Columbia River won’t play a 3A Greater St. Helens League game for another five weeks.
But Friday wasn’t too early to make a statement.
The Chieftains dominated every facet of their 32-0 season-opening home win over R.A. Long.
Gabe Evenson threw for one touchdown and rushed for another as Columbia River built a 21-0 halftime lead.
On defense, the Chieftains allowed less than 150 yards of offense, had a safety and physically overmatched the Class 2A Lumberjacks.
“We really wanted to make a statement and show what we’re going to be like this year,” said Evenson, who also plays defensive back. “Across the board, our line, our receivers, our defensive core, not giving anything up on defense was key for us. We want to show that we’re going to be defensively strong as well as offensively.”
Senior lineman Isaac Ennis beamed when asked how much pride he takes in contributing to a shutout.
“A considerable amount,” Ennis said. “It took a lot of work. … Size definitely played a role. But we managed to outwork them and managed to outperform them in general.”
River put its stamp on the game early. Travon Santiago’s 11-yard touchdown run capped with a 12-play, 78-yard march on the Chieftains’ second drive.
The Chieftains extended the lead on their next drive, which started on R.A. Long’s 29 after a 41-yard punt return by Vincent Daniels.
One play after a penalty nullified a touchdown, Jacob Bystry outmuscled a defender for a 25-yard reception in the back of the end zone.
R.A. Long failed on its best scoring chance, fumbling on the Chieftains 8-yard line.
River wasted no time making them pay with a six-play, 89 yard drive. Evenson’s 2-yard touchdown run put River ahead 21-0 with 3:53 left in the half.
Evenson completed 10 of 11 passes during a 12-minute stretch. He finished 13 for 21 for 147 yards. The Chieftains rushed for more than 165 yards.
“I trust my running backs, I trust my receivers and I trust my linemen,” Evenson said. “It really allows us to use all sides of the field. It keeps the defense guessing.”
R.A. Long never got within Columbia River’s 20-yard line the entire second half.
COLUMBIA RIVER 32, R.A. Long 0
R.A. Long 0 0 0 0—0
C. River 7 14 11 0—32
First quarter
CR — Travon Santiago 11 run (Garrett McKee kick).
Second quarter
CR — Jacob Bystry 25 pass from Gabe Evenson (McKee kick).
CR — Evenson 2 run (McKee kick)
Third quarter
CR — FG, McKee 25.
CR — Safety, runner tackled in end zone
CR — Nathan Hawthorne 5 pass from McKee (kick blocked)
Individual statistics
RUSHING — CR: Santiago 12-59, Vincent Daniels 6-40; Evenson 7-32; McKee 3-minus-5; Nic Briggs 4-37; Ray Clark 1-5; Matt Ruffalo 3-3. RAL: Riley Opgrande 15-28; Owen Bertram 2-minus-3; Spencer Thorsen 2-5.
PASSING — CR: Evenson 12-21-147; McKee 3-6-18 RAL: Bertram 14-26-109.
RECEIVING — CR: Bystry 4-52, Fielding 4-58; Carson Bassett 2-27; Hawthorne 4-35. RAL: Thorsen 2-5; Ryan Geier 5-51, Payton Miller 1-13 Lamar Swagerty 1-6; Opgrande 4-17; Hunter Jones 1-17.
