(The following reprinted by permission from the Corvallis Gazette-Times.)
Scobel Wiggins | Gazette-Times August 26, 2008 After missing almost all of last season, Philomath quarterback Dan Haynes is back to help lead the Warriors’ offense in 2008.
Overview
2007: 1-9, 0-4 Val-Co
COACH: Troy Muir
PHS Football 2008 Preseason Video (Gazette-Times video by Graham Kislingbury. "Get a preseason look at the Warriors, and hear what running back Keith Fakhoury and quarterback Dan Haynes have to say about the team.")
2008 Schedule
Aug. 29 Stayton Sept. 5 at Yamhill-Carlton Sept. 12 at Pleasant Hill Sept. 19 Seaside ept. 26 Tillamook Oct. 3 Sweet Home Oct. 9 at Taft Oct. 17 at La Pine Oct. 24 Newport Oct. 31 at Central (Willamette U)
Video Clips
(Courtesy of the Corvallis Gazette-Times)
Philomath 13, Stayton 6
Fakhoury’s stop lifts Philomath to win
Warriors able to stop Stayton on a two-point conversion try late
By Raju Woodward Gazette-Times Reporter (8-30-2008)
PHILOMATH - It was going to take more than a horrible case of cramps to keep Keith Fakhoury off the field on Friday night.
Just minutes after being helped off the field, the Philomath High senior stopped Stayton quarterback Sawyer Clark on a two-point conversion attempt that would have given the Eagles an 8-7 lead with 5:36 remaining in the game.
Fakhoury then gave PHS some breathing room on its ensuing drive, carrying the ball four times to set up Trevor Motter’s 6-yard touchdown run with 1:37 remaining, allowing the Warriors to hold on for a 13-6 nonleague win.
“Tonight’s game came from the heart,” Fakhoury said. “We wanted to win this one badly and show people that this is a new team.”
Fakhoury finished with 48 yards on 20 carries, while Motter carried 12 times for 51 yards. As strong as the Warriors’ run game was, it was their defense that was most impressive against the Eagles, especially in the first half.
They allowed only two first downs, forced two fumbles (recovering one) and picked off a pass in the half.
“It was a great first game for us,” senior defensive lineman CJ Roach said. “The coaches have been telling us that defense is what’s going to carry us this year, so we wanted to come out strong.”
Joseph Harmon and Motter finished with eight tackles apiece to lead the Warriors while Roach added six.
PHS (1-0) came out firing on offense as well. Senior quarterback Dan Haynes, who missed most of last season due to injury, completed a 17-yard pass to tight end Carson Howard on the game’s first play. Eight plays later, Fakhoury scored from three yards out to give the Warriors an early lead.
“Having Dan back gives us so much confidence,” Fakhoury said. “With him, our offense is so much more versatile.”
Haynes was 3-for-7 with two interceptions but all three of his completions were for first downs. He also rushed for 13 yards.
Early in the game, Stayton tried to pound the ball up the middle against the Warriors’ defense, but was unsuccessful. The Eagles then went outside, using toss and sweep plays. However, PHS was ready for the change in running styles.
“We knew they might try to do that,” Roach said. “So we worked on that play all week in practice and I thought we did a good job against it.”
Stayton finally got on the board midway through the fourth when Clark scored from a yard out to pull the Eagles within one. The 12-play drive was highlighted by a 28-yard scamper by running back Kyle McGrath.
But Clark was unable to come up big again, thanks to Fakhoury’s crucial stop on the next play.
“Even if I couldn’t have returned, I trusted my teammates to come through,” Fakhoury said. “But it was amazing being able to help the team win.”
Philomath 13, Stayton 6
STAYTON 0 0 0 6 - 6
PHILOMATH 7 0 0 6 - 13
First Quarter
PHS: Keith Fakhoury 3 run (Trevor Motter kick), 7:44
Fourth quarter
S: Sawyer Clark 1 run (run failed), 5:36
PHS: Motter 6 run (kick failed), 1:37
RUSHING: SHS - Mikolas 12-50, McGrath 10-74, Morales 6-5, Clark 3-1. PHS - K. Fakhoury 20-48; Motter 12-51; N. Fakhoury 5-23; Haynes 5-13.
