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Prep Football: Roseburg hangs on for 24-17 win over Eagle Point

Leto White
Danner Wertz

A pair of fourth quarter scores helped the Roseburg Indians get past Eagle Point 24-17 in a Class 5A Special District 5 contest on Friday night at Finlay Field.

In a game where both offenses struggled to find consistency and momentum, big plays by Roseburg’s Leto White and Danner Wertz helped turn the score in the Tribe’s favor and keep their undefeated record unblemished.

“Definitely some places to work on but it feels good to be 5-0,” said senior linebacker/running back Nick Ruiz.

“The effort tonight will not be good enough going forward and the boys know that,” said Roseburg coach Matt Watson. “I’m frustrated that we let a team like Eagle Point, they’re a good team, but I’m frustrated that we let them hang around. But I’m proud that at no point did they give up.”

Roseburg (5-0, 2-0 S.D. #5) led a majority of the game after scoring on the opening drive. White broke free for a weaving 25-yard run to the end zone to score the first of two touchdowns and give the Indians a 6-0 lead.

Eagle Point (2-3, 0-3) answered with a lengthy drive into the red zone but the Roseburg defense stood tall and held the Eagles to a 24-yard field goal by Maceo Brandt.

That was a theme for the Indians’ defense. The unit was gashed for big gains by Eagle Point, but found ways to get stops when it mattered most.

“Our defense has always just been scrappy and just gets it done,” said Ruiz, who finished with a team-high nine tackles.

Both teams scored touchdowns in the second quarter. Roseburg’s R.J. Elliott took a quarterback sneak across the goal line from 1-yard out to put the Indians ahead 12-3 early in the period. Eagle Point’s Canyon McCann snagged a 23-yard reception for a score near the end of the half to to get the Eagles within 12-11 at the break.

Neither team came out of the locker room very sharp and it was a series of punts by both sides. The Eagles benefited by a poor punt by the Indians and started a drive deep in Roseburg territory. Two plays later the Eagles were celebrating a 14-yard touchdown run by sophomore quarterback Laiden Johnson that put Eagle Point ahead 17-12 going to the fourth quarter.

“He’s really slippery,” Roseburg defensive lineman Vai Polamalu said of Johnson. “Watching film I didn’t think he was going to be an amazing runner, but he’s real slippery in the pocket. He was really good at finding gaps in the pocket.”

Johnson carried the ball 14 times for 68 yards and a score. He was Eagle Point’s second-leading rusher behind Eli Hamann, who ran 19 times for 82 yards.

Roseburg’s ensuing drive ended with White’s second score of the game and he was the driving factor on the series. The junior took a screen pass 39 yards into Eagles’ territory to set up a 42-yard breakaway run on the first play of the fourth quarter to put the Indians back in front 18-17.

Eagle Point countered with a lengthy 11-play drive, but it was an empty possession as Caden Moon stepped in front of a Johnson pass for an interception with 6 1/2 minutes remaining.

The Indians drove into the red zone but stalled out and faced a fourth down attempt from the Eagle Point 18-yard line. Elliott dropped a dime to Wertz and the tight end secured the pass in the end zone to give Roseburg some breathing room with a 24-17 advantage.

“Before the play I pulled Danner (Wertz) over and said ‘I know you’re tired, but you’ve got to get this one in,” Watson said. Wertz, also a defensive lineman, had played nearly every snap of the game at that point.

There was still slightly more than two minutes remaining in the game and Eagle Point had the chance to drive down the field for a shot at tying or taking the lead. A few big runs by Johnson moved the Eagles into Roseburg territory as the clock wound down and the drive reached the Roseburg 12-yard line.

Johnson spiked the ball to stop the clock with 9.6 seconds remaining to give the Eagles one more shot at the end zone. The quarterback was flushed out of the pocket and was sacked by Eli Bell to finish out the game.

“The quarterback didn’t have anyone open. He got pushed out of the pocket and he got sacked. That’s just a great feeling to know that everyone did their job,” Polamalu said.

“That’s a very good football team and we thought we were going to roll in here and just roll in and roll out with a ‘W’ and Eagle Point played us hard,” Watson said.

Despite a lack of points, Roseburg had its highest offensive output. The Indians tallied 397 yards total, mostly behind White’s night on the ground. The junior running back carried 22 times for 169 yards. Elias Rush added 90 yards on six carries.

Watson said Friday’s game will serve as a wake-up call for the Indians as they continue their league schedule. Up next, Roseburg will visit Churchill (2-3, 2-1) at 7 p.m. Friday in Eugene.

Eagle Point;3;8;6;0;—;17

Roseburg;6;6;0;12;—;24

First Quarter

R — White 25 run (Kick blocked)

E.P. — Brandt 24 field goal

Second Quarter

R — Elliot 1 run (Run fail)

E.P. — McCann 23 pass from Johnson (Self pass from Johnson)

Third Quarter

E.P. — Johnson 14 run (Run fail)

Fourth Quarter

R — White 42 run (Pass fail)

R — Wertz 18 pass from Elliot (Run fail)

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