[quote style=”2″]Bulldogs Upend Silverton, 34-12, for Team’s First-Ever Football Title[/quote]
They’ll be making room in the Hermiston High School gym for another state title banner after the Bulldogs dominated the Silverton Foxes, 34-12, Saturday afternoon to claim the first 5A state football title in school history.
For years, Hermiston has enjoyed success at the highest level in wrestling, girls’ tennis and dance, but now there will be a new banner for a different sport on the championship banner wall.
In a game in which the Bulldogs dominated Silverton for much of the matchup, the turning point came late in the second quarter. Trailing 17-3, the Foxes had just scored to cut the Hermiston lead to seven and forced the Bulldogs to punt. Silverton took possession with excellent field position near midfield. With momentum beginning to go their way, Silverton looked to tie the score, but Hermiston’s defense held tough and forced the Foxes to punt. Hermiston then added 3 points on a Luis Medina field goal as time expired in the first half to give the Bulldogs a 20-10 halftime lead.
“That was huge,” said Hermiston coach Mark Hodges during a post-game interview with KOHU.
It was also as close as Silverton got as Hermiston’s defense shut down the Silverton offense for the entire second half.
The Bulldogs (12-1) opened the scoring on their first possession of the game on a 28-yard field goal by Luis Medina.
Hermiston’s defense kept Silverton off balance for much of the game, forcing them into more second-and-long and third-and-long situations than they faced all year. On their first possession of the game, Silverton nearly gave up a pick 6 when Cory Adams stepped in front of a Cole Chandler pass and had nothing but open field in front of him – but he couldn’t hang on. After picking up an initial first down, the Foxes were forced to punt.
The Bulldogs then began a 67-yard drive that ended with a 30-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Chase Knutz to junior receiver Ethan Snow to give Hermiston a quick 10-0 lead. Snow would later leave the game with a collarbone injury.
After forcing Silverton to punt, Hermiston struck again – first on a 43-yard pass to Carson Morter, then a 30-yard touchdown pass from Knutz to Cole Smith to make it 17-0. Those 17 first-quarter points for Hermiston were the most scored against the Foxes all year.
Silverton (12-1) got on the board early in the second quarter on a 25-yard field goal. The Foxes got right back in the game after intercepting a Knutz pass, giving Silverton the ball on the Hermiston 14-yard line. Moments later, Silverton cut the Hermiston lead to just 7 when Austin Weisz ran it in from a yard out with just under 4 minutes left in the half.
Silverton began the third quarter trailing 20-10, but mounted a drive that stretched deep into Hermiston territory, but Morter’s eighth interception of the year gave the Bulldogs the ball back. With the ball at their own 12, Hermiston began what proved to be a back-breaking drive. The 17-play, 88-yard drive was essentially the Sam Colbray show as he carried the ball nine times and scored on a 6-yard run to give Hermiston a 27-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.
If Silverton had any hopes left, they were dashed on their next possession when they turned the ball over on downs, thanks, in part, to a sack by Medina and Jesse Rodelo on third and 10. The Bulldogs capped off their scoring on 59-yard drive that culminated with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Knutz to Morter with under 5 minutes left in the game.
Silverton’s final 2 points came on an intentional safety by Hermiston. With their backs to their own end zone and facing a fourth-and-12 situation, Hermiston choose to intentionally hike the ball out of the end zone for a safety to make it 34-12. The safety allowed Hermiston to freely punt the ball from their own 30 yard line.
Silverton had come into the game undefeated and having given up just 78 points all season, but could not find the answer for the question posed by Hermiston’s offense: How do you stop an offense that is proficient through the air and punishing on the ground?
Hermiston’s only blemish on the year came on Oct. 3 when they lost a road game to Idaho’s defending 5A champs, Coeur d’Alene, by a score of 31-27.
