FISHERMEN FOIL MOLALLA COMEBACK BID
As for Astoria, not too many questions were answered and few concerns were allayed as the Fishermen kicked off the 2006 football season against the Molalla Indians Friday night at John Warren Field.
As for Molalla, well, they may call themselves a wing-T team but their experienced junior quarterback, next level talent tight end, and impressive-looking 6-3, 200-pound junior wide receiver scream otherwise. Joshua Haqq completed 25 of 44 pass attempts for 283 yards and two touchdowns, but his 44th pass ended up in the hands of Astoria's Andy Murray with five seconds left in the game as the Fishermen won a 28-27 nailbiter.
Astoria raced to a 20-0 first half lead, but watched as Molalla dominated the second half and fell just a dropped 2-point conversion pass short of pulling out a come-from-behind upset victory, despite missing several starters due to grade-related suspensions that will keep them on the sidelines for two weeks.
The Fishermen offense displayed big-play capability, but compiled just 209 yards and had trouble sustaining drives. The Indians had a commanding 22 to 9 edge in first downs, while the Fishermen converted two of eight third downs and their longest drive lasted just six plays. Meanwhile Molalla converted on 7 of 17 third downs and 3 of 6 fourth downs and had two long scoring drives in the second half, the second of which lasted 18 plays and nearly ten minutes on the clock in the fourth quarter, ending when junior running back Onisefor Kutsev scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:04 remaining, pulling the Indians to within one. The ensuing 2-point conversion pass was unsuccessful, allowing the Fishermen to walk off the field victorious.
The quarterback battle in Astoria between hard-working senior Nathan Stinnett and highly-regarded sophomore Jordan Poyer still appears to be a dead heat. The two alternated series throughout the contest. Both led the Fishermen to a pair of scores.
Poyer was the first to lead Astoria to the end zone, but it wasn't as a quarterback. Getting the start at strong safety, the highly-hyped youngster intercepted a Haqq pass on the second play of the game and sprinted 23 yards to the end zone, scoring just 26 seconds into what promises to be a memorable varsity football career.
But it was the senior Stinnett, through his offseason dedication and hard work and training camp performance that earned the start at quarterback in the season-opener. The strong-armed 6-1 senior, a state competitor in the javelin, completed his first pass attempt, a modest 4-yard quickie to senior slot Adam Koehnke. The first drive ended in three plays when Stinnett was stopped after a 4-yard run on third and five. Poyer's first drive also stalled in three plays, with his first pass attempt thrown in Andy Murray's direction. Molalla junior linebacker Onisefor Kutsev, who played an outstanding all-around game for the Indians, defended beautfully on the play, forcing another Astoria punt.
Neither team recorded a first down until about the 4-minute mark of the first quarter, when Kutsev ran for seven yards on second and two. An 8-yard connection between Haqq and talented senior tight end John Berokoff, followed by a neutral zone infraction on the Fishermen, gave the Indians first and 5 at Astoria's 49-yard line. But an illegal block in the back and a Grady Parker sack on 3rd and 14 ended that drive and set up Stinnett's second series of the night.
Starting at his own 29, Stinnett found Murray for a 23-yard completion. Murray later galloped 13 yards on a 3rd and 4 carry to the Molalla 29-yard line on the final play of the quarter. After a first down incompletion, Murray took the handoff on the second play of the quarter and raced 30 yards to the end zone. Tony Robinson, who missed his first PAT attempt earlier in the game, did not get a chance to atone, as a bad snap sent Stinnett scrambling, his desperation pass picked off for a failed conversion.
Another bad long snap nearly turned into good news for Molalla. Punting from his own 42 yard line, Kutsev had to chase down an errant snap and scrambled to the sideline, finally knocked out of bounds near the line to gain. But the Indians punter, part of what head coach Tim Baker called his "Russian Mafia", apparently committed a face mask penalty on a stiff arm, which turned out to be immaterial because a measurement showed he did not reach the first down marker on the scramble. Astoria took over at the Molalla 46 yard line with Poyer back in to take the snaps.
