Woodburn Independent Online

Trojans score revenge over No. 2 Mustangs

Kennedy advances to Class 2A semifinals with mud-soaked win over Heppner on Saturday

• By: Garrett Rudolph  
• Published: 11/24/2009 10:54:59 AM
• Last Updated: 11/24/2009 10:58:12 AM

Photo By: Submitted photKennedy wins
Kennedy senior Derek Barth breaks free for a 48-yard dash along the sideline, as Trojans fans cheer in the background, during Kennedy’s 7-0 win over Heppner.

MT. ANGEL — Kennedy football coach Randy Traeger knew that senior running back Derek Barth had the ability to break a big play at some point during Saturday’s game against the second-ranked Heppner Mustangs.
 
Finally, after the two teams had toiled through almost 40 minutes of scoreless football, Barth broke into the open field and put on a display of his game-breaking ability. Barth’s 48-yard burst put the Trojans in scoring position, and moments later, he dove across the goal-line for the game’s only touchdown with 8:07 left to play.
 
Barth’s touchdown and Kennedy’s stalwart defense were enough to secure the 7-0 win over Heppner (10-1) and send the fourth-ranked Trojans to the Class 2A semifinals.
“I’m very proud,” said Barth. “It was a battle of defense, basically.”
 
With the field condition being slick and muddy at Kennedy High School, offensive yardage was hard to come by and neither team had much success moving the football.
“I thought we would be able to run the ball better out of our tight formations,” said  Traeger.
 
“(Heppner) did a real good job of defending our tight formations, so even inside of that we had to make some adjustments, and then it went to the ugly, muddy game, which is try to pop the ball quickly and maybe get a pass here or there.”
 
Barth said the lack of traction on the field actually played to Kennedy’s advantage.
“We’d practiced on it for the week, and made it muddy,” he said. “We were used to it, and I don’t think they were.”
 
Despite both teams’ inability to move the ball effectively, the Trojans put pressure on Heppner by winning the battle of field position. At one point Kennedy advanced the ball to the Mustangs’ 16-yard-line, before turning it over on downs, and twice, Trojans punter Nikitta Sharabarin pinned the Mustangs inside their own 5-yard-line during the first half.
Just seconds before halftime, Kennedy nearly scored a safety, as Michael Bielenberg and Sharabarin tackled Heppner’s Bryan Holland at the Mustangs’ 1-yard-line.
 
In the second half,  Traeger said the team made some adjustments, and Kennedy began to gain the upper hand.
 
“Once we get that working off of the edge, with Derek Barth, he’s going to pop one at some time,” he said.
 
That big play finally happened for the Trojans early in the fourth quarter. Barth took the handoff and cut to the outside, outrunning the Mustangs along the left sideline, before finally being tripped up and brought down at the Heppner 2-yard-line.
 
“I kept my feet and spun off a tackle and ran,” said Barth. “It was kind of slick, and I kind of slipped down here at the end, when the guy grabbed me.”
 
Barth capped off the three-play, 50-yard scoring drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
From there, the Trojans defense did the rest, forcing the Mustangs to turn the ball over on downs in each of their final two possessions of the game. Heppner tallied just 89 yards of total offense, while completing just 1 of 7 pass attempts.
 
“We’ve talked a lot about how to win championships you have to play defense,” said Traeger.
 
So far, the Trojans have done just that, with shutout wins in two straight state playoff games. Kennedy defeated Lakeview 57-0 on the road in the first round, led by Barth’s 152 yards rushing and four touchdowns, while quarterback Derek Traeger added 69 rushing yards, 65 passing yards and a touchdown. Jeff Ellingson also ran for two touchdowns.
 
The Trojans (8-4) have now won eight of its past nine games, after starting out the season with three straight losses. Saturday’s win avenged a 30-23 loss to Heppner in the first game of the year. At that point, though, Kennedy had several key players miss the first games of the season, and also had many athletes playing out of position.
 
Coach Traeger said the unity and close-knit nature of the team has made the Trojans’ success even more rewarding.
 
“That whole side of it really makes it enjoyable,” he said. “And our coaches are fantastic. We’ve got nine coaches that are just awesome, and they’ve been with us a while. The whole thing is just kind of hitting on all cylinders right now.”
 
Now, the Trojans will face another tough rematch in the semifinals, against top-ranked Knappa, which defeated Kennedy 56-18, on Sept. 11.
 
Coach Traeger said Knappa will be a challenge for the Trojans, but he feels confident in defending against the Logger’s double-wing — a similar offense to what Tri-River Conference rival Scio runs.
 
Knowing that in order to win a state championship, the Trojans will likely have to defeat all three Class 2A teams they lost to this year — Heppner, Knappa and Scio — Barth said the team has dubbed this year’s playoff run “the road to redemption.”
 
Knappa (11-0) defeated Bonanza 47-14 in the quarterfinals. The Trojans and Loggers will play on Saturday at Liberty High School. Game time is scheduled for noon.

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