Canby Herald Online

Video: Cougars slaughter Centennial en route to semifinals

No. 3 Canby posts school-record 63 points in Friday's quarterfinal victory

• By: Alex Tam  
• Published: 11/28/2009 12:31:46 AM
• Last Updated: 11/29/2009 11:18:27 PM

Photo By: Alex TamFootball: Canby 63, Centennial 36
Canby High School senior Jordan Knigge runs through Centennial's defense in Friday's 63-36 victory in the Class 6A state quarterfinals.

(Click photo for photo gallery)

OREGON CITY — Wow.

That’s all you can say about No. 3 Canby’s dismantling of Centennial in Friday’s 63-36 victory in the Class 6A state quarterfinals at Pioneer Stadium nearby the old Oregon City High School.

The number of points scored was a school record under 19th-year coach Mike Doty, surpassing the 62-point total achieved in the first round of this year’s playoffs — a 62-24 win over North Medford on Nov. 13.

All in all, it was a night that many will remember for its efficiency, quick-play strikes and a first-half clinic in offensive execution.

The Cougars (11-1 overall) scored seven touchdowns in the first half and led 49-21 at halftime with the only question remaining, how many points would this Canby team score.

“We came out and focused, worked hard all week in practice — it just happened,” senior wide receiver Cody Smith said of the first half.

In a flip of reversals from last week, which saw Sprague try to take away Canby’s passing game in the second round, Centennial did all it could to stop the Cougars’ running attack.

But like it has done all season long, Canby had an answer offensively.

“It feels great,” senior quarterback Josh Yoder said. “They obviously came out and stopped the run. ... That made the pass game just real open.”

Junior Brandon Harms started the onslaught with an 8-yard run in the first quarter. Centennial answered right back when senior quarterback Nate Wolf snuck in for a touchdown on a 1-yard run with 5:58 left to tie the game, 7-7.

But Canby would score 21 straight points capped by Yoder’s 74-yard pass to senior tight end Masson Meserve for a 28-7 lead with 11:31 left in the second quarter.

The other two scores came from Yoder’s 43-yard touchdown strike to Smith, as well as Smith’s 43-yard pass to senior Ryan Wall in the first quarter.

For Smith, it was a flashback to his youth football days when he played quarterback with many of the current players.

“We’ve been working on it for awhile and we brought it out and ran it last week,” Smith said. “I love throwing the ball and yeah, it’s fun.”

Centennial replied with a trick play of its own when senior running back Kevin Bannister tossed a 42-yard touchdown pass to senior Tyler Pannell to cut the deficit to 28-14.

The Cougars again scored 21 straight points, beginning with senior Bryan Takano’s 7-yard touchdown run, Yoder’s 26-yard touchdown pass to Wall and capped by Yoder’s 15-yard completion to junior Adam Bell for another score and a 49-14 advantage with 3:08 to go in the first half.

The Yoder-Smith combination hooked up one more time in the third quarter on a 25-yard touchdown pass with 7:55 left for a 56-21 lead. Senior Rodi Samoilov added a 1-yard scoring run early in the fourth quarter.

“It’s a whole lot of fun when that happens,” Doty said of the offensive play calling. “It’s almost like it’s magic. When you get kids that can play like that, kids that can stretch the defense — Cody Smith, Ryan Wall, Brandon Harms and Masson Meserve — and then a quarterback who is tall enough and can stand and deliver, and see the field and deliver the ball, when you’ve got kids like that it makes you a good coach.”

Yoder went 10 of 12 for 295 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions, and did not play in the final quarter.

It continued his streak of throwing no interceptions to eight games.

“Tonight, these guys wanted to take away the run and so we went up top instead,” Doty said. “This team has enough talent that we can go right at you, we can run wide and we can throw deep and we can throw with misdirection.”

The 11 victories is the third time the Cougars have won this many games under Doty, last happening in 2002 and 2003 when Canby went 12-1 and both times fell in the state semifinals.

Next week, the Cougars’ reward is a date with top-ranked Sheldon on Friday at 8 p.m. at PGE Park in Portland.

The Irish (12-0) remained undefeated on Friday, advancing after a 44-7 win over Lake Oswego.

“It’s going to be a heck of a football game,” Doty said. “They’re obviously an outstanding football team.”

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Centennial Eagles	7	14	7	8	36
Canby Cougars	21	28	7	7	63

Scoring summary
1st
09:08  C - Brandon Harms 8 run (Kyle DeVos PAT)
05:58  Ce - Nate Wolf 1 run (Matt Hopp PAT)
04:13  C - Cody Smith 43 pass from Josh Yoder (DeVos PAT)
03:59  C - Ryan Wall 43 pass from Smith (DeVos PAT)
2nd
11:31  C - Masson Meserve 74 pass from Yoder (DeVos PAT)
09:37  Ce - Tyler Pannell 42 pass from Wolf (Hopp PAT)
09:05  C - Bryan Takano 7 run (DeVos PAT)
05:37  C - Wall 26 pass from Yoder (DeVos PAT)
03:08  C - Adam Bell 15 pass from Yoder (DeVos PAT)
01:15  Ce - Wolf 2 run (Hopp PAT)
3rd
07:55  C - Smith 25 pass from Yoder (DeVos PAT)
02:48  Ce - Wolf 2 run (Hopp PAT)
4th
11:05  C - Rodi Samoilov 1 run (DeVos PAT)
09:29  Ce - Jordon Morehead 29 pass from Wolf (Morehead pass from Charlie Ekblad)

Game statistics
PASSING: Canby - Josh Yoder (10-12, 295, 5 TD), Cody Smith (2-2, 97, TD); Brighton Youd, Evan Sanders, Nick Egli; Centennial - Nate Wolf (17-33, 250, 2 TD, 3 INT), Kevin Bannister (1-1, 42, TD)
RUSHING: Canby - Brandon Harms (5-31, TD), Rodi Samoilov (3-10, TD), Bryan Takano (4-18, TD), Gavin Osterberg (6-78), Jordan Knigge (2-23), Dustin Hagaman (7-23), Ricky Nanez (3-13), Josh Young (3-6), Kyle Bartram (2-5), Adam Bell (1-1); Centennial - Wolf (11-108, 3 TD), Bannister (11-44), Ivan Palavera (7-14), Will Sykes (1-5), Jeff Tzeo (1-1)
RECEIVING: Canby - Smith (3-79, 2 TD), Ryan Wall (2-69, 2 TD), Masson Meserve (2-128, TD), Bell (4-79, TD), Knigge (1-37); Centennial - Tyler Pannell (7-120, TD), Jordon Morehead (4-86, TD), Bannister (3-59), Charlie Ekblad (1-11), Alex Arnhold (1-3), Palavera (1-2)


For more game reaction from media outlets around the state, visit the Canby Herald sports blog

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