low for the Olympians, who had scored 40 points or more in seven of their nine games played this season. Their previous low was 32 points in a 35-32 loss to South Salem.

“To come back here and pretty much take down a team that was averaging 40 points and hold them to 21, that’s amazing,” senior Mike Raub said.

The win marked the Cougars’ eighth straight heading into the Class 6A state quarterfinals next week.

With the score tied 21-21 in the third quarter, Canby grabbed the lead for the first time when senior fullback Jordan Knigge raced up the sideline 45 yards for a touchdown with 1.3 seconds to go and a 28-21 advantage.

In the fourth quarter, both teams traded turnovers as Sprague senior quarterback Jeff Kidd threw an errant option pass backward near the goal-line, which Canby recovered with 9:17 to go in the game.

With the Cougars seeking to run the clock out, senior Bryan Takano had the ball ripped out of his hands with 8:34 left.

The Olympians had two more possessions in the game, but Canby’s defense held tough and forced them into two punts.

The Cougars got the ball back with 2:35 left, looking to run time off. Facing a third-and-12 situation with 1:37 to go, Canby senior quarterback Josh Yoder outran Sprague’s defense at midfield for 21 yards and a key first down.

“It was a pass play but the coaches said, ‘Be careful if it’s not there,’” Yoder said. “And just take it down and run it and I saw an opening and had to get the first down.”

Canby sophomore Kyle Bartram then sealed the win with a bruising 22-yard run to Sprague’s 15-yard line with 55.2 seconds left. Yoder kneeled down twice to end the game.

“Coming in, we knew they were the second-highest scoring team in the state,” Yoder said. “And we just knew our defense had to step up big and playoff games are all about controlling the ball. We had a little trouble with that, had some fumbles but our defense did great in the second half.”

Sprague had posted a season-high 56 points more than a month ago on North Salem in a 35-point victory behind the arm of Kidd and his slew of weapons that included senior running back Brian Conklin, senior running back Parker Miles, senior wide receiver Chad Coburn and senior tight end Jeff Weisenhaus.

The Olympians led for much of the first half after Conklin scored on a 7-yard touchdown run with 4:07 to go in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.

The Cougars answered to begin the second quarter when Takano rumbled in for a 3-yard touchdown run with 11:56 to go to tie the game, 7-7.

Sprague answered back at the end of the first half when Miles broke several tackles en route to a 11-yard touchdown run for a 14-7 lead with 1:03 to go.

When it appeared the Olympians would have the momentum heading into the second half, the Cougars responded with a seven-play, 67-yard drive that culminated with Yoder’s 3-yard touchdown completion to junior tight end Dia Kuznetsov as time expired.

“That was a huge momentum-changer,” Yoder said. “My line did a great job giving me time to throw and I found Dia in the back of the endzone and we got the momentum heading into the second half.”

Canby coach Mike Doty said he was extremely happy with his team’s defense.

“We knew this was a good football team,” Doty said. “One of the toughest second-round matchups that we’ve ever had in the playoffs. They were the second-leading scoring team in the state and they had many weapons — a quarterback who could run and throw it, receivers who can run and catch it, as well as running backs who had skill and toughness, and a pretty good offensive line.

“So we knew it was going to be a tough ballgame, and it was.”

Canby (10-1 overall) now advances to the Class 6A state quarterfinals when it will host Centennial.

The time, date and place has yet to be determined as of press time. The location of the game may be held away from Canby High School, and a decision will be made by Monday afternoon.

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Canby Cougars	0	14	14	0	28
Sprague Olympians	7	7	7	0	21

Scoring summary
1st
04:07  S - Brian Conklin 7 run (Parker Miles PAT)
2nd
11:56  C - Bryan Takano 3 run (Kyle DeVos PAT)
01:03  S - Miles 11 run (Miles PAT)
00:00  C - Dia Kuznetsov 3 pass from Josh Yoder (DeVos PAT)
3rd
06:23  S - Conklin 12 run (Miles PAT)
04:38  C - Kyle Bartram 5 run (DeVos PAT)
00:01  C - Jordan Knigge 45 run (DeVos PAT)

Game statistics
PASSING: Canby - Josh Yoder (5-7, 30, TD); Cody Smith (0-1); Sprague - Jeff Kidd (13-25, 174, INT)
RUSHING: Canby - Jordan Knigge (5-60, TD), Bryan Takano (7-33, TD), Brandon Harms (8-109), Yoder (9-48), Ricky Nanez (6-40), Kyle Bartram (3-34), Adam Bell (3-11), Gavin Osterberg (1-3); Sprague - Brian Conklin (13-68, 2 TD), Parker Miles (10-73, TD), Chad Coburn (9-62), Jordan Giza (1-2), Kidd (6-(-9))
RECEIVING: Canby - Dia Kuznetsov (1-3, TD), Takano (1-15), Bell (1-11), Smith (1-6), Masson Meserve (1-(-5)); Sprague - Jeff Weisenhaus (4-93), Coburn (6-45), Michael DeSouza (2-41)
PENALTIES: Canby (4-31), Sprague (2-10)
INTERCEPTIONS: Canby 1 (Bell), Sprague 0

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