PASSING: SHS - Clark: 3-11-2. PHS - Haynes 3-7-2, 59 yards
RECEIVING: SHS - Morales 2-16, Dedow 1-15. PHS - Motter 1-17; Howard 1-17; Stevens 1-25.
Philomath 35, Yamhill-Carlton 6
Philomath defense stuffs Y-C run game
Gazette-Times (9-6-08)
YAMHILL - Keith Fahkoury scored on runs of 20 and 2 yards and Dan Haynes threw two touchdown passes on Friday night to pace Philomath High’s 35-6 victory over Yamhill-Carlton in a nonleague football game.
The Warriors led 15-0 at halftime and then clamped down defensively after the Tigers drew within 15-6 in the third quarter. PHS (2-0) scored the final three touchdowns to pull away.
Haynes’ scoring passes were 28 yards to Logan Stevens and 25 yards to Henry Vaughn. Joseph Harman scored PHS’s final TD on an 11-yard run.
Individual statistics were not available but PHS coach Troy Muir credited Fahkoury and Trevor Motter for evenly splitting the Warriors’ effective running game.
“We did a good job of controlling the line of scrimmage and ran the ball well,” he said.
“Defensively we really stepped up and shut them down. We held them scoreless in the first half, let up and let them throw the ball in the third quarter and then pinned them back again. They couldn’t run the ball at all against us.”
PHS plays at Pleasant Hill next Friday.
“We’re definitely starting to click a little more offensively and on defense we’re tightening the screws and gaining the confidence we’ve lacked for two years here,” Muir said.
Philomath 35, Yamhill-Carlton 6
PHILOMATH 8 7 7 13 - 35
YAMHILL-CARLTON 0 0 6 0 - 6
First quarter
PHS: Keith Fahkoury 2 run (Haynes run)
Second quarter
PHS: Logan Stevens 28 pass from Haynes (Trevor Motter kick)
Third quarter
YC: Heath Rhodes 3 run (pass failed)
PHS: Fahkoury 20 run (Motter kick)
Fourth quarter
PHS: Henry Vaughn 25 pass from Haynes (Motter kick)
PHS: Joseph Harman 11 run (kick failed)
Philomath 35, Pleasant Hill 21
Warriors storm back to go to 3-0
Pleasant Hill strikes first, but Philomath regroups for win
Gazette-Times (9-13-08)
PLEASANT HILL - Keith Fakhoury and Trever Motter combined to rush for 277 yards and three touchdowns to lead Philomath High to a 35-21 nonleague win over Pleasant Hill on Friday night.
Pleasant Hill struck first, scoring on a long pass play with 10 minutes left in the first quarter, but PHS (3-0) responded with two quick scores, both 5-yard touchdown runs by Motter.
“They came out and ran a couple plays that we weren’t quite ready for,” PHS coach Troy Muir said. “But we came right back on them. Our offense made some great adjustments though.”
Motter then caught an 8-yard pass from Dan Haynes with seven seconds left in the half to give the Warriors a 20-14 lead. Haynes added a 5-yard TD run of his own with 2:51 remaining in the third.
PHS’s defense was able to hold Pleasant Hill scoreless in the final quarter, while Fakhoury put the game away for the Warriors with a 16-yard score with 1:24 left.
“We are starting to click on the offensive line,” Muir said. “The more reps we get the better we are at the point of attack and that allows us to do what we want to do.”
Philomath hosts Seaside next Friday.
Philomath 35, Pleasant Hill 21
PHILOMATH 14 6 7 8 — 35
PLEASANT HILL 7 7 7 0 — 21
First quarter
PHHS: Bagwell 37 pass from Smith (Lowell kick), 10:00
PHS: Motter 5 run (Motter kick), 6:34
PHS: Motter 5 run (Motter kick), 2:55
Second quarter
PHHS: Nelson 21 run (Lowell kick), 5:24
PHS: Motter 8 pass from Haynes (kick failed), :07
Third quarter
PHS: Haynes 5 run (Motter kick), 2:51
PHHS: Dalepas 65 pass from Smith (Lowell kick), 2:38
Fourth quarter
PHS: K. Fakhoury 16 run (K. Fakhoury run), 1:24
Rushing: PHS: K. Fakhoury 24-168, Trever Motter 21-129,
Passing: PHS: Dan Haynes 5-9 74
Receiving: PHS: Trever Motter 3 -36, Carson Howard 2-38
Philomath 27 , Seaside 14
Scobel Wiggins | Gazette-Times (09-20-08) Philomath’s Logan Stevens pulls in a critical fourth-down pass, setting up the Warriors’ go-ahead touchdown.
