Clark County pair play roles in Portland State win

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Thank God football is finally here. With a smattering of games nationwide Thursday, Clark County fans needed only hop across the river to see live action.

Portland State crushed NAIA opponent Eastern Oregon 57-17 at Jeld-Wen Field. Good for the Vikings, who have been on the wrong end of a few big-paycheck blowouts by major college teams over the years. Portland State will have a tougher test Sept. 7 at Cal.

As expected, Skyview grad Kieran McDonagh retained the starting quarterback job he won last year as a freshman. Though it’s just one game against an overmatched opponent, McDonagh and the Vikings offense showed all the potential to be a high-octane force in the Big Sky this season.

McDonagh completed 7 of 11 passes for 170 yards. He threw touchdown passes of 17 yards to Kasey Closs and 80 yards to Roston Tatum as the Vikings built a 36-0 lead at halftime.

McDonagh also rushed for seven yards and did not play in the second half.

Union graduate Brandon Brody-Heim, No. 44 in the photo on this post, had five solo tackles including one for loss. The sophomore linebacker also recovered a fumble.

Good to see Clark County represented well on the first night of college football. We’ll be watching other Clark County players in action this weekend. I’ll also have exclusive photos and observations from renovated Husky Stadium, where UW will take on No. 19-ranked Boise State on Saturday. That’s definitely the Northwest game I’m most looking forward to this weekend.