SEAGULLS SQUEAK PAST CASCADE
Senior speedster Dennis Olstedt returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown as the Gulls opened the season with a 24-19 victory over Cascade in Turner.
Will Beatty rushed for a pair of scores for the Gulls, who held off a Cascade drive in the final minute of play to preserve the victory.
Both teams were effective and balanced on offense.
"They've got a very good passing offense," said Seagulls head coach Dave Foust. "Very difficult to cover. We knew some things about them, but not a lot. We had to adjust as we went along. We did a good job of audibilizing. We had to go to a nickel package to slow them down. They had a lot of big plays. Very well coached team."
The two teams traded a pair of first quarter touchdowns, but Cascade had a 13-12 edge going into the second quarter after the Gulls missed on a pair of PAT's.
Will Beatty scored from four yards out with 1:18 to go in the third quarter giving Seaside a 24-13 lead. The senior fullback led a balanced rushing attack with 79 yards on 19 carries.
"Will Beatty did a good job of running the ball," said Foust, who led the Gulls to their first season-opening win since a 19-0 win over Hidden Valley in 2002. "Joey DeNotta at times ran the ball well. Dom [Walker] came in to spell Joey and did a good job of blocking and maintaining for us."
The athletic junior Walker also made some key defensive plays for the Gulls.
"Dom's a good player, said Foust. "Some of our kids that weren't starters were forced into action and some stepped up and did a good job. Kyle Truax hasn't had a lot of varsity time, but he went in there and played aggressively when Matt Mizell went down for a couple of series. We moved Ross Knutsen to linebacker and put Truax in at defensive and he did did a real credible job."
Olstedt's opening return set a nice tone for the game and the season.
"That was nice. The fact that we didn't have a lot of time to work on our special teams, not as much as you would like. That's a plus right there."
The Gulls gave up a lot of yards defensively, but held the Cougars scoreless for nearly three full quarters after a pair of early scores. The atypical late summer swelter didn't help the cause of a team used to practicing in misty 60 degree climes.
"It was evident from the beginning you practice against your own kids. It took us awhile to adjust to the speed of play. Because of the heat, we looked sluggish in the first half. Very slow. We had a lot of kids getting cramps. We hydrated them like crazy. It became evident to us that we weren't going to open our offense up. We would try to keep it out of their hands. We tried to run the ball on them and passed when we needed to."
Junior quarterback Ed Kauffunger was efficient, connecting on seven of his ten passes for 107 yards. The lanky Kauffunger has plenty of weapons in the backfield, but may have a big new threat in the passing game, 6-5, 275-pound senior tight end Kai Watts, who caught three balls for 43 yards.
Coach Foust loves the talent on this Seagull team, but what has the veteran 8th year coach most excited is the character and personality of his senior-laden 2006 squad.
"We moved the ball effectively. We had two opportunities to score but had an interception and a crucial penalty that moved the ball back. We stayed together. This team cares for each other and they don't get shook that easy."
The Gulls head out on the road again Friday, taking on another Capital Conference opponent at Gladstone.
SEASIDE 12-6-6-0-24
CASCADE 13-0-0-6-19
1stQ-SEA: Olstedt 94 kick return (kick failed)
1stQ-CAS: R.J. Williams 12 run (kick failed)
1stQ-SEA: Beatty 1 run (kick failed)
1stQ-CAS: Brown 75 pass from Coleman (Phillips kick)
2ndQ-SEA: DeNotta 5 run (run failed)
3rdQ-SEA: Beatty 4 run (run failed)
4thQ-CAS: Williams 34 run (run failed)
RUSHING-SEA: 42-189 (Beatty 19-79-2td), CAS: 21-185 (Williams 13-127-2TD)
PASSING-SEA: Kauffunger 7-10-1-107, CAS: Coleman 19-36-252-TD
RECEIVING-SEA: Watts 3-43, CAS: Federico 7-82, Brown 3-88-TD
Will Beatty rushed for a pair of scores for the Gulls, who held off a Cascade drive in the final minute of play to preserve the victory.
Both teams were effective and balanced on offense.
"They've got a very good passing offense," said Seagulls head coach Dave Foust. "Very difficult to cover. We knew some things about them, but not a lot. We had to adjust as we went along. We did a good job of audibilizing. We had to go to a nickel package to slow them down. They had a lot of big plays. Very well coached team."
The two teams traded a pair of first quarter touchdowns, but Cascade had a 13-12 edge going into the second quarter after the Gulls missed on a pair of PAT's.
Will Beatty scored from four yards out with 1:18 to go in the third quarter giving Seaside a 24-13 lead. The senior fullback led a balanced rushing attack with 79 yards on 19 carries.
"Will Beatty did a good job of running the ball," said Foust, who led the Gulls to their first season-opening win since a 19-0 win over Hidden Valley in 2002. "Joey DeNotta at times ran the ball well. Dom [Walker] came in to spell Joey and did a good job of blocking and maintaining for us."
The athletic junior Walker also made some key defensive plays for the Gulls.
"Dom's a good player, said Foust. "Some of our kids that weren't starters were forced into action and some stepped up and did a good job. Kyle Truax hasn't had a lot of varsity time, but he went in there and played aggressively when Matt Mizell went down for a couple of series. We moved Ross Knutsen to linebacker and put Truax in at defensive and he did did a real credible job."
Olstedt's opening return set a nice tone for the game and the season.
"That was nice. The fact that we didn't have a lot of time to work on our special teams, not as much as you would like. That's a plus right there."
The Gulls gave up a lot of yards defensively, but held the Cougars scoreless for nearly three full quarters after a pair of early scores. The atypical late summer swelter didn't help the cause of a team used to practicing in misty 60 degree climes.
"It was evident from the beginning you practice against your own kids. It took us awhile to adjust to the speed of play. Because of the heat, we looked sluggish in the first half. Very slow. We had a lot of kids getting cramps. We hydrated them like crazy. It became evident to us that we weren't going to open our offense up. We would try to keep it out of their hands. We tried to run the ball on them and passed when we needed to."
Junior quarterback Ed Kauffunger was efficient, connecting on seven of his ten passes for 107 yards. The lanky Kauffunger has plenty of weapons in the backfield, but may have a big new threat in the passing game, 6-5, 275-pound senior tight end Kai Watts, who caught three balls for 43 yards.
Coach Foust loves the talent on this Seagull team, but what has the veteran 8th year coach most excited is the character and personality of his senior-laden 2006 squad.
"We moved the ball effectively. We had two opportunities to score but had an interception and a crucial penalty that moved the ball back. We stayed together. This team cares for each other and they don't get shook that easy."
The Gulls head out on the road again Friday, taking on another Capital Conference opponent at Gladstone.
SEASIDE 12-6-6-0-24
CASCADE 13-0-0-6-19
1stQ-SEA: Olstedt 94 kick return (kick failed)
1stQ-CAS: R.J. Williams 12 run (kick failed)
1stQ-SEA: Beatty 1 run (kick failed)
1stQ-CAS: Brown 75 pass from Coleman (Phillips kick)
2ndQ-SEA: DeNotta 5 run (run failed)
3rdQ-SEA: Beatty 4 run (run failed)
4thQ-CAS: Williams 34 run (run failed)
RUSHING-SEA: 42-189 (Beatty 19-79-2td), CAS: 21-185 (Williams 13-127-2TD)
PASSING-SEA: Kauffunger 7-10-1-107, CAS: Coleman 19-36-252-TD
RECEIVING-SEA: Watts 3-43, CAS: Federico 7-82, Brown 3-88-TD
posted by Matt Richert at 4:37 PM
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