Warriors beach Seaside, 27-14
By Raju Woodward Gazette-Times Reporter
Philomath rallies to defeat Seagulls
PHILOMATH — With 10:20 remaining and trailing 14-13, the Philomath High football team faced a crucial fourth down.
On Seaside’s 27-yard line and needing five yards for a first down, the Warriors lined up. Senior quarterback Dan Haynes took the snap and fired a quick pass.
And despite being a little high and off-target, senior receiver Logan Stevens came up with the ball well past the first down marker before being dragged down at the 3.
One play later, Keith Fakhoury scored the go-ahead touchdown, propelling the Warriors to a 27-14 nonleague victory over Seaside on Friday night on Clemens Field.
“When I got the call, I knew (Logan) was going to be wide open because they had no safeties out there,” Haynes said. “But I didn’t lead him enough to the inside, I threw it more outside. It was supposed to be a post-and-up. It was an amazing catch.”
Added Stevens: “It wasn’t the best throw, but I made the most out of it I could.”
And after Fakhoury’s score, PHS (4-0) gained all the momentum in what had been a pretty evenly matched game that was marred by penalties.
The Warriors forced Seaside to go 4-and-out on the game’s next possession. And despite punting the ball away four plays later, PHS held strong.
After Seagulls’ receiver Elryc Berkman caught a 23-yard pass on third-and-long to give his team a first down, the Warriors ended any hopes of a Seaside comeback on the next three plays.
They limited Seagulls running back Eric Knutsen to a 2-yard gain on first down, Kirk St, Clair then sacked quarterback Dylan Peters for a 5-yard loss, setting up third-and-long for Seaside and it was unable to convert.
A long punt return by senior Cody Hanten gave PHS excellent field position on the Seagulls’ 12-yard line. Six plays later, on third-and-goal from the 2, Haynes kept the ball and went around the right end for the score to extend the Warriors’ lead to 13 with a minute remaining in the game.
Haynes completed 8 of 9 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. He also carried the ball four times for 37 yards. Fakhoury was the Warriors’ leading rushing with 72 yards on 18 carries. Stevens finished with three catches for 86 yards.
Haynes’ big fourth down completion and Fakhoury’s touchdown run provided an exciting end to what was a sluggish game, especially in the first half.
Seaside struck first in the game, when Jackson Meyer scored on a 7-yard run at the 7:53 mark. The Seagulls’ 11-play drive was highlighted by three plays of more than 20 yards. Stevens admitted PHS was caught off guard at first.
“I think we got a little overconfident before the game,” Stevens said. “We thought we were coming in to win it by a lot but we got a little too confident and didn’t play good defense in the first quarter.”
The Warriors responded nearly two minutes later with a score of their own, when Haynes found tight end Henry Vaughn in the back of the end zone with 5:07 remaining in the first quarter.
“He did great,” Haynes said. “Henry has been working hard all season. He’s been doing a great job blocking and catching the ball. Tonight Henry showed why he’s our starting tight end; he’s got pretty good hands.”
Two possessions later, Haynes found Vaughn again for a 13-yard touchdown to give PHS a 13-6 lead at the 11:30 mark in the second. The Warriors would hold that lead, until Peters scored on a 68-yard scamper with 1:26 remaining in the third quarter.
After finishing 1-9 last season and failing to win a Val-Co League game, the Warriors couldn’t have asked for a better start in 2008. There’s a lot of work left to be done and football to be played, but there’s no denying there’s a lot of excitement around the program.
“Right now we are 4-0 and ranked in the top-10,” Haynes said. “Rankings don’t mean anything, but I can’t believe we are in this situation at 4-0. Tillamook is big and tough, but 4-0 sounds good right now in Philomath.”
Philomath will host Tillamook next Friday in a nonleague game.
