Day After Report: Prairie 30, Hudson’s Bay 28
Prairie quarterback Kevin Aguirre did not put up eye-popping numbers by today’s standards in Friday’s 30-28 win over Hudson’s Bay. The senior ran for 96 yards and threw for 157.
But the senior was popped often by the Eagles defense, either at the end of a run or just before pitching the ball to a teammate — including a well-timed pitch to Tyler Feeney for a second-quarter touchdown.
Prairie coach Kevin Baker said his quarterback did a good job of taking hits, and probably decided it was in his best interest to distribute the ball more after carrying 18 times for 93 yards in the first half.
In the second half, Alec Gawley carried six times for 36 yards, Aaron Brumley six times for 43 yards and Tyler Feeney three times for 55 yards.
That constant forward movement allowed the Falcons receivers to find space in the secondary for the big plays of the night: A 31-yard Aguirre-to-Gawley scoring pass in the first half, a key 18-yard third-and-11 pass to Gawley in the third quarter, and the 65-yarder to Isaiah Conley in the fourth quarter.
Baker said the win should help Prairie prepare for its upcoming game at Kelso.
HARD LESSON FOR BAY
Hudson’s Bay coach Mark Oliverio gave credit to Prairie for its patience in Friday’s 30-28 win for the Falcons.
Oliverio said, with the exception on a pass coverage error on the Falcons’ 65-yard fourth-quarter touchdown, that his defense did a good job of minimizing big plays against Prairie’s triple-option. He gave the Falcons credit for sticking with their game plan.
“They were very patient about their offense,” Oliverio said. “In that triple-option scheme, they execute it well.”
Oliverio said the lesson for his Eagles was not to take any opponent lightly. Sure, the Falcons were winless prior to the game. But they were also hungry to change that.
“We have to earn everything, and we have to make sure our opponents have to earn everything,” Oliverio said.
Oliverio said his Eagles need to focus on their own preparation and improvement every week “instead of on our opponents and what they’ve accomplished or they haven’t accomplished.”
Despite a loss that Oliverio admitted was disappointing, at 3-3 and 1-1 in the 3A Greater St. Helens League the Eagles are still in position to earn a postseason spot. But Hudson’s Bay is learning to handle success, too.
“We continue to put ourselves in position to win football games,” Oliverio said. “More consistently, we need to take advantage of opportunities to distance ourselves from opponents.”