After a 10 yard run on an option keeper, "The Chef" went back to pass on 2nd and 8 and threw long for slot receiver Brent Culver, who waltzed into the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown after his defender fell down. Joey Dursse ran for the two-point conversion and Astoria had a 20-0 lead with 8:12 to play in the first half.
The Indians caught a break later in the quarter, when Kutsev's high punt was fumbled by Astoria return man Tom Jaworski and recovered by Berokoff at the Fishermen 20-yard line. Two plays later Haqq tossed to Kutsev on a bubble screen. One-on-one in space, Astoria's Murray extended to try to make a tackle, but his balky left hamstring did not cooperate. Kutsev juked past Murray and negotiated his way into the end zone for a 12-yard score. Murray, who did not start on defense because of hamstring tightness, would walk off the field on his own and returned to play the entire second half.
The Indians lined up to kick the ball off but Baker called time out. When the team returned to the field, they attempted a dribbling onside kick that caught Astoria's front line completely off guard. It probably helped that one of the Indians players appeared to give the slow-rolling ball a nudge with his foot to make sure it went the requisite 10-yards. About five Molalla players surrounded the ball as it crossed midfield while the Fishermen players failed to react. But the Indians failed to capitalize on the recovery when sophomore linebacker Trevor Puckett picked off a Haqq pass and retuned it 24 yards to the Molalla 37-yard line.
The Indians defense stiffened, swallowing Dursse for a five yard loss on first down and catching Koehnke two yards behind the line on a quick pass. After an incompletion and a poor punt, the Indians were back in business on their 31-yard line with 1:39 to go in the half. After an eight-yard pass to Berokoff, a 3rd-and-2 draw play to sophomore fullback Nikita Ovchinikov gashed the Astoria middle for 13
yards. Haqq found halfback Jon Bushek for 12 yards and another first down to the Astoria 36-yard line. After an incomplete pass, the Indians sent Berokoff on a deep pattern and Haqq found him for a 36-yard score with 5 seconds left on the clock.
Berokoff, a 6-2, 220-pound senior with soft hands, caught just eight passes last year as Molalla was primarily a running team with an inexperienced sophomore quarterback. But with a more mature Haqq calling the signals, Berokoff stands to have a big year in '06 if the Indians continue to open up their offense. Berokoff caught 10 balls for 136 yards, eclipsing his junior year production in a single night!
Leading 20-14 at the half, the Fishermen could not move the ball on their first drive. The Indians took over at their own 24 following a punt with momentum on their side, powering deep into Astoria territory with three consecutive first downs on runs of 17 yards by Ovchinikov, 13 yards by Kutsev and a 12-yard pass from Haqq to Berokoff. But the Astoria defense wouldn't break. Ovchinikov was hit for a 3-yard loss, and on 3rd and 9, back-to-back incompletions gave the Fishermen the ball on downs at the 29-yard line.
Stinnett returned for his first drive of the half and marched the Fishermen 71 yards on a quick 5-play drive, capped by a 40-yard run by the senior QB on an option keeper. Jaworski converted on a 2-point run and the Fishermen had a 28-14 lead with 5:46 to go in the third period.
Astoria would hardly touch the ball for the rest of the game as the Indians mounted two long scoring drives. Starting at their own 19 after the Astoria touchdown, the Indians mixed in a few more running plays as Haqq completed all three of his passes, including an 8-yard toss to Isiah Morales on 4th and 3 from the Astoria 44-yard line. Haqq capped the 13-play drive with a 1-yard sneak on the first play of the fourth quarter to put the Indians back within a touchdown at 28-21.
