Prep Football: Roseburg holds off Bend for 20-14 road victory
BEND — The Roseburg Indians closed out the nonleague portion of their schedule with a gritty 20-14 win over the Bend Lava Bears Friday night at Punk Hunnell Stadium.
The Tribe led wire-to-wire in a physical battle, but didn’t seal the victory until a lengthy final drive that burned the remaining 7 minutes and 20 seconds off the game clock.
Bend (0-2) kicker Tristen Petersen nailed a 32-yard field goal to get the Lava Bears within 20-14 with time left on the clock to get a stop and take the lead.
Roseburg (3-0) didn’t allow that to happen as the Tribe went on a 12-play drive that consumed the remaining time on the clock and kept the Indians’ undefeated record intact.
The game-defining drive started at the Roseburg 33-yard line, but the Indians were immediately backed up on a 10-yard penalty. The offense proceeded to run the ball 10 consecutive plays and marched all the way to the Bend 14-yard line before two kneel downs sent the game clock to triple zeros.
Roseburg coach Matt Watson said the final drive was reflective of an attitude the Indians wanted to bring to the game.
“It was don’t let anyone else dictate your effort and your attitude. We are in control of the narrative. We write the narrative and they did. They ended up finishing it out,” Watson said.
Scoring didn’t come easy for either side, especially early. The first quarter featured two punts from each offense and finished scoreless.
Roseburg finally broke the scoreless tie with a touchdown near the midway point of the second quarter. Sophomore quarterback RJ Elliott tossed a rainbow pass to the front left pylon in the end zone and dropped it right into the arms of senior receiver Caden Moon for a 33-yard score.
The PAT kick was wide-right and the Indians led 6-0 with 1:48 left to go in the half.
The teams traded turnovers. Max Chrisenbery picked off a pass by Bend’s Bennett Denoux and the Lava Bears got the ball right back after forcing a fumble by Elias Rush deep in Roseburg territory.
With a short field, the Lava Bears were unable to gain any traction and settled for a Petersen 27-yard field goal to make the score 6-3 at the break.
“When they needed to tighten down, they tightened down,” Watson said about the defensive unit. Watson highlighted performances from linebackers Graham Fisk and Nick Ruiz.
“Everybody needs to be on notice. Look out for No. 35 (Ruiz). Don’t run to his side,” Watson said.
The teams traded scores in the third quarter as the offenses ramped things up.
Quarterback Oscar Kostner capped off a 9-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to put the Indians ahead 14-3. The junior was a workhorse behind center rushing nine times for 80 yards, including a 46-yard run that led to Roseburg’s second score of the third period.
Bend scored its lone touchdown of the night on a 67-yard screen pass from Denoux to sophomore back Trey Lawrence that got the Lava Bears within 14-11.
The Indians responded immediately on the next drive, going from their own 9-yard line all the way to the end zone. Kostner’s breakout run flipped the field and Elliott capped things off with an impressive throw to Emery Hurtienne, who made an even more impressive catch for the touchdown.
“That is a big time catch. That’s a Saturday kind of catch is what that is,” Watson said of Hurtienne’s full-out diving catch that put Roseburg ahead 20-11 going to the fourth quarter.
The Lava Bears turned the ball over for a third time to start the final period. Roseburg has now had multiple takeaways in every game this season.
The Indians punted on their ensuing possession, but the offense rose to the occasion later in the quarter. Roseburg finished the game with 332 yards of offense.
Leto White finished as the leading rusher for the Tribe with 134 yards on 21 carries. Elliott had his first multi-touchdown game at quarterback. He finished 12-for-21 with 129 yards, all of which were new season-highs.
Denoux was 5-for-12 through the air for 107 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Lawrence tallied 126 yards of total offense (108 receiving, 18 rushing) to lead the Lava Bears’ offense.
Sean McDonald was Bend’s leading-rusher with 49 yards on six carries, but he went down at the end of the first half and didn’t return after halftime.
Up next, the Roseburg Indians begin Class 5A Special District 5 league play with a road test against North Eugene at 7 p.m. Friday in Eugene.
Roseburg;0;6;14;0;—;20
Bend;0;3;8;3;—;14
Second Quarter
R — Moon 33 pass from Elliott (Kick fail)
B — Petersen 27 field goal
Third Quarter
R — Kostner 2 run (White run)
B — Lawrence 67 pass from Denoux (Lawrence run)
R — Hurtienne 28 pass from Elliott (Kick blocked)
Fourth Quarter
B — Petersen 32 field goal
