The Hermiston Bulldogs withstood a late-game comeback attempt by the Pendleton Buckaroos Friday night at Kennison Field and held on for a 13-12 win in the regular season finale.
Trailing 13-6 with the game ticking away, Pendelton mounted a final drive with just 1:39 left in the game. With seconds to go and facing a fourth-and-three, Bucks quarterback Nick Bower hit Nick Lani on a 27-yard touchdown pass to pull Pendleton within 1 with just 19 seconds left.
In a bold move, Pendleton decided to go for the win with a 2-point conversion attempt but Bower’s pass attempt was broken up.
But the game wasn’t yet over. The Bucks recovered an onside kick and had the ball on the Hermiston 47-yard line but were unable to move the ball. The game ended when Pendleton’s 64-yard field goal attempt came up well short.
Both teams’ defenses kept the opposition off the scoreboard in the first quarter. Hermiston broke through late in the half when Andrew James found his favorite target, Dayshawn Neal, in the endzone for a 27-yard touchdown pass.
With about 8 minutes left in the third quarter, Pendleton’s Jamal Vann stepped in front of a James pass deep in Hermiston territory and returned it 10 yards for the score. A missed extra point attempt left the game tied at 6.
James made up for the pick six when he ran the ball in for a 10-yard touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter to make it 13-6.
Friday’s game was filled with penalties as Hermiston was flagged 17 times for 127 yards while Pendleton was penalized nine times for 87 yards. In a defensive struggle, Pendleton managed to tally just 114 total yards while Hermiston had 270.
Hermiston finishes the regular season with an overall record of 5-4 with a 5-2 conference record. The loss drops Pendleton to 3-6 overall and 2-5 in league play.
