Cardinals Get The Edge On Pilot Rock

WAITSBURG - What's the difference between the machine-gun quick, NCAA national title contending University of Oregon football team and the 2012 edition of the Waitsburg-Prescott Cardinals?

After the way the Cards dominated Pilot Rock, Ore., in a 35-21 victory that wasn't nearly as close as the final tally, the answer might be: only the color of the uniforms.

WP head coach Jeff Bartlow's team took a page from Chip Kelly's Ducks' book, as his team over-powered the Pilot Rock offense, forcing four turnovers, and blitz-krieged its defense scoring three of its five touchdowns on drives of two plays or fewer.

And Pilot Rock was no patsy. The Rockets, who appeared to have more and better athletes than WP's first opponent, Heppner, came out and proved their grit by forcing WP into three plays and a punt on its first drive. Then, the Rockets rammed their own first drive 75 yards down the Cardinals' throat on seven plays in just under four minutes, to take an early 7-0 lead.

The two big plays of the drive were on consecutive passes, the first a 35-yard completion from quarterback Tyler Simmons to receiver Dustin Dedios, and the second a 24-yard pass from Simmons to tight end Jason Grosjacques on the next play.

WP responded on its next drive by moving the ball from its own 13 to the Pilot Rock 31 on consecutive passes of 14 and 42 yards from Sterling Eastman to Dalton Estes. But the drive bogged down there thanks to a fumbled snap and three straight rushes, including a fourth-and- six Estes run that came up two yards short of the first down.

Pilot Rock took over on downs at its own 23, but it was at that point that the Cardinal defense took the game over.

On the second play of Pilot Rock's next drive, WP cornerback Luke Alexenko leaped high to pick off the first of three Simmons interceptions on the night, this one on a slightly underthrown ball at the Cardinals' 46.

And although WP's Eastman gave the interception back five plays later, intercepted by his counterpart Simmons, WP scored quickly thereafter. The Cardinal defense forced a PR punt after three plays, and the Rockets' long snapper sent the ball over the punter's head and out the back of the end zone for a safety.

After the free kick, the Cards were stymied again on three plays and forced to punt. But the Cardinal defense responded with Billy Brown forcing a fumble that WP recovered at the Pilot Rock 3-yard line. Estes then capped the Cards' first scoring drive four plays later on a 4-yard touchdown plunge.

The Cards' 2- point conversion attempt failed, and the score remained, 8-7, WP.

The Rockets' next drive never got off the ground. The WP defense forced a fourth consecutive Pilot Rock drive to end in four plays or fewer.

WP started its final drive of the half at its own 46. The Cards notched their second touchdown of the night on five pass plays and no rushes, the longest a 42-yarder from Eastman to Roy Ebong, and the scoring pass on a 1-yard quick screen to Estes. The Cardinals entered halftime up, 15-7.

WP's defensive dominance continued in the third quarter. The Cards held Pilot Rock to 17 yards on its first drive of the half, then to two yards on its second drive. In between the Cards' missed a short field goal.

After WP's defense forced its third three-and-out of the game, the offensive fireworks began.

After a good punt return by Ebong to the Pilot Rock 31, the WP offense took just two plays-a 17-yard scamper by Brown followed by another 14-yard dash-to tally its third touchdown of the game.

The WP defense forced a fourth Pilot Rock three-andout, then turned around and scored from 49 yards out on two plays-an Estes 33-yard sweep followed by a Eastman to Chance Leroue 16-yard touchdown pass down the right seam.

Four plays later, WP's Ebong intercepted Simmons over the middle, and one play after that Brown took a pitch to the right 27 yards to the house.

Three plays into the Rockets' next drive, Danny Stansell picked Simmons again. As Stansell hit the turf, the horn sounded bringing Pilot Rock's nightmarish third quarter to an end with WP up, 35-7.

Pilot Rock scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter with less than five minutes remaining in the game against Waitsburg-Prescott's second team defense. Against WP's first team however, the Rockets' offense managed just 140 yards on the night-and an astounding 71 yards after their first drive.

"It was weird," Bartlow said. "Sometimes you win that first game of the season and you come out a little bit flat the second game. We had trouble stopping their little package at the beginning of the game, but it woke us up. Then we settled down and started running on first down. They would always blitz on second and third downs. Running the ball effectively on first down was the key to victory in the second half."

WP's O-line surrendered four sacks to the Pilot Rock defense in the first half.

"They were bringing guys every single play and I just couldn't get the ball off," said Eastman, the WP quarterback. "Then we started running up the middle which set up play action passes and we started throwing down the field."

Bartlow was happy with how his players handled the pressure.

" One adjustment we made was we rolled Sterling (Eastman) out," Bartlow said. "He rolled out of pressure and he throws really good on the run. We got a couple of good draws to Billy (Brown) off that roll out that got Billy some yards we needed and gave us some room to maneuver."

WP's night was far from perfect on offense or defense. Besides the sacks, the home side racked up 70 yards in penalties on 10 separate infractions. Three times WP gave Pilot Rock first down-and- five opportunities by jumping offside on first-and-10.

The Cardinals' next opponent is defending Oregon Blue Mountain League champion Weston-McEwen, a 34-18 loser on Friday to DeSales. The game will be on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Athena, Ore. The game has been moved up a day to accommodate the Pendleton Round-up.

The WP JV team went 2-0 last Monday night with a 30-22 win at Pilot Rock.