A dropped pass on 3rd down and 8 had Astoria quickly punting the ball back to the Indians, who took over at their own 25-yard line with ten minutes left in the contest. The Haqq-to-Berokoff connection paid huge dividends in the final quarter. A 33-yard completion on 3rd-and-9 put the Indians into Astoria territory. Berokoff's tenth catch of the night, an 8-yard grab, gave Molalla another third down conversion. Haqq's ninth consecutive completion of the half went to Kutsev for ten yards on a 4th-and-8 play, giving the Indians first and goal at the Astoria 5-yard line. After an illegal procedure penalty cost Molalla five yards, Haqq looked for Berokoff in the end zone, but Astoria senior cornerback Brent Culver, giving up seven inches, went up the ladder to break up the pass. On second down, Kutsev was stuffed for no gain and Culver tackled Bushek for just a 2-yard gain on a third down pass, bringing up 4th down from the 8-yard line. Haqq dropped back to pass and looked for his tallest target, 6-3 junior Tarance Glynn on a slant. Justin Tikkala arrived at the receiver just before the football and was flagged for pass interference, giving Molalla a first down. Two plays later, Kutsev crossed the goal line on a 1-yard run with 1:04 to go in the game, making the score 28-27.
With the accurate sophomore Vlasy Kutsev perfect on three previous PAT's, Molalla probably would have gone for the tying kick in an ordinary game. But this was no ordinary game, being an O.S.A.A. Endowment zero week game and technically not supposed to count in the standings, there would have been no overtime played had the game finished in a tie. So the Indians went for it all on a two-point conversion. A well-diagrammed play had Haqq making a play-action fake to Kutsev on a wing sweep, but his pass to the right corner of the end zone was slightly behind receiver Jeremy Sprague and bounced off his hands incomplete.
The Indians preserved all three of their timeouts and were able to force an Astoria punt, but unwisely allowed the ball to bounce instead of going for the return, as punter Nick Alfonse dropped the ball inside the Indians five yard line with 30 seconds left in the game. Murray's over-the-shoulder interception was the third Astoria pick of the night and closed out an entertaining season-opener.
The Indians outgained Astoria 394-to-209 and had a huge edge in time of possession, running 87 plays to Astoria's 40 and holding the ball for 31:41 compared to 16:19 for the Fishermen. But big plays may be the key to success for Astoria this season: Three interceptions including the Poyer touchdown, four quarterback sacks (two by junior Alex Whittaker, making his first varsity start at DT), TD runs of 30 and 40 yards and a 36-yard TD pass. Astoria has a number of skill position players, including both quarterbacks, who are capable of producing long touchdowns anytime they touch the ball. Look for both teams to improve on last year's losing marks (the Indians finished 2-8 and Astoria 3-6 including a winless Cowapa League run).
Astoria ended a six-game losing streak with the win and will try to make it two in a row as they face another Capital Conference opponent Friday night. The La Salle Falcons are coached by former Portland State University offensive coordinator Jim Fanger. The Falcons defeated 2A playoff team Blanchet of Salem 20-0 to win their season opener and will invade John Warren Field this coming Friday at 7:00 p.m. Hear all of the live game action on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN starting at 6:40 p.m.
MOLALLA 0-14-0-13-27
ASTORIA 6-14-8-0-28
1stQ-AST: Poyer 23 interception return (kick failed)
2ndQ-AST: Murray 30 run (pass failed)
2ndQ-AST: Culver 34 pass from Poyer (Dursse run)
2ndQ-MOL: O. Kutsev 12 pass from Haqq (V. Kutsev kick)
2ndQ-MOL: Berokoff 36 pass from Haqq (V. Kutsev kick)
3rdQ-AST: Stinnett 40 run (Jaworski run)
4thQ-MOL: Haqq 1 run (V. Kutsev kick)
4thQ-MOL: O. Kutsev 1 run (pass failed)
RUSHING-MOL: 40-111, AST: 21-132 (Murray 9-53-td, Stinnett 5-53-td)
PASSING-MOL: Haqq 25-44-3-283-2td, AST: 7-12-0-77 (Stinnett 5-7-41, Poyer 2-5-32-td)
RECEIVING-MOL: Berokoff 10-136-td, AST: Murray 2-25, Koehnke 2-14, Culver 1-34-td)
TURNOVERS-MOL: 3, AST: 1
PENALTIES-MOL: 5-30, AST: 3-19
As for Molalla, well, they may call themselves a wing-T team but their experienced junior quarterback, next level talent tight end, and impressive-looking 6-3, 200-pound junior wide receiver scream otherwise. Joshua Haqq completed 25 of 44 pass attempts for 283 yards and two touchdowns, but his 44th pass ended up in the hands of Astoria's Andy Murray with five seconds left in the game as the Fishermen won a 28-27 nailbiter.
