Cascade football team wins 4A state title with win over Scappoose

Cascade celebrates winning the 4A state championship game 37-28 against Scappoose during, Saturday, November 28, 2015, at Hillsboro Stadium in Hillsboro, Ore.

HILLSBORO –The Cougars started slow.

Cascade High School’s football team found itself in a 14-0 deficit to Scappoose after a disastrous first quarter in Saturday’s OSAA Class 4A state championship game at Hillsboro Stadium.

But the Cougars showed everyone they can finish.

Cascade running back Garrett Coffey got on track, quarterback John Schirmer found holes in the secondary and the Cougars defense was suffocating in the third quarter as Cascade rallied to defeat Scappoose 37-28 for the 4A state championship.

“It’s pretty great,” said Cascade cornerback James Baxter. “It’s been an expectation from the get-go. We finally achieved our goal so it feels pretty great.”

Cascade (12-1) won its final nine games of the season and beat Scappoose for the second time this year.

The state championship is the second in the program’s history, the previous coming in 1980.

“Look at all these people over here,” Cascade coach Steve Turner said. “And I’m going to say half of them are ex-players. It means a lot to our community.

“It means a lot to those guys that busted their tails in the 80s for coach (Karl) Elliott. And now we can bring another one home to them. I couldn’t be any happier.”

Coffey, best known as Cascade’s workhorse running back, rushed for 155 yards – by far his least in the playoffs – and scored three touchdowns on 155 yards.

But the Cougars rushed for 219 yards as a team by adding in running on the edges by running back/receiver Hunter Thomas (38 yards and one touchdown on five carries) and Schirmer (24 yards and one touchdown on six carries).

“They had some more guys in the box so we knew that the edges were going to be more open, and Hunter Thomas is a great back,” Coffey said. “He’s our speed guy. He’s our fast guy.

“We took advantage of that and saw the edges were open, so we gave it to him. And he came up huge. And then John made some huge passes when he needed to. The last couple games he’s come up huge.”

Cascade’s offense didn’t do much in the first quarter, though.

The Cougars had two first downs, punted the ball once, turned it over on downs and didn’t have the ball much in the period.

Scappoose quarterback Robert Lohman hit receiver Brennen McNabb on a slant pass for a 2-yard touchdown with 6:01 left in the period then McNabb was left all alone down the right sideline for a 31-yard touchdown pass that Lohman lofted into the end zone for a 14-0 lead with 35 seconds left in the quarter.

“Really I just wanted our team to wake up,” said Schirmer, who was 12 of 20 passing for 232 yards. “We just weren’t awake yet. They just came out and smashed us right in the face.

“I feel like we were just asleep at the beginning, and we just kind of thought in our heads that we were just going to get it, that they were going to give it to us.”

The Cougars found their rhythm on offense in the second quarter between having success running the ball up the middle and mixing that up with throws on the outside.

Coffey ran for an 11-yard touchdown shortly into the second quarter and after stopping Scappoose on fourth down and Coffey’s 4-yard touchdown run with 5:13 left in the half tied the game at 14.

Scappoose started running the ball to the outside and Braden Clark’s 3-yard touchdown run put Cascade in a 21-14 deficit with 1:24 left in the half.

Cascade had one last shot at the end of the first half, but Schirmer’s pass was intercepted by Christian Oslin to end the half.

In the third quarter Cascade was dominant.

Scappoose lost two yards on offense in the third quarter, Coffey ran for a 5-yard touchdown and Schirmer’s 1-yard run on a quarterback sneak put Cascade up for good at 27-21.

“There wasn’t much of a schematic change other than we changed a couple plays, the way we blocked them on offense,” said senior linebacker Malachi Gonzalez, who had 11 tackles. “I think the major change was just inside ourselves, just the excitement.

“We realized we were down 21-14 at halftime and we needed to pick it up. What coach said was that the game is 0-0 and we just need to win by eight points, and we won by nine.”

On the first play of the ensuing drive after Schirmer’s touchdown run, he intercepted a pass from Lohman and returned it to Scappoose’s 23-yard line.

Five plays later Thomas ran for a 5-yard touchdown and a 34-21 lead.

Scappoose finally showed life early in the fourth quarter with a nine-play drive, and Lohman ran for a 1-yard touchdown to cut Cascade’s lead to 34-28 with 9:52 left.

Cascade drained the clock with its next drive, which went 15 plays and ended by Lucas Bjorklund’s 32-yard field goal with 3:21 remaining.

On the first play of Scappoose’s next drive, Cascade’s Cameron Molan intercepted a pass from Lohman and Cascade ran out the clock to win.

“It’s a dream come true, definitely a dream come true,” Coffey said.

bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler

Cascade 37, Scappoose 28

FIRST QUARTER

Scappoose— Robert Lohman 2 pass to Brennen McNabb (Jones kick good) 6:07.

Scappoose— Robert Lohman 31 pass to Brennen McNabb (Jones kick good) 0:35.

SECOND QUARTER

Cascade— Garrett Coffey 11 run (Bjorklund kick good) 10:15.

Cascade— Garrett Coffey 4 run (Bjorklund kick good) 5:13.

Scappoose— Braden Clark 2 run (Jones kick good) 1:24.

THIRD QUARTER

Cascade— Garret Coffey 5 run (Bjorklunk kick failed) 6:32.

Cascade— John Schimer 1 run (Bjorklund kick good) 1:43.

FOURTH QUARTER

Cascade— Garret Coffey 5 run (Bjorklunk kick failed) 6:32.

Cascade— John Schimer 1 run (Bjorklund kick good) 1:43.

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Rushing—Cascade: Garrett Coffey 40-156; Scappoose: Braden Clark 28-128.

Passing— Cascade: John Schmier 12-20-232 0 TD 1 INT; Scappoose: Robert Lohman 10-26-118 2 TD 2 INT.

Receiving— Cascade: Cameron Molan 4-90; Scappoose: Brenne McNabb 4-57.