Quick strikes power Columbia River

Columbia River missed some early scoring chances, but in the third quarter the Chieftains used a couple long-range deliveries to pull away from Hudson’s Bay for a 34-19 Class 3A Greater St. Helens League win.

Chieftains quarterback Clayton Frank threw for three touchdowns and rushed for another, leading River to the win at Kiggins Bowl.

Frank, a sophomore, connected with senior Ian Christianson on deep post patterns for consecutive scores covering 31 and 49 yards in the third quarter. Those plays allowed River to pull away in a game that featured both miscues and special plays from both teams.

Frank shook off two first-half interceptions to finish an efficient 10 of 15 passing. His two long throws to Christianson accounted for 80 of his 125 passing yards. The 31-yard strike down the middle came on a fourth-down play. It gave River a 22-19 lead and big momentum, and the Chieftains didn’t let go of either the rest of the night.

While those pass plays were the flash, it was the strong running of sophomore Remick Kawawaki that established the tone of things after an unsettled start. Kawawaki ran for 177 yards on 23 carries, gaining 103 of those yards in the second half.

A back-and-forth first half that ended with a 14-13 River lead was defined by special teams plays — including a blocked punt by Terrence Joshua that produced River’s go-ahead touchdown in the final seconds of the second quarter.

River, which had it’s own punting difficulties at times, scored on the blocked punt when Tanner Bogart grabbed the ball in the end zone. The play turned a solid first half for Bay into a head-shaker of an intermission for the Eagles.

Bay took advantage of a short River punt for the first score of the game, with Roberts scoring from 1 yard out to cap a 37-yard, seven-play drive.

After Columbia River tied the score on a 7-yard pass from Frank to Dennis Henderson, an 85-yard kickoff return by Kimothy King set up a 13-yard scoring connection between Roberts and Ingo Arrozal.

Bay regained the lead on the opening possession of the third quarter. King scored on a 1-yard run to finish a nice 69-yard march.

But River’s defense held Bay to 178 net yards in the game. And once those quick-strike scores were on the board, the Eagles couldn’t find the big plays to answer.

Columbia River 0 14 14 6—34

Hudson’s Bay 7 6 6 0—19

First quarter

HB — Travis Roberts 1 run (Cody Torgrison kick)

Second quarter

CR — Dennis Henderson 7 pass from Clayton Frank (Ben Kraft kick)

HB — Ingo Arrozal 13 pass from Roberts (kick failed)

CR — Tanner Bogart recovers blocked punt (Kraft kick)

Third quarter

HB — Kimothy King 1 run (pass failed)

CR — Ian Christianson 31 pass from Frank (Terrence Joshua run)

CR — Christianson 49 pass from Frank (kick failed)

Fourth quarter

CR — Frank 13 run (kick failed)

Leaders

Rushing — Columbia River Remick Kawawaki 23-177, Clayton Frank 9-17. Hudson’s Bay: Kimothy King 10-36, Torgrimson 7-23, Richard Carter 8-26, Arrozal 4-10.

Passing — Columbia River: Frank 10-15-2-125. Hudson’s Bay: Roberts 10-23-1-120.

Receiving — Columbia River: Christianson 3-83, Kevin Cotter 2-13, Kawawaki 1-3, Jordan Erdman 1-4, Dennis Henderson 3-23. Hudson’s Bay: Arrozal 4-35, Emilio Alcantar 4-69, Will Porter 1-11, Torgrimson 1-5.