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Bulldogs earn second straight shutout
By Scott J. Adams, Sports Writer
Saturday, October 21, 2006 | No comments posted.
The timeless adage that defense wins championships seems to ring true for North Bend football these days.
Cody Clark and Jerad Jaehnig combined for two sacks to lead the Bulldogs to their second straight shutdown - a 33-0 win over Douglas on Friday. It was the springboard victory North Bend (5-3 overall, 3-0 Far West League) was craving heading into key matchups against Sutherlin and No. 2 Siuslaw: two of the league's top programs.
“Oh yea, we're going to be ready for them,” Jaehnig said of next week's game at Sutherlin. “We'll take it to them. We're playing good football right now. Everything's going for us.”
Seeing Jaehnig in uniform may have caught fans by surprise at Vic Adams Field. The 6-foot, 240-pound lineman was listed as doubtful earlier in the week after coming down with the flu. That, combined with Jaehnig's recovery from a knee injury suffered two weeks ago, seemed enough to put him out of action. The big senior was in top form Friday, however, starting both ways and sacking quarterback Bryson Norton on Douglas' first possession of the game.
“He was fine to play tonight,” North Bend coach Bill Masei said of Jaehnig. “He was determined and got a little Jaehnig-magic this week. ... His fever went way down.”
While Jaehnig anchored the defensive line, Clark and Austin Kintner patrolled at linebacker where they helped hold the Trojans to 37 total yards of offense.
“We were just having fun out there,” Clark said afterward. “We played with a lot of heart on defense and were pretty aggressive.”
That fire led to prime field position for North Bend's offense, which struggled through the first half. The Bulldogs went scoreless on their first five drives, fumbling on their first possession then turning the ball over on downs on a failed fake punt.
Following fumble recoveries by Kintner and Andrew Slack, North Bend finally got on the board with just under four minutes left in the second period. Quarterback Ethan Ottemiller found the end zone on a 3-yard keeper off the right tackle. This capped a drive that started at the Douglas 10-yard line. The Bulldogs almost were handed points by the Trojans, who turned the ball over five times and also had a safety on a bad snap during a punt attempt.
“We just gave the ball away too many times, especially with fumbles,” said coach Rick Taylor, who's team fell to 0-3 in league. “It's hard to believe it after that kind of loss, but I'm so proud of this team. ... They say you can lose twice in a game - first with the score and then without playing heart. We lost once tonight. Our guys gave it everything they had.”
Ottemiller had a decent night passing (9-of-17 for 84 yards) but took a plush backseat to North Bend's rushing attack. Running backs Lane Seals, Kale Forrester and Garrett Caldwell guided the Bulldogs to 222 yards on the ground plus four rushing touchdowns.
“We have a lot of work still to do, but we're rolling,” Seals said afterward. “Hopefully we can keep this momentum and keep playing hard. We're looking good.”
Seals led North Bend with a game-high 114 yards on 16 carries. He also pitched in for the shutout on defense at linebacker.
“Defense has been coming up huge lately,” Seals added. “We're playing almost perfect.”
It's a modest compliment for the same unit that blanked Brookings-Harbor last week. The Bulldogs have held their opponents scoreless for eight straight quarters and have three shutouts this season.
“I think our defense has been making big improvements,” Masei said. “I like where we're heading as a team.”
On Friday, they picked off Douglas' primary QB, Cody Walton, two times, credited to Caldwell and Luke Clark. Walton completed the Trojans only pass, good for nine yards. Douglas was limited to two first downs and 28 yards rushing.
Caldwell's interception led to a 37-yard field goal made by James Banks in the third quarter. That followed a 2-yard touchdown run by Forrester.
With a 17-0 lead going into the fourth quarter, North Bend scored two on the botched punt by Douglas. Forrester added a 1-yard plunge for his second score on the ensuing drive, and Taylor Heppner found the end zone from 4 yards out.
Masei said the homecoming win was big for his Bulldogs, who next play on the other side of a homecoming game at Sutherlin.
“It's their homecoming and they got upset tonight, so they're going to be gunning for a win,” Masei said. “We're gonna go right back to work this week, full-throttle.”
