Mistakes cost Wallowa in loss to Hornets

Published 7:13 pm Sunday, October 15, 2023

WALLOWA — It is tough to claim a victory when four scores are called back by the officials and punt attempts end with the opposition taking the ball over three times inside your own 20-yard line.

That is exactly what took place as the visiting Harper Hornets downed the Wallowa Cougars 38-18 on Friday, Oct. 13 in 1A 6-Man Special District 1 action.

“Harper did play crisper than we did but this was truly a four-point game,” said Wallowa coach Bill Robb. “I am pleased the team did not quit and really, the second half of the game was ours.”

The game did not open well for the Cougars with Harper running back the opening kickoff for a touchdown.

“When we score first, we win,” Robb said. “The difference in this game was the boys kept playing, unlike the Joseph game. When we got down against Joseph, they just ran away from us. That was not the case versus Harper.”

Wallowa, playing in its first year of six-man ball, now faces a game on Friday, Oct. 20 due to the loss. A victory would have handed a bye to the Cougars; instead, the team will host Spray/Mitchell/Wheeler for a District 1 Crossover playoff game.

The game, scheduled for a 2 p.m. start, is a rematch of a Sept. 8 game that saw the Eagles take a 39-20 victory over the Cougars. The Cougars now are 3-4 overall; the Eagles are 2-4 overall.

“I feel good going into districts,” Robb said. “We are not the same team we were Sept. 8. At that time, we were still trying to figure out six-man football and we play much more physical now. For our first year playing six-man, I am pleased with the team and the results.”

Enterprise, Joseph both winThe Enterprise Outlaws improved to 4-2 with a lopsided nonleague win at Powder Valley on Friday, Oct. 13.

The Outlaws’ 66 points marked a season high for the team; the team’s high-powered offense has generated more than 46 points in four of its last five games.

The Outlaws have two league games remaining before playoffs begin: At 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, the team hosts Perrydale (6-1) on Friday, Oct. 20; the Pirates are coming off their first defeat of the year, a 48-12 loss to St. Paul. Kickoff for that game is 7 p.m.

On Friday, Oct. 27, the Outlaws travel to Lyle/Wishram/Klickikat for a 7 p.m. game.

The Joseph Eagles romped to a 71-6 victory over Huntington on Friday, Oct. 13 to improve their record to 6-1 overall. The team remains undefeated in league play at 5-0. Huntington’s season ended with a 0-7 overall mark, 0-6 in league.

The Eagles have a week off before a playoff game on Friday, Oct. 27. Details of that game had not been determined at press time.

In the wake of the Eagles’ Oct. 6 victory over previously unbeaten Harper Charter on Oct. 6, the team’s standing rose in the latest 1A coaches’ poll, released by the Oregon School Activities Association on Thursday, Oct. 12. The Eagles now are ranked No 3, behind Powers and Prairie City/Burnt River. The Eagles might move up a notch in this week’s poll: Prairie City/Burnt River suffered its first loss of the season on Friday, Oct. 14, a 46-38 decision at South Wasco County.

OSAA recognizes Outlaws ENTERPRISE — Outlaw senior quarterback Tyler Knapp had a good day in Enterprise’s 48-18 victory over Sherman/Condon on Friday, Oct. 6. His 329 yards passing placed him fourth among all quarterbacks from around the state for week six of the football season according to recent information from the Oregon School Activities Association.

Knapp trailed only a 6A quarterback and two 2A quarterbacks in total yards passing for the week. Knapp had six passing scores, matching 5A Wilsonville’s Kallen Gutridge for the top spot in TD passes thrown.

Knapp’s favorite target, senior Trey Stewart, was fifth in the state for receivers with 155 yards and three trips to the end zone.