3A football: Chieftains overrun Roosevelt, 36-26

On balance, the Columbia River football team is proving difficult to defend.

And that means the Chieftains are among the eight teams still standing in the Class 3A state playoffs.

A week after passing for 255 yards, Columbia River’s ground attack keyed Saturday’s 36-26 win over Roosevelt of Seattle that advances the Chieftains to the quarterfinals.

Columbia River (9-2) will host Marysville-Pilchuk next weekend.

On Saturday at Kiggins Bowl, the Chieftains scored three touchdowns in the final six minutes of the first half and added another early in the third quarter to take a 33-0 lead.

The Roughriders chipped away, but their running game could not quite make up the entire gap and their three onside kick attempts wound up with the Chieftains.

It was Columbia River’s running game — particularly up the middle — that got the 3A Greater St. Helens League champions a sizable lead.

“We passed the ball so well last week, I think they were looking for us to pass this week,” River quarterback Gabe Evenson said. “We struggled passing the ball early in the game. And our running game was so strong tonight we just had to stay with it.”

Vincent Daniels rushed for 90 yards and found the end zone three times inside the final six minutes of the second quarter to break open a tight game. Evenson also ran for 90 yards.

Columbia River hogged the ball during the second quarter. The Chieftains ran 29 offensive plays to only eight for the Roughriders.

“We played really well in the second quarter and early in the third quarter,” Columbia River coach John O’Rourke said.

A 17-play, 76-yard march capped by Daniels’ first touchdown put Columbia River up 13-0 with 5:15 before halftime. Four quick out passes to Holden Fielding complemented the running of Daniels and Evenson on that march.

“The inside running game was really working,” O’Rourke said. “The kids up front were blocking well, we were running hard, and we did well on a few short passes.”

The Chieftain defense contained the Roosevelt misdirection ground game throughout the first half, twice getting the ball quickly back to the offense late in the second quarter.

“You just have to play your own assignment and do your job,” defensive back Nathan Hawthorne said about defending a misdirection offense. “We stayed disciplined.”

Evenson said the Chieftains were taking what the defense was giving them, and executing.

“It was a great overall performance in the second quarter. The line blocked well, the receivers blocked well and Daniels ran well,” Evenson said. “It was a great all-around effort.”

And it carried over to the start of the third quarter. On a third-and-11 play, Evenson connected with Carson Bassett for 21 yards. The next play was a 53-yard catch and run by Hawthorne for the touchdown that stretched the lead to 33-0.

With 10:37 left in the third quarter, the game seemed over. But the Roughriders did not quit, scoring four touchdowns in the final 16 minutes to keep River from celebrating early.

“When you’re into the final 16 teams in the state, we have to understand that a team is playing for its season and isn’t going to give up,” Hawthorne said.

Hawthorne also credited Roosevelt for making a successful blocking adjustment after halftime.

A 20-play, 71-yard drive produced the first Roosevelt touchdown late in the third quarter. Early in the final period, the visitors scored from 20 yards on a fourth-down screen pass.

A 37-yard field goal by Garrett McKee stretched River’s lead to 36-12 with 8:27 left. A touchdown and two-point conversion with 3:20 on the clock made it a two-possession margin with 3:20 left.

River lost a fumble at midfield, but the visitors continued to huddle between plays and running the ball, so the clock was down to 56 seconds by the time they scored again. When the two-point conversion pass was intercepted in the end zone, the Chieftains could begin thinking about another week of football.

“We’re extremely glad to play another game,” Hawthorne said.

River’s first-quarter touchdown came two plays after a high snap on a Roosevelt punt set gave the Chieftains the ball at the Roughrider 25 for their first possession of the game.

Daniels went for 25 yards on the first play and Evenson scored on a 5-yard run up the middle.

COLUMBIA RIVER 36, ROOSEVELT 26

Roosevelt 0 0 6 20—26

Columbia River 7 20 7 3—36

First quarter

CR — Gabe Evenson 5 run (Garrett McKee kick)

Second quarter

CR — Vincent Daniels 8 run (kick failed)

CR — Daniels 5 run (Holden Fielding pass from Evenson)

CR — Daniels 7 run (kick boocked)

Third quarter

CR — Nathan Hawthorne 53 pass from Evenson (run failed)

Roo — Jordan Forst 3 run (kick blocked)

Fourth quarter

Roo — Ryan Gleeson 20 pass from Calvin Smith (run failed)

CR — McKee 37 FG

Roo —Forst 10 run (Jackson Reavis pass from Smith)

Roo — Forst 13 run (pass failed)

Individual leaders

RUSHING — Roosevelt: Noah Gold 13-61, Reavis 16-54, Forst 7-47, Gleeson 15-30, Smith 2-2, Team 1-(minus 17). Columbia River: Daniels 14-90, Evenson 15-90, Hawthorne 1-1, Carson Bassett 1-1.

PASSING — Roosevelt: Smith 5-10-1-65. Columbia River: Evenson 12-22-1-152.

RECEIVING — Roosevelt: Gleeson 3-42, Sam Cantrell 1-18, Henry Mullin 1-5. Columbia River: Fielding 6-51, Hawthorne 3-79, Bassett 2-19, Jacob Bystry 1-3.