Loggers Drop Short-Notice Matchup With 1A Power Lynden Christian

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A rollercoaster week, which featured a Toutle Lake forfeit, a rescheduled game against an Oregon school, and a second cancelation and reschedule, came to a close for Onalaska this Saturday. 

The Loggers found out Tuesday that Oregon’s Sutherlin would not be able to host Ony for a game, and quickly found that 1A powerhouse Lynden Christian could host the Loggers Saturday. 

Though they got off to a strong start, a tough third quarter for the Loggers saw the Lyncs pull away to win, 38-20, up north. 

“They’re a really good football team,” Loggers coach Mazen Saade said. “Things were looking pretty good, but little things will hurt you. We have to get better at a lot of things, with penalties and knowing who to block when you see different fronts, cleaning some things up on defense.”

Ony found the end zone first, with the only score in the first quarter coming from a long drive capped off by a Marshall Haight one yard plunge. From there, Lynden Christian took control on offense, moving the ball down the field with a balanced attack, and outscoring the Loggers 19-6 the rest of the first half. 

Facing just a six point deficit at the half, trailing 19-12, Onalaska was still in it, though. 

However, after allowing two long scoring drives and making a crucial mistake on special teams, allowing a 50-yard punt return touchdown, the Loggers found themselves in a hole they just couldn’t climb out of. 

“Our guys gotta go in there and play this,” Saade said. “That’s a speed that we need to see and a physicality we need to see. This was a positive experience for us. We’re going to go off this and get better at the little things. We’ll get better and this game helped us get better and see the things we need to fix.” 

While the loss gives the Loggers a losing record for the season, 2-3, it won’t impact them in the league and crossover game race. Due to Toutle Lake’s original forfeit, Ony moves to 3-0 in league play, and will head to Kalama next Saturday for a huge showdown against Jackson Esary and the Chinooks. 

“We’re lucky we had the opportunity to play this week,” Saade said. “We’re lucky to be able to find a game and play and get better. I’m pretty worried about the state of football when people start forfeiting league games.”

It doesn’t get any easier for the Loggers in their bid to repeat as 2B state champions from 2019. After Kalama, they’ll head to Adna for another road game against a tough league opponent, and close out their season with a home matchup against Stevenson.