The Gladiators (7-4, 4-2) reversed the tables on the #8 Lions (7-4, 4-2) in the rematch of their week 8 game. The Lions won that game 20-14, when they dominated on the ground, outrushing the Gladiators 213-37. But in the rematch, it was Gladstone that had the 308-90 advantage on the ground, and a 21-14 edge on the scoreboard.

Actually, the Gladiators won 3 drives to 2. Almost all of the offense in the game came on the almost uncontested scoring drives, with the defenses totally controlling the rest of the game. Gladstone managed only 2 first downs besides those on their scoring drives, and Cottage Grove 3 outside the drives for their scores.

Gladstone Coach Jon Wolf described the game as one of rhythm. Something both teams struggled to find, and once found, struggled to keep. But when each team had it, it sure was effective.

Gladstone drove 73 yards on 9 plays on their first drive, picking up 5 first downs before Taylor Taft hooked up with Austin Foteff for the final 13 yards, and with Austen Cote’s kick, a 7-0 lead only 4:42 into the game.

Taylor Taft brings the Gladstone offense to the attack.

Jacob Stanley running hard with the kickoff.

Cottage Grove finished the first quarter with an 81 yard, 12 play drive that consumed 3:23, and ended on Cameron Dixon’s 12 yard scoring toss to David Black 1.1 second before the quarter ended. Jason Woody’s kick tied it at 7, and that score held until the half, as the entire second quarter produced a total of 2 first downs.

Cameron Dixon looks downfield for Jesse Westbrook for Cottage Grove.

Darrell Fields thought he had a touchdown after an interception, but an illegal block erased the score.

The Gladiators had had a chance to bury the Lions early, as Cote blocked Woody’s punt after the Lions’ second drive, and Darrell Fields recovered at the Grove 27. But the Gladiators couldn’t move in, and turned the ball over on downs at the 19 after Smith was stopped for no gain on 4^th. & 2.

The first half was played under dry conditions, but just as the first half ended, a mist began to fall. By the start of the second half, a heavy rain was falling, which didn’t let up until just before the game ended.

Gladstone went 3 & punt to open the second half, but the Lions gained only an initial first down before having to punt the ball back. Woody pinned the Gladiators at their 7 with a 45 yard punt.

A mix of 5 Paul Sander carries and 4 from Smith powered the Gladiators on a 12 play, 93 yard march that consumed 6:02, and produced 5 first downs.

Taylor Taft scrambles for 16 yards against the Lion defense.

The big play of the drive was a 28 yard option from Taft to Smith down the left side to the Lion 5. The last play was Sander’s 1 yard scoring plunge. Cote’s kick put the Gladiators up 14-7 with 1:14 left in the third quarter.

When Jacob Stanley fumbled the ball away on the next possession, and Cote recovered it at midfield, it looked like the Gladiators might have taken control. It looked even more like it after 4 rushes, and a 24 yard Smith score that allowed Cote’s kick to make the margin 21-7 with 9:36 left in the game.

The Lions weren’t finished, though. Black’s 12 yard kickoff return set CG up at their 42, and Dixon completed 4 of 5 passes on the drive, as the Lions needed only 2:55 to score. Stanley had burst up the middle for 19 yards in the middle of the drive, and finished with a 3 yard touchdown up the middle. Woody drilled the PAT kick, and the game was on, with the Lions only down 21-14 with 6:36 left.

Jake Wheeler recovered a Sander fumble to keep the drive alive, as the Gladiators drove to their 49. However, Taft fumbled a snap, and as the clock wound down to 2:55 left, Gladstone called time out, facing fourth down and 2. Instead of punting (Alex Armstrong had managed a 5 yard punt in the second quarter), Sander pounded the middle of the line. And was stopped cold by the Lion line.

Cottage Grove took over at the Gladstone 48 with 2:52 left. But a Stanley sweep lost a yard, and 2 of 3 passes that were incomplete handed the ball back over to the Gladiators with 2:29 left.