Philomath 27, Seaside 14
SEASIDE 6 0 8 0 — 14
PHILOMATH 7 6 0 14 — 27
First quarter
SHS: Jackson Meyer 7 run (kick failed), 7:53
PHS: Henry Vaughn 13 pass from Dan Haynes (Carson Howard kick), 5:07
Second quarter
PHS: Henry Vaughn 13 pass from Dan Haynes (kick failed), 11:30
Third quarter
SHS: Dylan Peters 68 run (Erik Berkman pass from Dylan Peters), 1:26
Fourth quarter
PHS: Keith Fakhoury 3 run (Trevor Motter pass from Dan Haynes), 9:53
PHS: Dan Haynes 2 run (kick failed), 1:00
Rushing: Seaside, Jackson Meyer 7-93; Dylan Peters 3-108. PHS, Keith Fakhoury 18-72; Dan Haynes 4-37
Passing: Seaside, Dylan Peters 9-26-0 104. PHS, Dan Haynes 8-9-0 128
Receiving: Seaside, Erik Berkman 3-52. PHS, Logan Stevens 3-86, Henry Vaughn 3-38
Philomath 15, Tillamook 19
Tillamook pushes past Warriors
Gazette-Times (9-27-08)
PHILOMATH — Philomath High had a chance to take the lead in the closing minutes but couldn’t punch it in and dropped a tough 19-15 nonleague decision to Tillamook on Friday night.
Philomath had taken a 15-12 lead late in the third quarter when Dan Haynes punched it in from a yard out, but Tillamook’s ground game tore up big chunks and Matt Beeler scored from a yard out with 9:43 left to put the Cheesemakers up for good.
“We had our opportunities down inside the 20, we just didn’t punch it in a couple times,” PHS coach Troy Muir said. “They controlled the ball and ran all over us.”
Beeler had 92 yards on 19 carries and Brandon Thomas had 192 yards on 25 rushes for Tillamook.
Philomath (4-1) took a 7-0 lead in the second quarter when Haynes connected with Trevor Motter for a 36-yard scoring play.
But Tillamook responded with two third-quarter touchdown runs to go up 12-7.
Philomath opens Val-Co League play at home against Sweet Home next Friday.
Tillamook 19, Philomath 15
TILLAMOOK 0 0 12 7 — 19
PHILOMATH 0 7 8 0 — 15
Second quarter
PHS — Trevor Matter 36 pass from Dan Haynes (Motter kick), 11:33
Third quarter
THS — Brandon Thomas 24 run (pass failed) 8:43
THS — Matt Beeler 1 run (run failed), 5:44
PHS — Dan Haynes 1 run (Namer Fahkoury), 2:27
Fourth quarter
THS — Matt Beeler 1 run (Elder Bravo kick), 9:47
RUSHING: PHS — N. Fakhoury 8-66, K. Fakhoury 13-60. THS — Brandon Thomas 25-192, Beeler 19-92
PASSING: PHS — Haynes 4-9-0 122. THS — Daniel Seaholm 7-15-1 76
Philomath 26, Sweet Home 22
Warriors withstand miscues for win
By Raju Woodward
Gazette-Times Reporter (9-4-08)
First Half Highlights video, courtesy of the Gazette-Times
PHILOMATH — Nothing was going to stop the Philomath High football team from accomplishing its goal on Friday night.
Not a costly fumble that allowed Sweet Home to take its first lead of the game.
Not even two questionable calls against the PHS defense that kept a long Huskies drive going late in the game.
No, the Warriors (5-1, 1-0) accomplished their mission — earning their first Valco League win in two years — by defeating Sweet Home, 26-22, at Clemens Field.
“We had a goal and we just reached it,” PHS coach Troy Muir said. “We weren’t going to let it go by.”
Dan Haynes’ 17-yard touchdown pass to Logan Stevens with 50 seconds left in regulation capped a furious rally by the Warriors.
On third-and-6 from Sweet Home’s 17-yard line, Haynes rolled out and lobbed a pass to Stevens in the corner of the end zone that Stevens barely came up with inbounds.
“When coach (Muir) came into the huddle, he said, ‘If you don’t see it, get to the middle of the field so we can kick a field goal for the win,’ ” Haynes said. “But I saw Logan had a little bit of leverage on the outside, so I just lofted it and prayed.”
Haynes, a senior, said the win was the biggest one since he has been at PHS, but it didn’t come easy for the Warriors despite a strong start.
After PHS jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, Sweet Home responded by scoring 22 straight points.
