By James Day
The Silverton High and West Albany football teams have battled four times in the past 14 months. High stakes were on the line in all four games, but none higher than Saturday night’s OSAA Class 5A semifinal on a cold night at Hillsboro Stadium.
Bulldogs running back Jake LaCoste rushed for 207 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lift West Albany to a 17-0 victory, sending the team to a championship match against Sherwood.
LaCoste also rushed for a pair of touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs to a 13-0 win Sept. 27 in the rain in Albany, a victory that allowed West Albany to replace Silverton as Mid-Willamette Conference champions.
“He’s a great player,” Foxes coach John Mannion said of LaCoste, “and they’re a very good team. I wish them the best in the finals. It’s been great competing against them the past two years.”
Silverton defeated West Albany 28-21 during the 2012 regular season and scored a 35-6 win in the quarterfinals. The Foxes outscored the Bulldogs 63-57 in the four games.
Silverton outgained West Albany 282 yards to 225 on Saturday night, but the Foxes were unable to put the ball in the end zone. Silverton had three turnovers (two interceptions and a lost fumble) and had a field goal attempt blocked. The Foxes were penalized seven times for 77 yards.
“Their defense has a lot of outstanding players,” Mannion said. “There were a couple of drives we just couldn’t finish. We did some good things on offense but not enough to put it in the end zone.”
In the second quarter, after a 3-yard LaCoste scoring run had given the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead, the Foxes drove from their own 21 to the West Albany 15. But on 3rd-and-1 the Foxes were whistled for a false start. Cole Chandler’s third-down pass was incomplete and Bulldogs linebacker Gabe Stone intercepted Chandler’s tipped pass on fourth down.
After the Bulldogs went 3-and-out and punted, the Foxes drove 38 yards in seven plays, including a 28-yard pass from Chandler to Logan Munson, who made a great catch on a post pattern at the West Albany 13. The drive stalled, though, at the 11, and J.T. Valenzuela came up the middle to block Michael Dooley’s 27-yard field goal attempt with 33 seconds left in the half.
The temperature was 48 degrees at game time, but it had dropped to 36 degrees by the start of the second half. The Bulldogs made it 14-0 on their first possession of the third period, with LaCoste breaking free on an option pitch for a 53-yard touchdown. Bulldogs kicker Matt Wiest added a 25-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
The Foxes’ deepest drive of the second half was to West Albany’s 36-yard line.
“They’re a real physical team, just like us,” said Chandler, who completed 21 of 31 passes for 205 yards. “We have to keep making this step and keep fighting if we hope to make it to the state finals.”
“It’s pretty awesome to make it this far. It’s an honor, and it shows how hard this team has worked” said special teams standout Cort Martin, who totaled 63 yards on returns. “That’s a hard-nosed team. I have a lot of respect for them.”
The Foxes, who lost to eventual state champion Sherwood in last year’s semifinals, are 29-6 in the past three seasons. Their defense allowed just 78 points in 12 games, with West Albany’s 17 the most they surrendered.
