Prep Football: Roseburg remains undefeated with 33-14 win at North Eugene
EUGENE — Behind an unrelenting rushing attack and a stifling defense, the Roseburg Indians started league play with a resounding 33-14 victory against North Eugene Friday night.
The Indians rushed for 362 yards and five touchdowns to snap a two-game losing streak against the Highlanders and kept their unblemished record intact as the team heads to a mid-season bye week.
“I told the boys I’m incredibly proud of them,” Roseburg coach Matt Watson said about the Indians’ 4-0 start.
The first two drives of the game set the tone for the night.
Roseburg (4-0, 1-0 Special District 5) started with the football and marched 82 yards on eight plays to punch in a 1-yard touchdown run by Oscar Kostner. The extra point by Leto White put the Indians ahead 7-0.
North Eugene (0-3, 0-1 S.D. 5) saw its opening drive end after just three plays as Emery Hurtienne picked off Dae Dae Ireland for the first of three takeaways by the Tribe.
RHS quickly turned the interception into points three plays later on another 1-yard quarterback keeper, this time by sophomore RJ Elliott. The 13-0 lead was as close as the game would be the rest of the night.
“There was a big emphasis put on offense or defense. We needed to strike first,” Watson said. “We need to strike quickly and we need to try to strike consistently and I think they were able to do that.”
White was a workhorse and had a career-night running the ball. The sophomore carried the rock 20 times for 185 yards and two touchdowns. A 2-yard run in the second quarter gave the Indians a 21-0 lead. He tacked on his second score on a 21-yard run in the third quarter.
The 5-foot-11, 185 pound back has tallied 498 yards through the first four games of the season and is closing in on becoming Roseburg’s first rusher to eclipse 500 yards in a season since 2021.
Elias Rush added 84 yards on seven carries with a 31-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter
While Roseburg’s offense was humming along to a total of 450 yards, the defense was handling the job of slowing down North Eugene’s offense. Along with Hurtienne’s interception, Max Chrisenberry had a pick and Darrell Orth recovered an Ireland fumble.
Ireland, an elusive all-league quarterback, was bottled-up and held to just 23 yards on 11 carries before he left the game in the third quarter due to injury. The senior was also 5-for-9 through the air for 49 yards with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Josiah Corsini and an interception.
Freshman Cooper Gould took over behind center the rest of the night. His only pass completion of the night was a 57-yard touchdown strike to Drake Anderson late in the fourth quarter.
The Highlanders were held to just 123 yards total. It’s the third time this season that the Indians have kept an opponent under 150 total yards.
“It’s a testament to how well coach (Silia) Polamalu is doing and the way that our defensive seniors are taking control and taking leadership roles and really taking the ownership,” Watson said.
Roseburg hits the bye week and Watson said the team will aim to get some guys a chance to rest but the time will also be used to evaluate the first month of the season and find ways to improve.
“We’ve got to find a way to be 1-0 this week on the bye week,” Watson said. “That’s taking care of business. Watching film and correcting our mistakes and getting healthy.”
Watson added that there will be an emphasis on also supporting other Roseburg High School athletics by getting out and attending games for other programs during football’s bye week.
The Indians return to the field Oct. 2 with a home game against the Eagle Point Eagles.
Roseburg;13;8;6;6;—;33
North Eugene;0;7;0;7;—;14
First Quarter
R — Kostner 1 run (White kick)
R — Elliott 1 run (Kick blocked)
Second Quarter
R — White 2 run (Hurtienne pass from Elliott)
N.E. — Corsini 22 pass from Ireland (Johannsen kick)
Third Quarter
R — White 21 run (Pass fail)
Fourth Quarter
R — Rush 31 run (Run fail)
N.E. — Anderson 57 pass from Gould (Johannsen kick)