Astoria raced to a 20-0 first half lead, but watched as Molalla dominated the second half and fell just a dropped 2-point conversion pass short of pulling out a come-from-behind upset victory, despite missing several starters due to grade-related suspensions that will keep them on the sidelines for two weeks.
The Fishermen offense displayed big-play capability, but compiled just 209 yards and had trouble sustaining drives. The Indians had a commanding 22 to 9 edge in first downs, while the Fishermen converted two of eight third downs and their longest drive lasted just six plays. Meanwhile Molalla converted on 7 of 17 third downs and 3 of 6 fourth downs and had two long scoring drives in the second half, the second of which lasted 18 plays and nearly ten minutes on the clock in the fourth quarter, ending when junior running back Onisefor Kutsev scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:04 remaining, pulling the Indians to within one. The ensuing 2-point conversion pass was unsuccessful, allowing the Fishermen to walk off the field victorious.
The quarterback battle in Astoria between hard-working senior Nathan Stinnett and highly-regarded sophomore Jordan Poyer still appears to be a dead heat. The two alternated series throughout the contest. Both led the Fishermen to a pair of scores.
Poyer was the first to lead Astoria to the end zone, but it wasn't as a quarterback. Getting the start at strong safety, the highly-hyped youngster intercepted a Haqq pass on the second play of the game and sprinted 23 yards to the end zone, scoring just 26 seconds into what promises to be a memorable varsity football career.
But it was the senior Stinnett, through his offseason dedication and hard work and training camp performance that earned the start at quarterback in the season-opener. The strong-armed 6-1 senior, a state competitor in the javelin, completed his first pass attempt, a modest 4-yard quickie to senior slot Adam Koehnke. The first drive ended in three plays when Stinnett was stopped after a 4-yard run on third and five. Poyer's first drive also stalled in three plays, with his first pass attempt thrown in Andy Murray's direction. Molalla junior linebacker Onisefor Kutsev, who played an outstanding all-around game for the Indians, defended beautfully on the play, forcing another Astoria punt.
Neither team recorded a first down until about the 4-minute mark of the first quarter, when Kutsev ran for seven yards on second and two. An 8-yard connection between Haqq and talented senior tight end John Berokoff, followed by a neutral zone infraction on the Fishermen, gave the Indians first and 5 at Astoria's 49-yard line. But an illegal block in the back and a Grady Parker sack on 3rd and 14 ended that drive and set up Stinnett's second series of the night.
Starting at his own 29, Stinnett found Murray for a 23-yard completion. Murray later galloped 13 yards on a 3rd and 4 carry to the Molalla 29-yard line on the final play of the quarter. After a first down incompletion, Murray took the handoff on the second play of the quarter and raced 30 yards to the end zone. Tony Robinson, who missed his first PAT attempt earlier in the game, did not get a chance to atone, as a bad snap sent Stinnett scrambling, his desperation pass picked off for a failed conversion.
Another bad long snap nearly turned into good news for Molalla. Punting from his own 42 yard line, Kutsev had to chase down an errant snap and scrambled to the sideline, finally knocked out of bounds near the line to gain. But the Indians punter, part of what head coach Tim Baker called his "Russian Mafia", apparently committed a face mask penalty on a stiff arm, which turned out to be immaterial because a measurement showed he did not reach the first down marker on the scramble. Astoria took over at the Molalla 46 yard line with Poyer back in to take the snaps.
