Grants Pass, wasting no time in
shaking off the effects of a six hour bus ride, made it look
easy against Hood
RiverValley Friday night.
So easy, one might say, that even a Caveman could do it.
The Cavemen rolled off the bus and beat the Hood River Valley
Eagles 61-6 at Henderson Community Stadium.
Todd Woodrum ran for three touchdowns and scored another on a
punt return while Jordy Romick tossed a pair of touchdowns to
help give the Cavemen a 48-0 lead at halftime and they coasted
from there.
The Eagles lone touchdown came on a 25-yard grab by Dalton
Frasier in the third quarter on a pass from Sam Kopecky.
"We only had control of one team," HRV coach Caleb Sperry said.
"And we didn't play up to our potential."
Highlights were hard to come by for the Eagles, who had a false
start on the opening kickoff of the game when they faked an
onside kick.
It took only a minute and half into the game for Grant's Pass to
get on the board, with Romick finding Jonz Olander for a 14-yard
touchdown and a 6-0 lead.
Woodrum then started his big night with a four yard touchdown
run on the next Cavemen possession.
Even the the bad breaks worked out well for Grants Pass. Midway
through the first quarter, Woodrum muffed a punt return, only to
have Olander scoop it up, and race 55-yards into the end zone.
Minutes later Grants Pass was in the end zone again on a 50-yard
Romick screen pass to Brock Dean to make it 27-0.
Woodrum broke it open with two short touchdown runs after HRV
turnovers and a punt return for a touchdown in the second
quarter.
Sperry credited Grants Pass aggressive offensive for setting the
tone.
"They came and were aggressive," he said. "They did a great job
of getting the second level and getting good blocks."
The lone first half highlights for the Eagles came on
back-to-back plays at the start of the second quarter. Brent Goe
recovered a Grants Pass fumble, and Kopecky quickly followed
that with a forty yard completion to Frazier, but HRV then went
three plays and punted.
The Eagles managed to put things together for one drive in the
third quarter, using a 15-yard run by Robert Wymore, and a
22-yard catch by Frazier to set up the 24-yard touchdown grab by
Frazier on third and 18.
The HRV coaching didn't want to use the game as a barometer,
considering Grants Pass was the heavy favorite coming into the
game, but Sperry did say it would be a mistake for HRV not to
take away lessons from the season opener.
"If we don't learn from this game, then we've missed the boat,"
Sperry said.