A PHS fumble in the third set up an 11-yard touchdown run by Sweet Home running back Amos Parmenter. He also ran in the two-point conversion to give the Huskies a 15-14 lead with 7:31 remaining in the third.
A bad punt on the Warriors’ next possession gave Sweet Home the ball on the 50-yard line. Four plays later, Parmenter danced his way through the line and burst into the open for a 33-yard yard touchdown. The Huskies converted the kick to go up 22-14 with 2:09 left in the quarter.
PHS responded with a touchdown of its own when Keith Fakhoury scored from a yard out six seconds into the fourth quarter. Fakhoury, however, could not get into the end zone on the ensuing two-point try that would have tied the game at 22.
On the next possession, things got interesting. After the Warriors forced a three-and-out for the Huskies, the snap to Parmenter on the punt was high and he was forced to pick up the ball and throw it.
The pass was incomplete, but the officials called pass interference on the play, which gave Sweet Home a first down and moved the ball to the Huskies’ 45.
After the Huskies moved the ball to the PHS 27-yard line, the Warriors appeared to have caught another break when they recovered a fumble by running back Trevur Byers. But the Warriors were called for holding on the play, giving Sweet Home another chance.
But that was the last break the Huskies would get, as they turned the ball over on downs at the Warriors’ 13-yard line.
“This is their first year in this defense,” Muir said of his defensive players. “They are starting to understand the system better.”
Added Haynes: “The way we fought back at the end, it was movie-like. You couldn’t have written it any better.”
PHS got an 11-yard touchdown run from Trevor Motter at the 8:22 mark in the first quarter to get the Warriors on the board on the board. Almost six minutes later, Stevens caught a 58-yard bomb from Haynes to help them take a 14-0 lead.
Stevens finished with three catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns for the Warriors, who are at Taft on Thursday.
Philomath 26, Sweet Home 22
SWEET HOME 0 7 15 0 — 22
PHILOMATH 14 0 0 12 — 26
First quarter
PHS: Trevor Motter 11 run (Motter kick), 8:22
PHS: Logan Stevens 58 pass from Dan Haynes (Motter kick), 2:57
Second quarter
SH: Josh Riggs 11 pass from Keenon Martin (Marc Calligan kick), 6:51
Third quarter
SH: Amos Parmenter 11 run (Parmenter run), 6:41
SH: Parmenter 34 run (Calligan kick), 2:09
Fourth quarter
PHS: Keith Fakhoury 1 run (run failed), 11:54
PHS: Stevens 17 pass from Haynes (run failed), :50
RUSHING: SH — Parmenter 17-139. PHS — K. Fakhoury 21-84, Namer Fakhoury 5-99
PASSING: SH — Martin 5-19-0 65. PHS — Haynes 4-7-0 145
RECEIVING: SH — Riggs 3-35. PHS — Stevens 3-94, Vaughn 1-53
Philomath 34, Taft 21
Philomath takes playoff berth
Warriors break away in fourth quarter to defeat Taft, 34-21
Gazette-Times (10-10-08)
LINCOLN CITY Philomath High scored twice in the fourth quarter to take a 34-21 Val-Co League win over Taft on Thursday.
Taft scored early in the quarter to tie the game at 21-21, but the Warriors took the momentum and pulled away.
Philomath (6-1, 2-0) capped one drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Dan Haynes to Namer Fahkoury, then put it away with a 4-yard run by Keith Fahkoury.
The Warriors ran the ball well despite facing a big Taft line that includes two 300-pound players.
Philomath coach Troy Muir said the Warriors made the right adjustments and kept the Tigers on their heels.
“We continued to run the ball well and controlled the line of scrimmage,” Muir said.
Fullback Keith Fahkoury rushed for 114 yards on 23 carries.
“That’s where it all starts for us, (with) his hard running,” Muir said.
Namer Fahkoury added 85 yards on 10 carries.
When the Warriors threw the ball, they were efficient. Haynes was 7 of 10 for 86 yards and two scores. Haynes did not throw an interception.
“So he was pretty proficient getting the ball where it needs to be,” Muir said. “We were able to use every weapon. That’s the nice thing about the wing T. We can throw it and run it.”
The Warriors, who nabbed one of the Val-Co’s three playoff berths with the win, travel to LaPine next Friday.
