Day After Report: Hudson’s Bay 28, Evergreen 24

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With any game-winning drive, the attention goes to the final scoring play.

With any game-winning drive, there are several key plays that precede that final play.

Hudson’s Bay beat Evergreen 28-24 Friday thanks to a 5-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Hickman to Palaina Gasper with one second remaining.

But there were several key plays that allowed the Eagles to cover 80 yards in just under four minutes.

As he did all night, Marco Cadiz provided a spark. The running back’s 33-yard scamper at the start of the drive was one of his biggest carries in his 150-yard, three touchdown game.

Now in Evergreen territory, Bay gained 10 yards on back-to-back plays. Akilotoa Kamatule hauled in a pass just before a 10-yard Cadiz run. The Eagles now were at Evergreen’s 16 yard line.

As the clock wound under one minute, Bay pounded the ball inside Evergreen’s 10 with a 3-yard run by Kamatule and a 5 yard run by Cadiz.

But Bay faced fourth and one after Cadiz was stopped at the 7 with 0:18 to play.
Instead of trying a 24-yard field goal that would have tied the game, Bay went for it. Hickman scrambled to the Evergreen 5 for a first down, but only 10 seconds remained.

After a timeout, Hickman tried to find Myles Artis in the back left corner of the end zone, but his pass was just out of reach.

But that just set the stage for one of the best endings Hudson’s Bay football has experienced in years.

Early playoff implications?

The Eagles’ victory Friday could have an impact beyond being a major psychological boost for a program that hasn’t won more than two games in any season since 2009.

The Eagles are 2-1 and 1-0 in the 3A Greater St. Helens League. Three teams in the six-team league qualify for a Week 10 regional playoff game.

Mountain View and Kelso are favored to grab two of those spots. But, before the season, it was anyone’s guess who would claim that third spot.

At this point, Bay has the inside track. Based on how teams have looked through three games, the Eagles should be favored against Fort Vancouver and Prairie.

If Hudson’s Bay wins those games, the Eagles would finish league play at least 3-2 and have head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over the three other teams vying for that third GSHL postseason berth.

Of course, Hudson’s Bay still needs to take care of business. Evergreen, Prairie or Fort could still pull a couple of surprises down the road.

But Friday’s win was a huge step in Bay’s quest to reach the postseason for the first time since 2001.