Sophomore’s big plays lead Evergreen over River

Luke Allen bounced around the outside of Evergreen’s postgame huddle. Winning had given him a second wind.

“This is a new era at Evergreen,” the junior shouted.

Evergreen opened its season Friday with a 26-13 win over Columbia River at McKenzie Stadium.

Indeed, there is plenty new about Evergreen this season. But the key to victory was one of the oldest in the book.

“We told them that character was going to be a big part of this game,” Plainsmen coach Terry Hyde said. “You’re going to see adversity. How you respond to that adversity is going to dictate how the game goes.”

An old key indeed. But Evergreen was excited about some of its new players on Friday.

Especially Zyell Griffin. The sophomore didn’t get his first varsity carry until the second quarter, but he made it count. He broke free for a 61-yard touchdown run to give Evergreen a 6-0 lead.

“I didn’t think about it,” he said. “I was just trying to get yardage and keep going for my team.”

Griffin wasn’t done. His leaping 32-yard catch put Evergreen at the 1-yard line with 34 seconds left in the first half. Triston Fich would score on a quarterback keeper to give the Plainsmen a 19-0 lead.

Columbia River cut the lead to 19-7 on a 7-yard run by Koben Jamison. But again Griffin had an answer.

He returned the ensuing kickoff to Columbia River’s 44 yard line, then capped the drive with an 8-yard touchdown run. Griffin finished with 63 rushing yards on six carries and 42 receiving yards on two catches.

“He’s not intimidated by anything, Hyde said. “Given his opportunity, he’s going to run hard and make plays.”

“Zyell is a special player,” Fich said. “Yeah, we lost a couple of players, but he makes up for it. He’s a man of many talents.”

River pulled within 26-13 on Tristan Hoyer’s 6-yard catch with 6:41 left. The Cheiftains then recovered a fumble at Evergreen’s 38 and drove to the 10-yard line.

But senior Nadil Hodzic provided the game-clinching play. He intercepted the ball in the end zone and returned it past midfield.

“It was kind of a blur, honestly,” Hodzic said. “All I remember was the ball was in my hand and I’m running.”

Columbia River, which has just 10 seniors, was left regretting its missed opportunities. The Chieftains had two early drives fizzle inside Evergreen’s 20-yard line.

“Obviously you want to go 9-0 in the regular season,” Chieftains coach Christian Swain said. “But being such a young team, we want to continue to get better and be ready for league play.”

EVERGREEN 26, COLUMBIA RIVER 13

Col. River      0          0          7          6          —         13

Evergreen     0          19       7          0          —         26

Second quarter

E – Zyell Griffin 61 run (kick failed)

E – Eli Vaa’Leiataua 7 run (pass failed)

E – Triston Fich 1 run (Fich kick)

Third quarter

CR – Koben Jamison 7 run (Tristan Hoyer kick)

E – Griffin 8 run (Fich kick)

Fourth quarter

CR – Hoyer 5 pass from Matt Asplund (kick failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing — Columbia River: Jarrett Seelbinder 13-75, Koben Jamison 6-1, Matt Asplund 5-(-6). Evergreen: Eli Vaa’Leiataua 14-64, Trent Hemann 1-1, Zyell Griffin 6-63, David Crawford 1-(-2), Triston Fich 3-0.

Passing — Columbia River: Matt Asplund 17-33-2-153, Julian Garcia 0-1. Evergreen: Triston Fich 6-11-0-87.

Receiving — Columbia River: Colby Rabitoy 2-5, Koben Jamison 4-40, Tristan Hoyer 3-10, Brycen Priddy 1-18, Kanen Eaton 4-41, Blake Bryan 2-31, Will Buss 1-8. Evergreen: David Crawford 1-1, Eli Vaa’Leiataua 1-4, Nadil Hodzic 2-40, Zyell Griffin 2-42.