PHILOMATH 7 14 0 13 n 34
TAFT 7 7 0 7 n 21
First quarter
T: John Wilkinson 1 run (Ryan Mand), 8:32
PHS: Trevor Motter 10 run (Motter kick), 4:49
Second quarter
PHS: Keith Fahkoury 9 run (kick failed), 9:38
T: John Wilkinson 8 run (Ryan Mand kick), 6:10
PHS: Trevor Motter 18 pass from Dan Haynes (Motter pass from Haynes), 2:59
Fourth quarter
T: Jordan McNelly 6 pass from John Wilkinson (Ryan Mand kick), 9:27
PHS: Namer Fahkoury 6 pass from Dan Haynes (Motter kick), 3:08
PHS: Keith Fahkoury 4 run (kick failed), 1:15
RUSHING: PHS — Keith Fahkoury 23-114; Namer Fahkoury 10-85. Taft — John Wilkinson 12-104
PASSING: PHS — Dan Haynes 7-10-0 86. Taft — John Wilkinson 6-11-1 96
RECEIVING: PHS — Trevor Motter 6-60. Taft — Thomas Lovejoy 3-48
Philomath 28, LaPine 30
Field goal denies PHS
La Pine kicker converts 27-yarder in final seconds
Gazette-Times (10-8-08)
LA PINE — Down a point with four seconds left to play, Jordan Fugate nailed a 27-yard field goal to lift La Pine past visiting Philomath, 30-28, in nonleague football action on Friday night.
Fugate also returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to spark a second-half La Pine scoring spree.
“They (Philomath) were ranked eighth coming in, so this was a great win,” said La Pine coach Rusty Zysett, whose team now is 6-2 overall.
Philomath answered Fugate’s kickoff return with a rushing touchdown of its own. But the Hawks bounced back with their only back-to-back touchdowns of the evening — the second of which was a 96-yard pass from junior quarterback Ty Slater to junior wide receiver Jake Logan — to go ahead 27-21.
But the Warriors answered the call as Logan Stevens scored on a 66-yard pass from Dan Haynes to regain the lead at 28-27.
Trailing 7-0 in the second quarter, the Warriors were able to tie the game at the half as Haynes connected with Henry Vaughn from 10 yards out.
Haynes’ 14-yard run in the third quarter and Trevor Motter’s kick gave the Warriors a 14-7 lead.
But Fugate returned the kickoff 88 yards to bring La Pine within 14-13 after the two-point conversion run failed.
Namer Fakhoury’s 10-yard TD run and Motter’s kick put PHS up 21-13.
La Pine made it 21-19 at the end of the third on Cole Falline’s 8-yard run. The two-point conversion pass failed.
Then came the 96-yard TD pass to put La Pine up 27-21 after the two-point conversion.
Philomath returns to Val-Co League play next Friday at home against Newport and closes out the regular season at Central on Halloween.
PHILOMATH 0 7 14 7 — 28
LA PINE 7 0 12 11 — 30
First quarter
LP: Reade Griebel 1 run (Jordan Fugate kick)
Second quarter
PHS: Henry Vaughn 10 pass from Dan Haynes (Trevor Motter kick)
Third quarter
PHS: Haynes 14 run (Motter kick)
LP: Fugate 88 kickoff return (run fail)
PHS: Namer Fakhoury 10 run (Motter kick)
LP: Cole Falline 8 run (pass fail)
Fourth quarter
LP: Jake Logan 96 pass from Ty Slater (Skylar Porter pass from Slater)
PHS: Logan Stevens 66 pass from Haynes (Motter kick)
LP: FG Fugate 27
Philomath 33, Newport 34
Newport drops Warriors into 2nd
Cubs block an extra-point with 35 seconds left to preserve 34-33 win
By Kevin Hampton Gazette-Times reporter (10-25-08)
PHILOMATH — There were plenty of reasons why the Philomath High football team had Newport on the ropes in Friday’s Val-Co League game at PHS.
The Warriors had a 100-yard rusher and nearly two. They responded to adversity by scoring. They made big plays on offense and big stops on defense.
Yet in the end, what seemed to be a small part of the game proved to be the Warriors’ undoing in a heartbreaking 34-33 loss to the Cubs.
The Warriors struggled with their point after touchdowns all game, missing three, and the biggest one of all — the kick that would have tied the game with 35 seconds left and most likely sent the game into overtime — was blocked.
