The No. 1 Gladstone Gladiators rushed for 375 yards en route to a 35-17 win over No. 2 North Bend in the OSAA 4A state championship game Saturday night at Hillsboro Stadium.
The Gladiators ran the ball from the first whistle and never let off the pedal. Handsome Smith scored the first of his four touchdowns with a 59 yard scamper on Gladstone's opening drive to put the Gladiators ahead 7-0.
North Bend responded with a 14 play, 80 yard drive of their own. Trey Woods finished it off with a five-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7.
Following an interception of Gladstone quarterback Sean Williams by Cameron Lucero, Ian Bream kicked a 34-yard field goal to give the Bulldogs a 10-7 lead.
Gladstone turned the ball over again when Smith attempted a pass into the end zone that was intercepted by Drew Matthews.
However, the Gladiators defense was stout all night against one of the state's top offenses. Quarterback Cameron Lucero was just 17 of 31 for 205 yards and a touchdown through the air. He rushed the ball 13 times for 89 yards, but couldn't find a way to get his team into the end zone.
As the defense kept Gladstone in striking distance, Smith scored on a 24-yard touchdown pass on fourth down, which put the Gladiators in front 14-10 heading into halftime.
Similarly to the first half, North Bend scored on its opening drive of the second half. Lucero connected with Levi Rider for a four-yard touchdown to retake the lead 17-14.
Then, the Gladiators exerted their will. Gladstone kept the ball on the ground the entire second half. Williams' halftime stat line of 3 for 4 for 81 yards with a touchdown and an interception remained intact when the final horn sounded.
Zach Smith began the second half barrage with a three-yard touchdown as the Gladiators led 21-17. North Bend drove down to Gladstone's seven-yard line. Despite kicking a field goal earlier in the game, head coach Gary Prince decided to go for it on fourth down, only to see his quarterback get stuffed at the four-yard line.
Gladstone followed with a championship drive: Fifteen plays (all rushing), 96 yards that took off seven minutes and 27 seconds off the clock. Smith put the exclamation point on the drive with a five-yard touchdown run to give the Gladiators a 28-17 lead with 6:28 remaining.
Smith would slam the door shut with a 51-yard touchdown run to cement the 35-17 win. He ran for 212 yards and Smith added 122 yards.
Jon Jedrykowski, Head Coach
1.) How did the team come together to play so well after not playing their best the last couple of games?
"Every week we learned a lesson. The lesson we learned last week is that it's not playing four quarters, it's playing 48 minutes. Last week we learned we have to play two halves of football and we did. We knew they were going to be a good football team, our kids knew it. I felt we were the better team. They had some special players, but as far as a team and group, we had the kids. These kids were number one all year long, the pressure's been on them, they delivered."
2.) What did you think of Handsome's performance?
"He's a stud. He's been a stud since he's been in third grade with us. He had the chance to go elsewhere. School called and wanted him, and he chose to stay here with his teammates and win this thing."
3.) Your defense was very physical tonight. What did you think of their performance?
"Anytime they're going to put the ball in the air like that, with our speed, that's bound to happen. We knew there was going to be some big hits. There was some big hits last week against Scappoose. The kids brought it tonight."
4.) What was your defensive scheme against Lucero?
"My defensive coordinator is the best in the state. I'll go out there and say that right now. Doug Sommer is the man. Keep him (Lucero) contained, stay in front of him. A lot of teams don't stay in front of him, so he breaks contain and he's gone. Our plan was to stay in front of him. We got quick kids on the end. That's where we wanted him. For the most part, we kept him in front of them."
5.) How impressive of a performance was that by your offensive line?
"It was outstanding. We saw them on film and we thought we could push them around a little bit. We had to settle in a little bit but once we did, we apparently ran the ball very well on them."
6.) Did you know this was possible at the beginning of the season?
"That's been the expectation. When you got this many seniors, the kids have been together this long. Absolutely it was possible."
7.) What can you say about this group of seniors?
"They like to play football and they love one another. We're a family, we're a brotherhood we call it. They've stuck together since third grade. This was the expectation for these kids and this community and they lived up to it."
8.) What are you most proud about this team?
"The pressure that they've had on them all year. They never thought about it. They've been number one since day one. They just performed every day."
9.) What does the win mean for the community?
"It means everything. It's a rich tradition in football. They came out and they represented very well."
10.) You're a rookie coach and you win the State championship. Where do you go from here?
"You try to win it every year, that's the key right? You just try to do it again. We get a great group of kids, great community members. The sky is the limit."
Handsome Smith, Running Back
1.) How does it feel to be a State champion?
"I can't even explain it. I'm so overjoyed with emotions. We believed we could do it. I just can't believe we came out here and did it. The feeling is unbelievable."
2.) What were your emotions during the game?
"I really can't even explain. I was happy, excited. We were just ready to go. We practiced good. The team was just ready to go."
3.) The last two weeks you guys played in OT. What did you think of tonight's performance?
"We just felt like we could overcome adversity. If this game came to it, we felt like we could have done it. Thank God that was the score and not in overtime, because that would have been a hell of a ballgame."
4.) What did you see in their defense that allowed you to have a big rushing game?
"They float a lot. When they were floating, we were able to get behind them and go the opposite way. It just helped us out."
5.) What can you say about your offensive line?
"I wouldn't rather have any other offensive line. They block well, they're hard-nosed. They're a hell of a ball players, all of them."
6.) You guys were ranked number one from the beginning of the year. How does it feel to get this done?
"We're officially number one now. Rankings mean nothing. We just won the championship. We're officially number one."
7.) It was the first year with JJ as your coach. How good of a job did he do?
"Hell of a job. He made sure we were disciplined, detailed and we executed well. We're on top and we got the championship"
8.) What can you say about the group of seniors you were a part of?
"It's a brotherhood. It's officially a brotherhood. We'll never forget this moment."
The win completes Gladstone's perfect 12-0 season. After 36 years, they are back on top of the football world.
