By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
ALBANY, Ore.– It came down to the little things that decided the rivalry game between West Albany and Dallas on Friday night at West Albany High School.
And it was expected between these two good squad, both entering the game on strong starts to the year. The Dragons entered the game at 4-0 with the Bulldogs at 4-1, West Albany’s lone defeat coming in Week 0 against Mountain View and won four-straight since.
Both teams were even at 21 entering the second half, they both answered each other’s scores with a few defensive stops sprinkled in to keep this from becoming a true track meet during those opening minutes of the game.
“It was kind of back-and-forth for a while. We missed out on a couple of plays and they played fantastic. I don’t take anything away from them, they’re a very good football team and they’re on a hot streak right now. They were a great test for us, they were as good as I thought they’d be, they made some plays and we didn’t make those plays in the second half,” starts Dallas Head Coach Andy Jackson.
The Bulldog defense proved to be that deciding factor. Filling the gaps, improve their tackling, working lower while limiting Dallas’ Aidan Galusha’s damage.
It put the pressure on the Dragon offense to execute to perfection, and it helped swing momentum into their favor over time.
“The difference in the second half, I believe was our defense,” said West Albany’s Godfrey Conn. “Just being able to stuff the gaps when we saw it. We improved our tackling in the second half. We went lower, their running back (Galusha) give him all the credit for what he does. It was great. It was great watching our defense play well.”
Conn had himself a game. Rushing for 228 yards with three touchdowns, his third TD of the game helped West Albany take a 28-21 lead with 1:42 left in the third quarter.
The West Albany stepped up again when they needed to on their next defensive possession, recovering a fumble recovery that led to a Beau Harvey score that made it 35-21 West Albany with 6:08 left in the game.
Momentum found its way to the Bulldogs end of things as the Bulldogs wrapped up a 41-21 Homecoming Night win. With Silverton up next, the win over the Dragons the West Albany saw their potential when they play a full four quarters against a quality team like a Dallas and Silverton.
“Just beinf able to play all four quarters. Having each other’s backs, just playing as a team and practicing well,” said Conn. “This past week we practiced really well. Defensively. Offensively, Special Teams, being able to execute was awesome. “
Dallas, who saw Thomas Hess score three times and Galusha rushing for ver 100 yards, this experience was what they needed as they now prepare for Glencoe this next week.
“I’m very proud of how my kids battled, we’re going to get better from this experience. It was a experience that we knew that we were going to run into some good one’s coming up,” said Jackson.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
