WARRIORS WHITEWASH-WARRENTON TO STATE
Be careful what you wish for.
The Warrenton Warriors closed out the regular season with a necessary win, blanking Riverdale 26-0 at home for their fifth shutout in six victories. With the victory, Warrenton earns its sixth straight trip to state and a date with the top-ranked Regis Rams Friday night.
Head coach John Mattila has seen the film and its a little unsettling.
"They are athletic at every position on the field," said Mattila.
"They have the top running back in the state and maybe the second and third best, too."
Warrenton's running game, stuck in the non-existent mud at Rainier last Friday night, was back in form in the real wet, brown stuff. Michael O'Casey rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries before giving way to younger players in the second half.
"We had 236 yards in the first half," said Mattila. "Everybody got a chance to play in the final home ball game. The seniors all had some good plays."
O'Casey got the Warriors on the board with a short touchdown run in the first quarter, adding a 30-yard run before halftime to make it 19-0 Warriors.
Eric Gantenbein tossed two touchdown passes to Dallas Moses, who ended up with 100 yards receiving on five catches. Gantenbein had three interceptions and completed just 8 of 24 passes, but the weather conditions and personnel factored into the below par numbers.
"He had two picks that really weren't his fault," said Mattila, who calls the offensive plays. "We had some guys on the field who I wanted him to throw to. I told him to pass the ball to them no matter what. One of the interceptions was in the end zone."
The rainy, windy conditions led to 12 combined turnovers in an ugly game. Riverdale lost five fumbles and the Mavericks offense stayed well shy of the 50 yard line throughout the game. The Mavericks were also flagged repeatedly for illegal participation with too many players on the field.
Eric Gantenbein recovered three of the fumbles and Dan Wolfe and Brandon Garcia each intercepted passes for Warrenton.
Warrenton's first round opponent tuned up for the playoffs with a 41-0 non-league thrashing of 4A patsy Estacada. Regis, a private Catholic school located in Stayton, enter the tournament as the top-ranked 3A team in the state, with an average points differential of 41 points per game, which is more than most teams score.
Coach Mattila knows Friday's game will be the stiffest challenge of the season for his Warriors, whose three losses have come to Rainier, Clatskanie and Portland Christian, all playoff teams.
"We've had a pretty good season. We won all the games we should have won. Had we had a little better running game...who knows?"
The Warriors, now 6-3 on the season, finished in third place in the Lewis & Clark League and will play at Regis High School Nov. 10 at 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN with pregame coverage beginning at 6:40 p.m. Friday.
RIVERDALE 0 0 0 0--0
WARRENTON 7 12 7 0--26
1stQ-O'Casey 5 run (Engebretson kick)
2ndQ-Moses 7 pass from Gantenbein (kick failed)
2ndQ-O'Casey 30 run (pass failed)
3rdQ-Moses 28 pass from Gantenbein (Engebretson kick)
RUSHING-RIV: 36-117 (Fettig 22-82), WAR: 43-163 (O'Casey 18-126-2td)
PASSING-RIV: Henderson 4-18-2-25, WAR: Gantenbein 8-24-3-120-2td
RECEIVING-RIV: Peterson 1-9, WAR: Moses 5-100-2td
TURNOVERS-RIV: 7, WAR: 5
PENALTIES-RIV: 7-55, WAR: 7-40
The Warrenton Warriors closed out the regular season with a necessary win, blanking Riverdale 26-0 at home for their fifth shutout in six victories. With the victory, Warrenton earns its sixth straight trip to state and a date with the top-ranked Regis Rams Friday night.
Head coach John Mattila has seen the film and its a little unsettling.
"They are athletic at every position on the field," said Mattila.
"They have the top running back in the state and maybe the second and third best, too."
Warrenton's running game, stuck in the non-existent mud at Rainier last Friday night, was back in form in the real wet, brown stuff. Michael O'Casey rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries before giving way to younger players in the second half.
"We had 236 yards in the first half," said Mattila. "Everybody got a chance to play in the final home ball game. The seniors all had some good plays."
O'Casey got the Warriors on the board with a short touchdown run in the first quarter, adding a 30-yard run before halftime to make it 19-0 Warriors.
Eric Gantenbein tossed two touchdown passes to Dallas Moses, who ended up with 100 yards receiving on five catches. Gantenbein had three interceptions and completed just 8 of 24 passes, but the weather conditions and personnel factored into the below par numbers.
"He had two picks that really weren't his fault," said Mattila, who calls the offensive plays. "We had some guys on the field who I wanted him to throw to. I told him to pass the ball to them no matter what. One of the interceptions was in the end zone."
The rainy, windy conditions led to 12 combined turnovers in an ugly game. Riverdale lost five fumbles and the Mavericks offense stayed well shy of the 50 yard line throughout the game. The Mavericks were also flagged repeatedly for illegal participation with too many players on the field.
Eric Gantenbein recovered three of the fumbles and Dan Wolfe and Brandon Garcia each intercepted passes for Warrenton.
Warrenton's first round opponent tuned up for the playoffs with a 41-0 non-league thrashing of 4A patsy Estacada. Regis, a private Catholic school located in Stayton, enter the tournament as the top-ranked 3A team in the state, with an average points differential of 41 points per game, which is more than most teams score.
Coach Mattila knows Friday's game will be the stiffest challenge of the season for his Warriors, whose three losses have come to Rainier, Clatskanie and Portland Christian, all playoff teams.
"We've had a pretty good season. We won all the games we should have won. Had we had a little better running game...who knows?"
The Warriors, now 6-3 on the season, finished in third place in the Lewis & Clark League and will play at Regis High School Nov. 10 at 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1230 ESPN with pregame coverage beginning at 6:40 p.m. Friday.
RIVERDALE 0 0 0 0--0
WARRENTON 7 12 7 0--26
1stQ-O'Casey 5 run (Engebretson kick)
2ndQ-Moses 7 pass from Gantenbein (kick failed)
2ndQ-O'Casey 30 run (pass failed)
3rdQ-Moses 28 pass from Gantenbein (Engebretson kick)
RUSHING-RIV: 36-117 (Fettig 22-82), WAR: 43-163 (O'Casey 18-126-2td)
PASSING-RIV: Henderson 4-18-2-25, WAR: Gantenbein 8-24-3-120-2td
RECEIVING-RIV: Peterson 1-9, WAR: Moses 5-100-2td
TURNOVERS-RIV: 7, WAR: 5
PENALTIES-RIV: 7-55, WAR: 7-40
posted by Matt Richert at 7:12 PM
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