Non-league football: Evergreen 55, Kelso 35

Rey Green and Justin Straup each scored two touchdowns as Evergreen topped Kelso in non-league action.

First year Plainsmen head coach Don Johnson, though pleased with his team’s homecoming win, reminded his players that the score was much too high on Kelso’s side of the board. He said the main thing Evergreen needed to focus on was run defense.

Kelso had 253 rushing yards, while Evergreen rushed for 451. Evergreen’s Rey Green and Justin Straup accounted for 411 of that yardage, and scored two touchdown each.

Green, a sophomore, said he was glad to win for the seniors on their homecoming night. “Overall, we need to be more intense, especially with stopping the run,” he said after the game.

“We are a young team, our quarterback and running back are both sophomores, and the sky’s the limit for them,” Johnson said. “The older teams in our league like Camas and Union aren’t going to put up with our youth, though.”

Kelso was able to tie the Plainsmen once in the third quarter, but was never able to gain the lead, and eventually Evergreen pulled ahead due to the legs of Green and Straup.

EVERGREEN 55, KELSO 35

Kelso 7 7 14 7–35

Evergreen 14 14 14 13–55

First quarter

E — Robert Akil 12 run (Conner Finnegan kick)

K — Zak Schueller 1 run (Kyle Birdsel kick)

E — Brandon Bea 1 run (Finnegan kick)

Second quarter

K — Chauncey Goudy 16 run (Birdsel kick)

E — Justin Straup 41 run (Finnegan kick)

E — Justice Murphy 34 pass from Brandon Bea (Finnegan kick)

Third quarter

K — Schueller 1 run (Birdsel kick)

K — Mason Meeker 33 pass from Schueller (Birdsel kick)

E — Rey Green 81 run (Finnegan kick)

E — Green 8 run (Finnegan kick)

Fourth quarter

K — Davis Radcliffe 8 run (Birdsel kick)

E — Straup 42 run (conversion failed)

E — Green 72 interception (Finnegan kick)

Individual statistics

RUSHING — Kelso: Chauncey Goudy 16-79, Lloyd Melone 19-107, Zak Schueller 8-3, Davis Radcliffe 6-38, Matt Hellem 1-5, Mason Meeker 1-6, Zac Brandenberg 3-15. Evergreen: Rey Green15-220, Robert Akil 3-18, Justin Straup16-191, Justice Murphy 4-21, Brandon Bea 1-1, Ramon Ortiz 1-(negative 2), Javier Hernandez 1-2.

PASSING — Kelso: Zak Schueller 6-16-1-96. Evergreen: Brandon Bea: 2-10-1-63.

RECEIVING — Kelso: Mason Meeker 4-52, Somit Chhim 1-29, Goudy 1-8. Evergreen: Brady Weir 1-29, Justice Murphy 1-34.