Loggers celebrate seniors with victory, league title

The Scio Loggers celebrated senior night at Newcomb Stadium in grand fashion with a big 45-12 victory over the visiting Blanchet Cavaliers. The win gave them their first PacWest League title and propels them into the Class 3A state playoffs. According to the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA), this will make Scio's first ever appearance in the Class 3A playoffs. The Loggers have made the state playoffs 16 times since 1979, winning back to back Class 2A titles in 2009 and 2010.

It only took the Loggers three plays to light up the scoreboard, thanks to the great work of an offensive line that would open holes all night long. Hunter Reger carried all three times, the last one for a 49 yard blast up the middle to pay dirt. A.J. Holmberg caught Brady Smith's pass for two, giving the Loggers an early 8-0 with 10:52 left in the opening quarter.

The Loggers kept the pressure on the Blanchet offense, forcing them to punt after a trio of short gains, giving Scio the ball back for the second time in the quarter. Daniel Harper excited the Scio fans when he swept to the outside for a 40 yard gain before being taken down. Mixing things up, Nathan Jones got the call and took the ball in from 18 yards for another Logger score. The conversion failed but Scio had a quick 14-0 lead with just over six minutes left in the opening period.

Scio went for a bit of razzle dazzle on the ensuing kickoff when Ben Jones pooched the ball to the Logger side of the field. Nathan Jones streaked down the field and before Blanchet knew what hit them, the speedy Logger covered the ball, giving possession back to Scio. Harper added 30 yards to his night on a pair of runs before Jones again took it to the house, this time from 11 yards out. The conversion had Reger's name on it as he crossed the goal line to give Scio a commanding 22-0 with five minutes left in the opening quarter.

Richard Silveira, who would have his name announced several times throughout the evening, flew in for the tackle, holding Blanchet to a single yard gain. Scio's defense, known to fans as the Black Sea, proved their worth again, stopping the Cavs momentum. On third and seven, James Tibbs and Josh Parazoo combined to stop the Blanchet qb from gaining any ground to force another Blanchet punt.

With 11 seconds left in the quarter, Smith connected with Harper on a long pass play, marching toward the goal line. Scio kept moving as the second quarter started. Harper cut back across the field and just left everyone in his wake on his way to 20 yard score. Much to the Scio fans delight, Reger kicked the extra point, pushing the Loggers' lead to 29-0 with 11:32 left in the half.

Blanchet got some momentum of their own but still could not convert when they needed to. The Loggers got possession on another punt but gave the ball back on a rare turnover. With less than 50 seconds in the half, the Cavs pushed across the goal line but missed the conversion, giving Scio a 29-6 lead. Scio coughed up the ball again but Blanchet could not convert before intermission.

Blanchet got the ball to start the second half and put together a five minute drive that took them on a 65 yard journey to draw within two touchdowns. The conversion failed so the Logger lead was 29-12 with just over seven minutes in the third.

Scio responded with a long, time consuming drive of their own in response to the Cavs push. The Loggers ended up with a long third and 12 when Harper broke a long run that was called back on a penalty. Scio ended up with a fourth and two but behind his big offensive line, Harper bulled his way for a Logger first down. The big play was a slick 40 yard pass play from Smith to Harper. With under four minutes to go in the third, Nathan Jones added two more points to give Scio the 37-12 lead.

The Parazoo brothers- Justin and Josh- both had their names called when each made great stops, forcing Blanchet into another fourth down situation. Scio put together another long drive, this one not nearly as time consuming. Two plays into the drive, Smith connected with Nathan Jones on a 66 yard pass play. Jones, with most of the field in front of him, only had to worry about keeping the pig skin safe because the closest players to him were his own teammates. The senior ran it in for the two points to close out the scoring and giving the Loggers the 45-12 victory.

Scio did have one more chance to score but lost the ball on their third turnover of the night. The tough Logger defense dug in and worked their magic on the Cavaliers' offense, stopping the final Blanchet drive of the night when the visitors could not convert on fourth down. Scio had one more chance to score when Harper scampered 53 yards before the Loggers ran out the clock to claim the win.

A trio of seniors led the Loggers on offense. Harper finished with 174 yards and two touchdowns while Nathan Jones had 120 yards. He also had a pair of scores. Reger added 118 yards. The Logger big line limited Blanchet on both sides of the ball to help secure the win.

Following the game, Head Coach Jim Mask reflected on the highlights and the low lights. “You played some of your best football tonight and you played some of your worst football,” Mask told the team. He reminded them that they needed to take care of business.

“This group of seniors is special. They've been together since they were in sixth grade,” Mask said of his 14 seniors. “They play hard.”

Mask said he knew the Loggers would be able to compete at the 3A level but that it has been tougher, “game in and game out.” Because of tougher competition, the younger players aren't getting as much varsity playing time as they have in the past. Overall, Mask said he was very proud of the team. “I can't say enough about these guys.”

Speaking of the uncharacteristic Logger turnovers, Mask said he thought the team simply lost focus. He also gave Blanchet credit for playing the Loggers tough. “They battled back and didn't quit.”

“I'm proud of how hard our kids played.” Mask was happy to have so many of the players get into the action. “We had a freshman step in and play the last two games and do great.”

The Loggers travel to Creswell for their final regular season game before starting the playoffs in two weeks. Scio doesn't know who they will play in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs but Mask said it will be a home game for the Loggers, adding they might need to find a different field if the Scio field is unplayable.