“You’ve got to know those are the type of situations that you have to make those plays, especially when you’re evenly matched with other teams like I thought we were with Newport, it’s the team that really digs down there and makes the plays when it counts the most,” PHS coach Troy Muir said. “Unfortunately, it comes down to those one or two plays. We missed three PAT’s tonight that would have changed the whole complexion because they would have had to go for two a lot more than they did.”
The Warriors (6-3, 2-1) are now tied for second with the Cubs and have top-ranked Central up next.
It was a tough loss to swallow for the Warriors, especially after losing to La Pine in the final moments last week.
“We’re going from a 1-9 season to 6-3 now and we’re doing a much better job of executing and whatnot. To become the type of program that we’re actually aiming for, you sometimes have to have these games, especially back-to-back,” Muir said. “Back-to-back games, tough losses, it challenges your character and your ability to show up on Monday at practice and get better.”
The Warriors had battled back from a 27-12 halftime deficit, using some defensive adjustments to shut down the big plays that had hurt early on. They managed to tie the game at 27-27 early in the fourth, but missed a field goal after getting the ball back on a fumble recovery.
The Warriors went on an 11-play drive but came up empty on a fourth-down pass attempt with 2:04 to go.
The Cubs had one big play left.
On third-and-10 from their own 27, Mark Moore hit Tyler Larrea for 64 yards and Moore scored on a keeper on the next play to go up 34-27 with 1:14 left.
The Warriors came right back. Keith Fahkoury chewed up 78 yards on two runs and Dan Haynes scored from the 1, but the Cubs broke through on the extra-point.
“Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t,” Trevor Motter said. “We got a kick blocked there at the end, but there were a lot of plays. I missed the field goal and the extra-point earlier. That would have put us ahead, too, so it comes down to more than just that play at the end.”
Newport 34, Philomath 33
NEWPORT 12 15 0 7 — 34
PHILOMATH 12 0 7 14 — 33
First quarter
NHS: Tristan Metcalf 92 pass from Mark Moore (run failed), 7:14
PHS: Namer Fahkoury fumble recovery in end zone (pass failed), 2:53
NHS: Tristan Metcalf 65 run (kick failed), 2:35
PHS: Logan Stevens 49 pass from Dan Haynes (kick failed), :08
Second quarter
NHS: Mark Moore 30 run (Metcalf run), 8:01
NHS: Mark Moore 1 run (Gonzales kick), :07
Third quarter
PHS: Keith Fahkoury 6 run (Motter kick), 9:02
Fourth quarter
PHS: Trevor Motter 2 run (Motter pass from Haynes), 11:53
NHS: Mark Moore 10 run (Gonzales kick), 1:14
PHS: Dan Haynes 1 run (kick blocked), 0:35
Rushing: PHS — Keith Fahkoury 22-151, Trevor Motter 22-97. NHS — Tristan Metcalf 11-99
Passing: PHS — Dan Haynes 9-19-0 186. NHS — Mark Moore 7-16-2 242
Receiving: PHS — Henry Vaughn 3-57. NHS — Tyler Larrea 3-108
Philomath 12, Central 48
No. 1 Central overcomes Philomath
Gazette-Times (11-1-08)
INDEPENDENCE — Grant Hedrick accounted for 401 yards of total offense as he rallied top-ranked Central to a 48-12 victory over Philomath on Friday in a Val-Co League game.
Philomath (6-4, 2-2) led 12-6 early in the second quarter after Namer Fakhoury dashed 69 yards for a TD.
“We came out and our defensive game plan was great,” PHS coach Troy Muir said. “We made them work in the first half and we controlled the ball for most of that time.”
The X-factor was Hedrick, who threw the second of his four TD passes with 26 seconds left in the half to give Central (10-0, 4-0) a 21-12 advantage.
Hedrick finished with 176 yards rushing and 225 passing, while Casey Conner gained 126 yards rushing and scored twice.
“It’s hard to keep a great team — not just a good team, a great team — down,” Muir said. “They made some adjustments (at halftime)-. They’re the No. 1 team in the state, and we still did some good things in execution.”
Keith Fakhoury rushed for 103 yards on 23 carries, while Namer Fakhoury had 71 on four carries.
