Class 3A GSHL football: Columbia River beats Kelso for title

KELSO — Columbia River spent this week looking ahead to its most important football game of the season.

The Chieftains also took a look back.

With a 49-35 win over Kelso, Columbia River won Friday’s winner-take-all battle for the 3A Greater St. Helens League title.

Amid this week’s hours of planning, practice and film study, Chieftains coach John O’Rourke opened the history vault.

Thursday, he showed his players footage of Columbia River’s 30-28 win over Kelso in 1997 that also decided the league title.

“That group changed everything around,” O’Rourke said. “Kelso was undefeated. We wanted to show how hard those kids played.”

On Friday, the 2014 Chieftains etched their own mark in the school’s football history. Gabe Evenson threw for 237 yards and four touchdown passes, three to Jacob Bystry, as Columbia River (7-2, 3-0) withstood a fourth-quarter rally by Kelso (4-4, 2-1).

Up next is the postseason.

As a No. 1 seed, River will play against Seattle’s Garfield High, the No. 6 seed from the Metro League, at a Vancouver site to be determined.

Kelso travels to face O’Dea, the Metro League’s No. 3 seed, in Seattle.

“It feels amazing,” Bystry said. “The first few practices, we were really shaky. These last few days, everybody kicked it into gear. We were putting our best effort forward in practice.”

Seemingly in control, River had a 42-19 lead midway through the third quarter. But Kelso scored touchdowns on two consecutive drives to pull within 42-32 with 8:10 to play.

On the next drive, Kelso returned an Evenson interception to River’s 33-yard line. The Hilanders drove inside the 5 and pulled within 42-35 on a 22-yard field goal with 3:41 to play.

River’s anxiety further increased when Kelso recovered the ensuing onside kick. But five plays later, Russell Rose rode to the rescue with an interception at River’s 13-yard line.

On the next play, River wrapped up the title when Holden Fielding took a screen pass 87 yards for a touchdown.

“We probably didn’t play as well as we could have,” O’Rourke said. “But we made some really important plays when we had to.”

Two River mistakes near its own end zone kept Kelso in the game early. A botched shotgun snap led to a safety that pulled Kelso within 7-5.

Early in the second quarter, Kelso pulled within 14-12 after blocking and recovering a River punt in the end zone.

That seemed to wake up River. On the next drive, the Chieftains drove 61 yards in six plays to score on Vincent Daniels’ 1-yard run. That was set up by a 29-yard run by Evenson, who had 94 yards on 10 carries in the Chieftains zone-read offense.

River got the ball back one minute before halftime at its own 44. The Chieftains covered 56 yards in 55 seconds with Bystry catching a 2-yard scoring pass on a fade route.

Kelso fumbled on the first play from scrimmage after halftime. Two plays later, Bystry caught his third touchdown on a 21 yard catch to give River a 35-12 lead.

“Our tempo gives us a definite advantage over most people,” Bystry said. “Once Gabe (Evenson) starts running, it brings the linebackers and defensive backs up. That opens the entire passing game.”

Now in the postseason, River now hopes its tempo keeps increasing as the stakes get higher.

Columbia River 49, Kelso 35

Columbia River 7 21 14 7–49

Kelso 5 7 7 16–35

First quarter

K — FG Kyle Birdsell 25

CR — Jacob Bystry 28 pass from Gabe Evenson (Garrett McKee kick)

K — Safety, runner tackled in end zone

Second quarter

CR — Evenson 27 run (McKee kick)

K — Jake Murphy, recovered blocked punt in end zone (Birdsell kick)

CR — Vincent Daniels 1 run (McKee kick)

CR — Bystry 2 pass from Evenson (McKee kick)

Third quarter

CR — Bystry 21 pass from Evenson (McKee kick)

K — Jared Bowlby 30 pass from Zac Schueller (Birdsell kick)

CR — Carson Bassett 55 pass from Nathan Hawthorne (McKee kick)

Fourth quarter

K — Mason Meeker 4 run (kick blocked)

K — Meeker 5 run (Birdsell kick)

K — FG Birdsell 22

CR — Holden Fielding 87 pass from Evenson (McKee kick)

Individual statistics

RUSHING — Columbia River: Nic Briggs 6-23, Evenson 10-94, Russell Rose 1-4, Vincent Daniels 5-43, Ryder Waite 2-12, McKee 1-(minus 9). Kelso: Zac Brandenburg 11-35, Chayse Mosely 1-1, Matt Bergonzine 5-11, Schueller 9-23, Meeker 15-84.

PASSING — Columbia River: Evenson 15-24-2-237, Nathan Hawthorne 1-1-55. Kelso: Schueller 17-28-1-189.

RECEIVING — Columbia River: Bassett 8-125, Bystry 4-54, Fielding 2-95, Nathan Hawthorne 2-18. Kelso: Sonny Chhim 8-76, River Liepa 1-10, Jared Bowlby 6-101, Steven Christian/Zandi 1-(minus-2), Meeker 1-4, Colin Connolly 1-9.