Smith picked up 9 yards on 2 carries, but Sander was stopped cold to bring up another 4^th. & 1 at the Grove 45. Gladstone called time out with 52.3 seconds left, and lined up to go for it again. This time a false start penalty prevented them from carrying out the gamble, and forced Armstrong to punt. He managed a timely 34 yard effort, pinning the Lions 84 yards away from a tied game with 41.2 seconds left, and no time outs to work with.

Dixon found Black twice, once to convert a fourth down, but after a sack, and a clock killing spike, an overthrown ball over the left middle was intercepted by Thane Rice, and the Lion threat, as well as their season, was over. And it was finally a Happy Time on the wet Happy Rock.

The Gladiators discarded the passing game after halftime that had been productive, as Taft completed 7 of 11 for 71 yards and the score before the break. But only once did Gladstone pass after the rains came, and it was incomplete. In contrast, Dixon, who had completed 5 of 9 for 54 yards and a score in the first half kept on firing, and fairly effectively for a while. Dixon completed 7 of 9 to start the second half, but hit only 3 of his last 9, finishing with 130 passing yards on 15 completions on 27 attempts.

Balanced Gladiator rushing carried the drives that worked, as Smith led all rushers with 161 yards and a score on 18 carries, while Sander had 17 carries for 94 yards, and a score as well.

Despite that, the game went down to the wire. Coach Wolf admitted “We did everything we could to mess things up. But the kids stepped up.” It was those same kids that Wolf admitted had talked him into the attempts on fourth down. “The kids said ‘Lets go for it!’, but Cottage Grove is a good, good team, and their defense stepped up when we tried to convert.”

Regarding the Gladiators’ decision to eschew the air game after half time, Wolf explained “We went back to what we do. Which is run. We had thrown the ball a lot, 20 times against Cottage Grove in the first game, and against Molalla, and we lost those games.”

Stanley led the Lions on the ground, but he managed only 55 yards on 13 carries, and Cody Birdwell added 40 on 9 carries. The Lion line beat Gladstone, who was in the middle of a 3 game skid, up in the first game, but managed only 90 total rushing yards in the rematch.

Gladstone next goes to the #6 Siuslaw Vikings (8-1, 5-0), FarWest #1.

1st. qtr.

Gladstone - Austin Foteff 13 yd. pass from Taylor Taft (Austen Cote kick) 4:42

Cottage Grove – David Black 12 yard pass from Cameron Dixon (Jason Woody kick) 0:1.1

2^nd. qtr.

None.

3^rd. qtr.

G – Paul Sander 1 yd. run (Cote kick) 1:14

4^th. qtr.

G – Tyler Smith 24 yd. run (Cote kick) 9:36

CG – Jacob Stanley 3 yd. run (Woody kick) 2:51

Rushing

Cottage Grove 25-90, 1 TD; Stanley 13-55, 1 TD; Cody Birdwell 9-40; Dixon 3-(-5).

Gladstone – 46-308, 2 TD; Smith 18-161, 1 TD; Sander 17-94, 1 TD; Taft 9-49; Jake Wheeler 1-4; Donovan Lopez 1-0.

Passing

Cottage Grove – Dixon 15-27, 1 TD, 2 Int., 130 yds.

Gladstone – Taft 7-12, 1 TD; 1 Int., 71 yds.

Receiving

Cottage Grove – Jesse Westbrook 7-67; Black 7-56, 1 TD; Birdwell 1-7.

Gladstone – Darrell Fields 3-26; Smith 2-22; Foteff 1-13, 1 TD; Brady Regier 1-10.

Returns

Cottage Grove – Stanley 2-23; Black 1-12.

Gladstone – Fields 3-42; Foteff 1-8.

First Downs

Cottage Grove - 9.

Gladstone – 15.

Fumbles-Lost

Cottage Grove 1-1.

Gladstone 3-0.

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