Philomath advances to a first-round 4A playoff game next weekend. It is the Warriors first playoff appearance in five years.
PHILOMATH 6 6 0 0 — 12
CENTRAL 0 21 20 7 — 48
First quarter
PHS: Henry Vaughn 10 pass from Dan Haynes, (kick failed) 4:39
Second quarter
CHS: Eric Phillips 57 pass from Grant Hedrick (Roman Baberkow kick failed), 11:49
PHS: Namer Fakoury 69 run (kick failed), 10:13
CHS: Casey Conner 4 run (Hedrick run)
CHS: Phillips 36 pass from Hedrick (Roman Baberkow kick), :26
Third quarter
CHS: Conner 3 run (Baberkow kick), 9:17
CHS: Hedrick 57 run (kick failed), 6:53
CHS: Marcus McArdle 8 pass from Hedrick (Baberkow kick), 2:10
Fourth quarter
CHS: Michael Hamilton 33 pass from Hedrick (Baberkow kick), 9:49
Rushing: Philomath — Keith Fakhoury 23-103, Namer Fakhoury 4-71. Central — Hedrick 9-176, Conner 16-126
Passing: Philomath — Dan Haynes 4-10-2 45. Central — Grant Hedrick 11-16-1 225
Receiving: Philomath — Vaughn 1-10. Central — Phillips 6-158
Philomath 34, La Salle 35 (Playoffs)
La Salle stops Warriors’ two-point conversion try
Philomath loses fourth heart-breaker of
its turnaround season
Gazette Times (11-8-08)
MILWAUKIE — The Philomath High football team came up just short of advancing to the second round of the 4A state playoffs, falling 35-34 in double-overtime to La Salle on Friday night.
After La Salle scored first in the second overtime to go up 35-28, PHS responded with a 22-yard touchdown reception by Henry Vaughn from Dan Haynes.
Warriors coach Troy Muir didn’t think twice about going for two, rather than the tie.
“In my coaching experience if you have chance to finish a team, especially on the road, you have to try to beat them,” Muir said.
However, Namer Fakhoury was stopped about a yard short of the goal line on a counter play.
“We had the momentum at that point and I thought we called a great play,” Muir said. “We just didn’t block it as well as we could have and they made a great stop.”
PHS (6-5) got off to great start in the game, jumping out to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter. Keith Fakhoury scored on runs of 33 and 56 yards for the Warriors. He finished with a game-high 156 yards on 22 carries, despite having three players on him most of the game.
“They had to make adjustments on Keith,” Muir said. “He was destroying them right up the middle. Eventually though, they started to stop him.”
Muir said the Warriors could have done a better job with their ball control. They also had a few miscues in the secondary.
La Salle quarterback Thomas O’Dell threw for 312 yards and three scores.
“The kids played hard,” Muir said. “We just came up short. We have been on the short end of things the last two weeks. Tonight we just didn’t do some of the little things which is uncharacteristic of us.”
It was Philomath’s fourth-straight loss to end the season. The Warriors lost four games by less than 10 total points.
In the 3A playoffs, Santiam Christian lost 34-21 to Cascade Christian at Crater High School. Further details were unavailable at press time.
La Salle 35, Philomath 34
PHILOMATH 14 0 0 7 7 6 — 34
LA SALLE 0 7 7 7 7 7 — 35
First Quarter
PHS: K. Fakhoury 33 run (Motter kick), 3:45
PHS: K. Fakhoury 56 run (Motter kick), :33
Second quarter
LHS: Becker 9 run (kick good), 2:55
Third quarter
LHS: McDonaugh 50 pass from O’Dell (kick good), 3:52
Fourth quarter
PHS: Dan Haynes 61 run (Motter kick), 11:39
LHS: Swain 10 pass from O’Dell, Kick good 6:55
First overtime
PHS: Logan Stevens 12 pass from Haynes (Motter kick)
LHS: Becker 4 run (kick good)
Second overtime
LHS: Theraux 12 pass from O’Dell (kick good)
PHS: Henry Vaughn 22 pass from Stevens (run failed)
Rushing: PHS: K. Fakhoury 22-156, LaSalle Becker 21-76
Passing: PHS: Haynes 6-8-1 107. LaSalle: Thomas 19-34-1 312
Receiving: PHS: Vaughn 2-56
