by Scott Sacry
The Corvallis football team’s State playoff run came to an end in Corvallis on Saturday, Nov. 11th as they were defeated by Columbia Falls, 19-7. With both teams evenly matched, it was a game that came down to a handful of plays, and in the end Columbia Falls made more of those crucial plays then Corvallis.
“When you play tough teams in the playoffs, mistakes are magnified,” said Corvallis Head Coach Josh McCrossin, “and although we had some awesome moments we did make some mistakes early that made it tough to battle back from. Our guys played their hearts out like they’ve done all year long.”
In the first half, Corvallis was able to move the ball, but had two potential scoring drives end on 4th down attempts that fell short. Meanwhile, Columbia Falls took advantage of good field position and scored on two drives. In a decisive moment late in the 2nd quarter, with Corvallis trailing 0-13, Corvallis threw an interception when it looked like they might score. Columbia Falls took advantage and drove down the field and scored as the half ended, giving them a 19-0 halftime lead.
Corvallis has had a fighting spirit all year and didn’t give up. They stuffed Columbia Falls’ first drive of the half, causing a fumble that they recovered. They then drove down the field, and Logan Avery scored on a 4-yard run. The Blue Devils now trailed 7-19 and were within striking distance. Corvallis’s defense held strong and kept the Wildcats from scoring in the 2nd half. But again, Corvallis’s offense couldn’t string enough plays together to get a score as they fell short in their comeback bid.
Corvallis ends a successful season. They were ranked in the top 5 for most of the year, they ended with a 8-2 record, they won a State quarterfinal game, and hosted a State semifinal game for the first time in school history.
“I’m proud of all the adversity the team overcame this season and happy to be part of a fun season for Blue Devil football,” said McCrossin. “We’re certainly not satisfied with this ending to the season though, and will continue to develop and prepare our guys towards the next steps for our program.”