After a 10 yard run on an option keeper, "The Chef" went back to pass on 2nd and 8 and threw long for slot receiver Brent Culver, who waltzed into the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown after his defender fell down. Joey Dursse ran for the two-point conversion and Astoria had a 20-0 lead with 8:12 to play in the first half.
The Indians caught a break later in the quarter, when Kutsev's high punt was fumbled by Astoria return man Tom Jaworski and recovered by Berokoff at the Fishermen 20-yard line. Two plays later Haqq tossed to Kutsev on a bubble screen. One-on-one in space, Astoria's Murray extended to try to make a tackle, but his balky left hamstring did not cooperate. Kutsev juked past Murray and negotiated his way into the end zone for a 12-yard score. Murray, who did not start on defense because of hamstring tightness, would walk off the field on his own and returned to play the entire second half.
The Indians lined up to kick the ball off but Baker called time out. When the team returned to the field, they attempted a dribbling onside kick that caught Astoria's front line completely off guard. It probably helped that one of the Indians players appeared to give the slow-rolling ball a nudge with his foot to make sure it went the requisite 10-yards. About five Molalla players surrounded the ball as it crossed midfield while the Fishermen players failed to react. But the Indians failed to capitalize on the recovery when sophomore linebacker Trevor Puckett picked off a Haqq pass and retuned it 24 yards to the Molalla 37-yard line.
The Indians defense stiffened, swallowing Dursse for a five yard loss on first down and catching Koehnke two yards behind the line on a quick pass. After an incompletion and a poor punt, the Indians were back in business on their 31-yard line with 1:39 to go in the half. After an eight-yard pass to Berokoff, a 3rd-and-2 draw play to sophomore fullback Nikita Ovchinikov gashed the Astoria middle for 13
yards. Haqq found halfback Jon Bushek for 12 yards and another first down to the Astoria 36-yard line. After an incomplete pass, the Indians sent Berokoff on a deep pattern and Haqq found him for a 36-yard score with 5 seconds left on the clock.
Berokoff, a 6-2, 220-pound senior with soft hands, caught just eight passes last year as Molalla was primarily a running team with an inexperienced sophomore quarterback. But with a more mature Haqq calling the signals, Berokoff stands to have a big year in '06 if the Indians continue to open up their offense. Berokoff caught 10 balls for 136 yards, eclipsing his junior year production in a single night!
Leading 20-14 at the half, the Fishermen could not move the ball on their first drive. The Indians took over at their own 24 following a punt with momentum on their side, powering deep into Astoria territory with three consecutive first downs on runs of 17 yards by Ovchinikov, 13 yards by Kutsev and a 12-yard pass from Haqq to Berokoff. But the Astoria defense wouldn't break. Ovchinikov was hit for a 3-yard loss, and on 3rd and 9, back-to-back incompletions gave the Fishermen the ball on downs at the 29-yard line.
Stinnett returned for his first drive of the half and marched the Fishermen 71 yards on a quick 5-play drive, capped by a 40-yard run by the senior QB on an option keeper. Jaworski converted on a 2-point run and the Fishermen had a 28-14 lead with 5:46 to go in the third period.
Astoria would hardly touch the ball for the rest of the game as the Indians mounted two long scoring drives. Starting at their own 19 after the Astoria touchdown, the Indians mixed in a few more running plays as Haqq completed all three of his passes, including an 8-yard toss to Isiah Morales on 4th and 3 from the Astoria 44-yard line. Haqq capped the 13-play drive with a 1-yard sneak on the first play of the fourth quarter to put the Indians back within a touchdown at 28-21.
