High school football: Pendleton, La Grande buckle up for Round 2

Published 3:00 pm Wednesday, November 9, 2022

LA GRANDE — Three weeks ago, La Grande and Pendleton met at Round-Up Stadium with the 4A Special District 5 championship on the line.

The teams meet again Friday, Nov. 11, at Community Stadium in La Grande, and the stakes are much higher.

“Being league champs was our first goal, and the second goal is making it to the state championship game,” fifth-year La Grande head coach Rich McIlmoil told the East Oregonian. “Goal No. 1 has been reached. Goal No. 2 is what we are fighting for.”

A semifinal berth is on the line when the Buckaroos and Tigers square off in what will be the first postseason meeting between the two football programs.

Both teams had dominant opening-round efforts, with La Grande pulling away after a tight first period to rout Cascade, 48-12. Pendleton, meanwhile, scored the first 21 points and forced six turnovers in a 41-20 victory over Stayton.

“It’s going to be a great game,” McIlmoil said. “They are well-coached, they have great players and they play hard. We are just going to do what we can to prepare for a good game.”

La Grande is in the 4A quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive season, while Pendleton’s win was the Buckaroos’ first playoff victory since 2018, when the team reached the 5A semifinals.

“Anytime you can get through the first round of a playoff, it’s a big weight off your shoulders,” said Pendleton head coach Erik Davis, citing the fact that a year ago, Pendleton lost at home in the first round to Dallas, 7-6. “To be able to come out of this one with a win, it’s obviously amplified when you get a chance to go against your perceived rivals.”

Payton Lambert has 185 of Pendleton’s 301 rushing yards against Stayton, while he and Gavin Clark rushed for two scores each.

“Payton Lambert is a heck of an athlete,” McIlmoil said. “He’s quick and shifty. He’s their main threat and they work off what he can do. We have to have an answer for that guy. He is a pretty special player.”

In the first matchup between Pendleton and La Grande, the Tigers forced three turnovers — including one which gave it a short field before a touchdown and one that the Tigers returned for a score — as they won, 33-20, on a cold, wet night in Pendleton.

“We got beat at home. The weather always plays a factor, but that is something you can’t control,” Davis said. “We talk about no excuses, controlling what you can control.”

That said, Davis is appreciative of the opportunity to play on a turf field in drier conditions, as the teams will this week. He did note that what a team is apt to call is limited by adverse conditions. The team did practice at Hermiston to get a better feel for turf.

Lambert leads a cast of three strong running backs for the Buckaroos, and quarterback Jackson Davis “has proven that in the right conditions he can distribute the football,” Coach Davis said.

“Pendleton is pretty big and physical up front,” McIlmoil said. “We have to be sound up front and do things technically right and not shoot from the hip. We have to take care of business, run our scheme and run it right.”

La Grande scored the final 41 points in Friday’s first-round win, and has been stout on defense during its current seven-game winning streak, allowing just 12.3 points per game in the six games played on the field. Logan Williams and Jace Schow have been key in an offense that, in that same stretch, is scoring just a shade under 42.2 points per game.

A win by La Grande (8-2 overall) will put it in the semifinals for the first time since 2019, when it won the 4A state title. Pendleton (8-2), with a win, would be in the semifinals for the first time since 2018, but just the second time since 1977.

Davis is hoping Pendleton can return to the form that got it to the quarterfinals in Friday’s rematch.

“Being balanced is what has got us here, distributing the ball to multiple kids, whether pass (or) run,” he said. “We weren’t able to do that in the first game. Hopefully this game were able to expand on that a little bit. Payton is a special talent. He’s going to have to touch the ball. We’re going to gameplan to get everybody involved who has gotten us to this point. Hopefully that’s enough.”

Historically, La Grande has fared better in the quarterfinals, going 5-5 all-time, while Pendleton is just 7-17.

The winner of the 6 p.m. contest faces either Gladstone or Tillamook in the semifinals.

Class 6A

Friday, Nov. 11

North Salem at Jefferson, 7 p.m.

Lakeridge at Oregon City, 7 p.m.

Sprague at Westview, 7 p.m.

Clackamas at Liberty, 7 p.m.

Lake Oswego at Sheldon, 7 p.m.

Central Catholic at Jesuit, 7 p.m.

Mountainside at Tualatin, 7 p.m.

Sherwood at West Linn, 7 p.m.

Class 5A

Friday, Nov. 11

Central at Summit, 7 p.m.

Dallas at Thurston, 7 p.m.

South Albany at Bend, 7 p.m.

Silverton at Wilsonville, 7 p.m.

Class 4A

Friday, Nov. 11

Pendleton/Nixyaawii at La Grande, 6 p.m.

Estacada at Henley, 6 p.m.

Gladstone at Tillamook, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov 12

Scappoose at Mazama, 1 p.m.

Class 3A

Friday, Nov. 11

Santiam Christian at Banks, 6 p.m.

Dayton at South Umpqua, 7 p.m.

La Pine at Cascade Christian, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov 12

Vale at Kennedy, 1 p.m.

Class 2A

Saturday, Nov 12

Umatilla at Oakland, 1 p.m.

Regis at Heppner, 1 p.m.

Gold Beach at Colton, 1 p.m.

Weston-McEwen/Griswold at Lowell, 1 p.m.

Class 1A 8-man

Friday, Nov. 11

Myrtle Point at Crane, 5 p.m.

Cove at Powder Valley, 6 p.m.

Perrydale at St. Paul, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov 12

Adrian at Lost River, 1 p.m.

Class 1A 6-man

Saturday, Nov 12

South Wasco County at Triangle Lake, noon

Spray/Mitchell/Wheeler at Powers, 3:30 p.m.