Bulletin E-Edition:
more photosMountain View’s Chris Barber, center, and Luke Cesar, left, pull down Jefferson quarterback Marlon Miles for a loss during the second quarter of Friday’s Class 5A state quarterfinal game.
Photos by Rob Kerr / The Bulletin
Cougars’ run comes to an end
Jefferson runs for more than 300 yards to end the season of IMC champion Mountain View
By Beau Eastes / The Bulletin
Published: November 22. 2008 4:00AM PSTThroughout the 2008 football season, Mountain View made its mark with a strong running game and a tough, punishing defense, and finished the regular season with a 7-2 record and a share of its third consecutive league title.
The Cougars, though, met their match Friday night in Bend.
With college-sized offensive and defensive lines, Jefferson defeated Mountain View 26-18 in the Class 5A quarterfinals. Rushing for 333 yards, the Democrats of Portland (6-6 overall) controlled the game on both sides of the line scrimmage.
The Cougars ended their season with an 8-3 record, while the Demos will play West Albany next week in the 5A semifinal round.
“They were huge,” Mountain View receiver Pat Cashman said about Jefferson, which throughout the game rotated six linemen who weighed between 275 and 330 pounds. “I’d never seen high school kids like that.”
Demo quarterback Marlon Miles — the Portland Interscholastic League’s 2008 offensive player of the year as a running back — provided speed outside the tackles to go along with fullback Saia Kofe’s muscle up the middle.
An offensive guard until last week, the 280-pound Kofe carried the ball 17 times for 87 yards and a touchdown. Miles, who was starting under center in place of the injured Elisonoa Aluesi, attempted only one pass all night.
But he, rushed for 175 yards and scored three touchdowns on 14 carries.
“They just out-physicaled us,” said Mountain View coach Steve Turner, whose team was held to 95 yards rushing. “And Miles is a game breaker. He was the difference. You can’t replicate that kind of speed in practice.”
The Cougars took an early 3-0 lead when Skyler Laughlin nailed a 42-yard field goal on Mountain View’s first possession. Cashman made it 10-0 later in the first quarter when he hauled in a Matt Robertson pass for a 71-yard touchdown reception.
After getting shut out for the first 12 minutes of the game, Jefferson scored on its first possession of the second quarter. Miles led the Demos on a nine-play, 84-yard drive for their first score, which he capped off with a two-yard touchdown run.
“People don’t know that Marlon’s played quarterback for most of his life,” Democrat coach Anthony Stoudamire said about Miles, who switched to running back only in the past few years. “In fact, he started four games for us at quarterback as a freshman. He had a great game tonight, but I had no doubt he would since he’s been there before.”
Miles led Jefferson on two more scoring drives before halftime, giving the Demos a 20-10 lead after two quarters.
“At the beginning of the season we scheduled some tough teams,” said Stoudamire, whose program played Grant, West Albany and Sherwood in nonconference games this year. “Those teams got us ready for games like this.”
In the second half Friday night the Demos were happy to trade punts with the Cougars while grinding down the clock. While Jefferson’s offense struggled to sustain drives, its defense came up with the play of the game late in the fourth quarter.
Ahead 20-10 with six minutes left in the game, the Demos were forced to punt. Mountain View got a hand on the kick, and the Cougars took over the ball with 5:51 on the clock at their own 42-yard line.
Looking for a late spark, Mountain View installed Cashman at quarterback instead of his normal receiver position. On his first play he ran for no yards, and his second play was a pass that was picked off by Jefferson defensive back DeAngelo Bell.
The Demos ran another three minutes off the clock before Mountain View was able to get its hands back on the ball, which the Cougars turned over on downs in four plays.
Miles and Cashman each scored late touchdowns for their teams, but a Mountain View onside kick with a minute left in the game was recovered by Jefferson, ending the Cougars’ chance at a late rally.
Cashman led Mountain View’s offense with 180 yards receiving and two touchdown catches on nine receptions. Scott McCreery added 79 yards rushing.
Beau Eastes can be reached at 541-383-0305 or at beastes@bendbulletin.com.
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