A dropped pass on 3rd down and 8 had Astoria quickly punting the ball back to the Indians, who took over at their own 25-yard line with ten minutes left in the contest. The Haqq-to-Berokoff connection paid huge dividends in the final quarter. A 33-yard completion on 3rd-and-9 put the Indians into Astoria territory. Berokoff's tenth catch of the night, an 8-yard grab, gave Molalla another third down conversion. Haqq's ninth consecutive completion of the half went to Kutsev for ten yards on a 4th-and-8 play, giving the Indians first and goal at the Astoria 5-yard line. After an illegal procedure penalty cost Molalla five yards, Haqq looked for Berokoff in the end zone, but Astoria senior cornerback Brent Culver, giving up seven inches, went up the ladder to break up the pass. On second down, Kutsev was stuffed for no gain and Culver tackled Bushek for just a 2-yard gain on a third down pass, bringing up 4th down from the 8-yard line. Haqq dropped back to pass and looked for his tallest target, 6-3 junior Tarance Glynn on a slant. Justin Tikkala arrived at the receiver just before the football and was flagged for pass interference, giving Molalla a first down. Two plays later, Kutsev crossed the goal line on a 1-yard run with 1:04 to go in the game, making the score 28-27.
With the accurate sophomore Vlasy Kutsev perfect on three previous PAT's, Molalla probably would have gone for the tying kick in an ordinary game. But this was no ordinary game, being an O.S.A.A. Endowment zero week game and technically not supposed to count in the standings, there would have been no overtime played had the game finished in a tie. So the Indians went for it all on a two-point conversion. A well-diagrammed play had Haqq making a play-action fake to Kutsev on a wing sweep, but his pass to the right corner of the end zone was slightly behind receiver Jeremy Sprague and bounced off his hands incomplete.
The Indians preserved all three of their timeouts and were able to force an Astoria punt, but unwisely allowed the ball to bounce instead of going for the return, as punter Nick Alfonse dropped the ball inside the Indians five yard line with 30 seconds left in the game. Murray's over-the-shoulder interception was the third Astoria pick of the night and closed out an entertaining season-opener.
The Indians outgained Astoria 394-to-209 and had a huge edge in time of possession, running 87 plays to Astoria's 40 and holding the ball for 31:41 compared to 16:19 for the Fishermen. But big plays may be the key to success for Astoria this season: Three interceptions including the Poyer touchdown, four quarterback sacks (two by junior Alex Whittaker, making his first varsity start at DT), TD runs of 30 and 40 yards and a 36-yard TD pass. Astoria has a number of skill position players, including both quarterbacks, who are capable of producing long touchdowns anytime they touch the ball. Look for both teams to improve on last year's losing marks (the Indians finished 2-8 and Astoria 3-6 including a winless Cowapa League run).
Astoria ended a six-game losing streak with the win and will try to make it two in a row as they face another Capital Conference opponent Friday night. The La Salle Falcons are coached by former Portland State University offensive coordinator Jim Fanger. The Falcons defeated 2A playoff team Blanchet of Salem 20-0 to win their season opener and will invade John Warren Field this coming Friday at 7:00 p.m. Hear all of the live game action on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN starting at 6:40 p.m.
MOLALLA 0-14-0-13-27
ASTORIA 6-14-8-0-28
1stQ-AST: Poyer 23 interception return (kick failed)
2ndQ-AST: Murray 30 run (pass failed)
2ndQ-AST: Culver 34 pass from Poyer (Dursse run)
2ndQ-MOL: O. Kutsev 12 pass from Haqq (V. Kutsev kick)
2ndQ-MOL: Berokoff 36 pass from Haqq (V. Kutsev kick)
3rdQ-AST: Stinnett 40 run (Jaworski run)
4thQ-MOL: Haqq 1 run (V. Kutsev kick)
4thQ-MOL: O. Kutsev 1 run (pass failed)
RUSHING-MOL: 40-111, AST: 21-132 (Murray 9-53-td, Stinnett 5-53-td)
PASSING-MOL: Haqq 25-44-3-283-2td, AST: 7-12-0-77 (Stinnett 5-7-41, Poyer 2-5-32-td)
RECEIVING-MOL: Berokoff 10-136-td, AST: Murray 2-25, Koehnke 2-14, Culver 1-34-td)
TURNOVERS-MOL: 3, AST: 1
PENALTIES-MOL: 5-30, AST: 3-19
posted by Matt Richert at 9:43 AM
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