Notes: With Sutherlin's loss to Brookings on Friday, North Bend did not clinch a playoff spot.
Cody Clark and Jerad Jaehnig combined for two sacks to lead the Bulldogs to their second straight shutdown - a 33-0 win over Douglas on Friday. It was the springboard victory North Bend (5-3 overall, 3-0 Far West League) was craving heading into key matchups against Sutherlin and No. 2 Siuslaw: two of the league's top programs.
“Oh yea, we're going to be ready for them,” Jaehnig said of next week's game at Sutherlin. “We'll take it to them. We're playing good football right now. Everything's going for us.”
Seeing Jaehnig in uniform may have caught fans by surprise at Vic Adams Field. The 6-foot, 240-pound lineman was listed as doubtful earlier in the week after coming down with the flu. That, combined with Jaehnig's recovery from a knee injury suffered two weeks ago, seemed enough to put him out of action. The big senior was in top form Friday, however, starting both ways and sacking quarterback Bryson Norton on Douglas' first possession of the game.
“He was fine to play tonight,” North Bend coach Bill Masei said of Jaehnig. “He was determined and got a little Jaehnig-magic this week. ... His fever went way down.”
While Jaehnig anchored the defensive line, Clark and Austin Kintner patrolled at linebacker where they helped hold the Trojans to 37 total yards of offense.
“We were just having fun out there,” Clark said afterward. “We played with a lot of heart on defense and were pretty aggressive.”
That fire led to prime field position for North Bend's offense, which struggled through the first half. The Bulldogs went scoreless on their first five drives, fumbling on their first possession then turning the ball over on downs on a failed fake punt.
Following fumble recoveries by Kintner and Andrew Slack, North Bend finally got on the board with just under four minutes left in the second period. Quarterback Ethan Ottemiller found the end zone on a 3-yard keeper off the right tackle. This capped a drive that started at the Douglas 10-yard line. The Bulldogs almost were handed points by the Trojans, who turned the ball over five times and also had a safety on a bad snap during a punt attempt.
“We just gave the ball away too many times, especially with fumbles,” said coach Rick Taylor, who's team fell to 0-3 in league. “It's hard to believe it after that kind of loss, but I'm so proud of this team. ... They say you can lose twice in a game - first with the score and then without playing heart. We lost once tonight. Our guys gave it everything they had.”
Ottemiller had a decent night passing (9-of-17 for 84 yards) but took a plush backseat to North Bend's rushing attack. Running backs Lane Seals, Kale Forrester and Garrett Caldwell guided the Bulldogs to 222 yards on the ground plus four rushing touchdowns.
“We have a lot of work still to do, but we're rolling,” Seals said afterward. “Hopefully we can keep this momentum and keep playing hard. We're looking good.”
Seals led North Bend with a game-high 114 yards on 16 carries. He also pitched in for the shutout on defense at linebacker.
“Defense has been coming up huge lately,” Seals added. “We're playing almost perfect.”
It's a modest compliment for the same unit that blanked Brookings-Harbor last week. The Bulldogs have held their opponents scoreless for eight straight quarters and have three shutouts this season.
“I think our defense has been making big improvements,” Masei said. “I like where we're heading as a team.”
On Friday, they picked off Douglas' primary QB, Cody Walton, two times, credited to Caldwell and Luke Clark. Walton completed the Trojans only pass, good for nine yards. Douglas was limited to two first downs and 28 yards rushing.
Caldwell's interception led to a 37-yard field goal made by James Banks in the third quarter. That followed a 2-yard touchdown run by Forrester.
With a 17-0 lead going into the fourth quarter, North Bend scored two on the botched punt by Douglas. Forrester added a 1-yard plunge for his second score on the ensuing drive, and Taylor Heppner found the end zone from 4 yards out.
Masei said the homecoming win was big for his Bulldogs, who next play on the other side of a homecoming game at Sutherlin.
“It's their homecoming and they got upset tonight, so they're going to be gunning for a win,” Masei said. “We're gonna go right back to work this week, full-throttle.”
Notes: With Sutherlin's loss to Brookings on Friday, North Bend did not clinch a playoff spot.
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