OREGON — Midway through the second quarter of its 3A playoff game with Peru St. Bede (6-4), Oregon (10-0) only had one first down and trailed 7-0. Then, a friendly ghost came to the rescue for the Hawks.
Nick McKeown hobgoblined free for 47 and 55-yard runs before the half ended, setting up the first two touchdowns in a Oregon 34-7 win.
“I think on Halloween, he’s a ghost the way he hid behind his line,” St. Bede coach John Bellino said.
“We couldn’t find him.”
“The first time, three guys tackled (Nick) Snyder,” McKeown said. “I was just following my line and found an opening.”
STILLMAN VALLEY — Stillman Valley’s first couple turnovers were forgivable. Field conditions were less than perfect, after all, and Oregon was bound to make the same mistakes.
But the Hawks, being every bit the two-time defending conference champs they are, did not.
Oregon capitalized on five Stillman Valley turnovers to beat the Cardinals 28-0 Friday and win its third straight Big Northern West title. The Hawks (9-0, 5-0 BNW) became the first Big Northern team since 2004 to finish the regular season undefeated.
ROCKFORD — Nick Snyder ran for 162 yards and three touchdowns on only five carries as Oregon blew out Lutheran 41-0 and set up a showdown with fellow unbeaten Stillman Valley for the Big Northern West football title next week.
Oregon, ranked No. 8 in Class 4A, outrushed Lutheran by 356 yards. The Hawks had 338 and Lutheran minus-18. Jake Koehler completed 16 of 31 passes for 93 yards for Luthearn.
Oregon plays next week at Stillman Valley, ranked No. 6 in Class 4A.
— rrstar.com
GENOA – Oregon’s players remember too well that their only conference loss of the 2007 season was to Genoa-Kingston.
“Yeah, we came in here looking for revenge,” Oregon fullback Nick McKeown said after his team’s 35-20 win at Genoa Friday. Then he looked at one of his linemen, Justin Dvorak, standing nearby, and the two of them exchanged satisfactory grins.
“And I think we got it,” McKeown added.
OREGON - Oregon scored 21 points in the first quarter and went on to beat Winnebago 49-11 at Oregon on Friday.
The Hawks (6-0, 2-0 BNW) rang up 330 rushing yards and had rushing touchdowns from Nick Snyder (15 yards), Carson Andrew (3 yards), Nick McKeown (80 yards), and Andrew Smith (52 yards).
Oregon also scored a 57-yard punt return by Ryan McWethy, a 12-yard pass from McWethy to Smith, and a 79-yard kickoff reutrn by Robbie Brink.
McKeown finished with 109 yards on four carries.
OREGON - In a game plagued by fumbles and slippery field conditions, Oregon needed a field goal in double overtime to edge Hampshire 11-8.
After Hampshire failed to convert on a fourth-down play in the second overtime, Jeff Yount kicked a fourth-down 22-yard field goal for the Hawk win.
"The longer the game went, I had a feeling it was going to come down to a field goal or extra point,"
Yount said.
Yount's kick was dead center off the hold of Ryan McWethy, who moments earlier scored a touchdown and extra point in the first overtime for Oregon.
OREGON - If Oregon's 44-19 win over North Boone (1-1) wasn't convincing enough, fair warning needs to be given to the remaining seven teams on its schedule.
Starting next week, the Hawks (2-0) will be at full strength as starting quarterback Ryan McWethy and two-way lineman Ben Bruns return after sitting out the first two games for disciplinary reasons.
Coach John Bothe also hopes to have injured defensive spark plug Robbie Brink back, as well.
"Once those guys get their feet under them, we'll be a better team," Bothe said.
