Second-half turnaround powers Evergreen football past Prairie for 36-7 win

BATTLE GROUND — Plagued by slow starts in recent weeks, the Evergreen football team saw a similar trend against Prairie on Friday.

But a brilliant stretch of play in the second half allowed the Plainsmen to quickly move on and march toward a 36-7 win to stay atop the 3A Greater St. Helens League standings.

Already with a 7-0 lead at halftime after Evergreen running back James Bethune scored a 3-yard touchdown inside the final minute of the first half, the Plainsmen (6-1, 3-0) picked up right where they left off in the third quarter.

Bethune, who totaled three rushing touchdowns, broke loose for a 65-yard score two plays into the third. Fellow running back Raisean Chambers spelled Bethune on the following series, promptly broke off a 43-yard run and cashed in a 4-yard touchdown two plays later.

Then, Evergreen’s vaunted defense took matters into their own hands when linebacker Mark Williams Jr. scooped up a Prairie fumble and returned it for a 45-yard touchdown. All combined, the Plainsmen scored 22 unanswered points in the quarter to put the game out of reach.

“This game said we’re very physical, we don’t give up on things (and) we push hard,” Williams said.

Evergreen’s defense forced two turnovers and turned Prairie (3-4, 1-2) over on downs five times on a rainy evening at District Stadium that challenged both teams’ offenses, especially early on.

“Our defense was lights out again,” Evergreen coach Christian Swain said. “So it’s just getting our offense to play a little more efficient and not so sloppy.”

After a scoreless first quarter, Evergreen’s third drive ended abruptly when a botched snap fell to the turf and ended up in the hands of Prairie’s Riley Burke.

But when the Plainsmen got the ball back, they gained some momentum to close the half. Terrance Saryon’s 13-yard reception from Jayden Baum helped Evergreen convert a key third down, leading to Bethune’s 3-yard touchdown with 44 seconds left in the half.

“First quarter, it was like we had to wake up,” Williams said. “But, we started toning down, talked to our teammates, communicated and then we came together as one.”

Perhaps the initial score was a harbinger of things to come, but according to Williams, the Plainsmen’s true spark came from inside the locker room when players and coaches talked at halftime.

“We were very explosive, ready to come out (with) high energy,” Williams said. “We were just ready.”

In its chase for a 3A GSHL title, Evergreen passed another test against Prairie, which scored on a late 29-yard touchdown pass from Deven Vigue to Alex Blakeslee.

The Plainsmen control their own destiny going into the final two weeks of the regular season, with games against Heritage and Mountain View left to play.

“I’m thrilled with where we’re at,” Swain said. “We’ve got a chance to win the (program’s) first league title in 17 years. We’ve done a lot of firsts this year and checked a lot of boxes. We beat Union, we turn around and beat Kelso, this was a big one tonight, so I’m proud of all those things. But I think we need to continue to focus on continuing to get measurably better every week and continuing to improve.”

EVERGREEN 36, PRAIRIE 7

Evergreen 0 7 22 7—36

Prairie 0 0 0 7—7

Second quarter

E — James Bethune 3 run (Kevin Jimenez kick)

Third quarter

E — Bethune 65 run (Jimenez kick)

E — Raisean Chambers 4 run (Jimenez kick)

E — Mark Williams Jr. 45 fumble return (two-point conversion)

Fourth quarter

P — Alex Blakeslee 29 pass from Devin Vigue (Preston Hill kick)

E — Bethune 1 run (Jimenez kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Evergreen: James Bethune 17-121, Raisean Chambers 6-84, Terrance Saryon 4-15, Jayden Baum 1-5. Prairie: Preston Hill 19-83, Deven Vigue 14-35, Taylor Gause 3-13, Spud Meritt 4-19, Tommie Vick 1-5.

PASSING — Evergreen: Jayden Baum 13-19-0-106. Prairie: Deven Vigue 15-31-0-105.

RECEIVING — Evergreen: Thaddeus Pruitt 3-26, James Bethune 2-17, Ryder Keplar 1-14, Terrance Saryon 4-27, Darren Schmitt 3-32, London Walker 1-8. Prairie: Alex Blakeslee 7-67, Riley Burke 3-21, Tommie Vick 1-2, Preston Hill 2-7, Jackson Kimball 1-5.