The high school football team went on the road last Friday night to take on Valley Heights in a TVL bout. The Buffaloes had their chances in the game, but a couple of breakdowns would end up being the difference in a 28-8 loss to the Mustangs.
Momentum swung in favor of Onaga early, as Valley Heights fumbled on their third play to open the game and junior Brett Kaberline was there to pounce on it. The quick change in possession set up Onaga with a short field to start, but a snap over the head of freshman quarterback Ryder Kolterman two plays into the drive lost 18 yards and would force a punt right back to the Mustangs.
On their second drive of the game, the Mustangs would have the first of three plays that ultimately would decide the game. After two plays and a penalty that netted them a negative yard in total, senior fullback Gabriel Padilla ran 81 yards for the first score of the game. An extra point would put Valley Heights up 7-0 with 6:56 left in the first quarter.
On the next possession, the Buffaloes unleashed an offense Valley Heights wasn’t ready for. With the Mustangs bringing back the entirety of their defensive front from a year ago, Onaga had been working on a spread attack that they had used at times the year before to combat physical teams like Valley Heights. Interim head coach Luke Baxter said “We’ve been working on it since the start of practices this season. We had it ready to go versus Doniphan West but didn’t have to use it, hoping to save a different look for Valley Heights. That was our plan from day one of practice, and we were glad it worked out that way. It was the same concept we used in the playoffs against Centralia last year. We knew back in July it would be hard to line up and go right at Valley Heights with all of the experience they had coming back up front. Coach Kolterman did an excellent job preparing the last four weeks.”
That spread attack got Onaga rolling, as they marched 45 yards in 7 plays with completions from Kolterman to sophomore Jesse Miller and senior Graham Valburg sprinkled in. A fumble would end up ending the drive early, but the Buffalo defense held strong again. After four plays, Valley Heights gave the ball right back to Onaga on downs and the Buffalo offense was rolling again.
Kolterman hit sophomore Luke Poell on a 29 yard pass to end the first quarter and the Buffaloes were in business. Two more completions to Miller and Valburg, a few runs by Kolterman, and Onaga would finish the drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to senior running back Josh Daniels. Kolterman ran in the PAT, and the Buffaloes were on top 8-7 with 7:32 left in the half.
Onaga nearly forced a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, but on third-and-eleven the Mustangs completed a pass just before being sacked that went for 32 yards. That would put them in scoring position, and they did just that with 5:09 left in the second quarter to take a 14-8 lead into the half.
The third quarter saw more of a defensive battle, as neither team was able to sustain a drive. Though both defenses were firing on all cylinders, it was another big play that would be the difference in the period as Padilla ran for his second long touchdown of the game. This time it was on a 50-yard scamper that would give the Mustangs a 21-8 lead with 6:07 left in the quarter.
The fourth quarter was almost identical to the third. Onaga would have only allowed 28 yards of total offense in the period had it not been for a 72-yard touchdown run by junior tailback Aiden Unruh. It was the third long run of the game, all three of which went for touchdowns. That was the last score of the game, and made the final 28-7.
Considering the circumstances, it’s easy to see the excitement this team can bring this season. Already short sophomore Logan Boggs, a two-way starter along the line, going into the game, the Buffaloes lost senior noseguard and offensive guard Kenyon Boren early in the first quarter. They also lost senior cornerback and tailback, and leading rusher heading into the game, Josh Daniels early in the second quarter due to a nagging knee problem.
It’s not excuses being made, simply observations of where this team currently is and where they could be by the end of the season. It’s a hard-playing, hard-hitting team that, while young overall, has the fire and potential to do something nobody expected of them this season. Valley Heights tallied 361 yards on the ground in the game, but 203 of them came on 3 plays. The Mustangs had 35 yards passing in the game, and 32 came on one play. That’s 4 plays that accounted for 60% of Valley Heights’s offense on the night. You can’t dismiss the plays, because they happened. But it’s easy to see how close they are to getting over the hump.
If the young players can clean up a couple of things, they are going to be on their way to an exciting season. Coach Baxter agrees. “We’ve been very proud of the effort and attitude of this group of young men all season. We improve every day, and it’s because of their attitude and work ethic. Even after losing two seniors early on in the Valley Heights game, we kept playing hard. That effort and determination is going to take them a long way this season.”
The Buffaloes are now 1-1 on the season and are back at home on Friday night, where they welcome Centralia to town for the final TVL game of the season. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm, but make sure to come early for the annual Farmers State Bank tailgate before the game.
For a look at the stats from any game, highlights, season totals, and everything else Onaga football related, head over to the district website (usd322.org) and go to the team’s page under the “Athletics” tab.